A method and system for producing methanol that employs steam methane reforming (SMR) and/or autothermal (ATR) synthesis gas production system, together with a partial oxidation system, is disclosed. The dual mode system and method for producing the synthesis gas in a methanol production process optimizes the efficiency and productivity of the methanol plant by using the partial oxidation based reforming system as an independent source of synthesis gas. The disclosed methods and systems are configurable either as a retrofit to existing methanol production facilities or as an integrated package into newly constructed methanol production facilities.

A gaseous fuel catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) reformer can include a plurality or an array of spaced-apart CPOX reactor units, each reactor unit including an elongate tube having a wall with internal and external surfaces, the wall enclosing an open gaseous flow passageway with at least a portion of the wall having CPOX catalyst disposed therein and/or comprising its structure. The catalyst-containing wall structure and open gaseous flow passageway enclosed thereby define a gaseous phase CPOX reaction zone, the catalyst-containing wall section being gas-permeable to allow gaseous CPOX reaction mixture to diffuse therein and hydrogen-rich product reformate to diffuse therefrom. At least the exterior surface of a CPOX reaction zone of a CPOX reactor unit can include a hydrogen barrier. The gaseous fuel CPOX reformer also can include one or more igniters, and a source of gaseous reformable fuel.

This is a system for generating hydrogen on-board the vehicle from compressed natural gas (CNG) in select ratios to create hydrogen-enriched CNG (HCNG) fuel for use in internal combustion engines. The on-board generation of hydrogen is comprised of a reforming system of CNG fuel with direct contact with exhaust gases. The reforming system controls for production of HCNG fuel mixtures is based on specific engine operating conditions. The vehicle's engine controls and operating parameters are modified for combustion of selective ratios of HCNG fuel mixtures throughout engine operating cycle. The reforming system controls and engine controls modifications are also used to minimize combustion emissions and optimize engine performance.

The invention relates to a process for the production of liquid hydrocarbons by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in which the reforming section of the plant comprises a process line comprising autothermal reforming (ATR) (5) or catalytic partial oxidation (CPO), and a separate process line comprising steam methane reforming (SMR) (8).

Process for the production of synthesis gas by catalytic steam reforming of a hydrocarbon containing feedstock in parallel in an autothermal steam reformer and heat exchange reformer, the heat for the steam reforming reactions in the heat exchange reformer being provided by indirect heat exchange with the combined effluent of the heat exchange reformer and a portion of the autothermal steam reformer.

The present invention provides a CO shift conversion device and a CO shift conversion method which improves CO conversion rate without increasing usage of a shift conversion catalyst. A CO shift conversion device includes: a CO shift converter 10 having a catalyst layer 5 composed of a CO shift conversion catalyst and performing CO shift conversion process on a gas flowing inside; and a CO.sub.2 remover 51 removing CO.sub.2 contained in a gas introduced. The catalyst layer 5 is composed of a CO shift conversion catalyst having a property that a CO conversion rate decreases with an increase of the concentration of CO.sub.2 contained in a gas flowing inside. The concentration of CO.sub.2 contained in a gas G0 to be processed is lowered by the CO.sub.2 remover 51 and, after that, the resultant gas is supplied to the CO shift converter 10 where it is subjected to the CO shift conversion process.

A method for producing -rich synthesis gas comprises the following steps: decomposing a hydrocarbon-containing fluid into an H.sub.2/C-aerosol in a first hydrocarbon converter by supplying energy which is at least partly provided in the form of heat; introducing at least a first stream of the H.sub.2/C-aerosol into a first sub-process which comprises the following steps: directing at least a part of the H.sub.2/C-aerosol from the first hydrocarbon converter into a first C-converter; introducing CO.sub.2 into the first C-converter and mixing the CO.sub.2 with the H.sub.2/C-aerosol introduced into the first C-converter; converting the mixture of H.sub.2/C-aerosol and CO.sub.2 into a synthesis gas at a temperature of 800 to 1700 C.; mixing additional H.sub.2 with the synthesis gas for the production of H.sub.2-rich synthesis gas. In a second sub-process running in parallel with the first sub-process, hydrogen H.sub.2 and carbon dioxide CO.sub.2 are produced from a hydrocarbon-containing fluid, wherein at least a portion of the CO.sub.2 produced in the second sub-process is introduced into the first C-converter; and wherein at least a portion of the H.sub.2 produced in the second sub-process is mixed with the synthesis gas from the first C-converter. The CO.sub.2 which is needed for the conversion of C in the first C-converter can thereby be provided independently of an external source, and the entire operational sequence is easily controllable.

The fuel production system includes a CH.sub.4 recoverer, an electrolyzer, a liquid fuel producer, a steam reformer that performs steam reforming of the methane and produces hydrogen, and a controller. The controller includes: a heat amount determiner that determines whether or not an amount of heat required to increase a temperature in the gasification furnace to a temperature required to gasify the biomass feedstock is less than a predetermined threshold; a H.sub.2 production rate determiner that determines whether or not a production rate of hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; and a steam reforming controller that controls the steam reformer to perform the steam reforming, and introduces the hydrogen produced, into the gasification furnace, in a case where the heat amount determiner determines that the required amount of heat for the gasification furnace is less than the predetermined threshold, and the H.sub.2 production rate determiner determines that the production rate of hydrogen is less than the predetermined threshold.

A process for producing syngas and olefins including the steps of feeding a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reactant mixture (oxygen, first hydrocarbons, steam) to a CPO reactor (CPO catalyst); wherein the CPO reactant mixture reacts, via CPO reaction, in CPO reactor to produce a CPO reactor effluent (H.sub.2, CO, CO.sub.2, water, unreacted first hydrocarbons). The process further includes feeding a cracking unit feed (second hydrocarbons) to a cracking unit to produce a cracking unit product (olefins), a hydrogen-rich stream (hydrogen, CH.sub.4), and a hydrocarbon recovery stream (C.sub.4+ hydrocarbons); wherein the first and the second hydrocarbons are the same or different; recovering a hydrogen-enriched stream (hydrogen) and a hydrocarbon-enriched stream (CH.sub.4) from the hydrogen-rich stream; and contacting the CPO reactor effluent with the hydrogen-enriched stream to yield hydrogen-enriched syngas, and wherein the M ratio ((H.sub.2CO.sub.2)/(CO+CO.sub.2)) of the hydrogen-enriched syngas is greater than the M ratio of the CPO reactor effluent.

A plant and process for producing a hydrogen rich gas are provided, said process including the steps of: steam reforming a hydrocarbon feed into a synthesis gas; shifting the synthesis gas and conducting the shifted gas to a hydrogen purification unit, subjecting CO.sub.2-rich off-gas from the hydrogen purification unit to a carbon dioxide removal in a low temperature CO.sub.2-removal section and recycling CO.sub.2-depleted off-gas rich in hydrogen to the process. A drying unit upstream the CO.sub.2-removal section is provided, under the addition of regeneration gas produced in the plant and process.