The invention relates to a reformer furnace for catalytic reforming of a carbon-containing input material with steam. The reformer furnace has a steel construction which serves as a framework for a refractory lining and for the fastening of burners, reformer tubes and supply and discharge lines. The burners and reformer tubes are arranged in rows, parallel to one another and in alternating fashion. The steel construction includes a plurality of main carrier units, wherein each main carrier unit has at least two vertically extending supports and a horizontally extending main carrier which connects the supports. This type of steel construction makes it possible to achieve uniform spacing of the reformer tubes and burners over the entire reformer furnace. This results in advantages in terms of the maximum operating temperature of the reformer tubes, thereby extending their service life.

An electrically heated reactor is a tube surrounded by electrical heating means having radiative sheeting placed coaxially with regard to the reactor tube. The surface area of the sheeting facing the outer surface area of the reactor tube defines an inner surface area covering at least 60% of the reactor tube outer surface area. The distance between the reactor tube and the heating means is selected such that the ratio between the inner surface area of the electrical heating means to the reactor tube outer surface area is in the range of 0.7 to 3.0. The reactor is useful in many industrial scale high temperature gas conversion and heating technologies.

A product gas manifold system for a steam reformer is provided. The product gas manifold system includes a product gas manifold including an outer jacket tube and a gas-conveying inner tube extending concentrically and coaxially over its entire length, a space between the inner and jacket tubes being at least partially filled with a first insulating material, a plurality of nozzle tubes, each for connecting a reformer tube to the product gas manifold, a second insulating material disposed around the jacket tube, a curved outer surface outwardly limiting the second layer of the second insulating material and following the shape of the jacket tube in the axial direction.

A furnace for gas fields, refineries reforming, petrochemical plants, or hydrogen generation by gasification may include: a radiant zone; a convective zone; and a first and second series of pipes through which at least two segregated process gas flows respectively pass. A first process gas flow may enter the furnace through the convective zone and, flowing through the first series of pipes, may leave the furnace through the radiant zone, or alternatively the first process gas flow may enter the furnace through the radiant zone and, flowing through the first series of pipes, may leave the furnace through the radiant zone. At least a second process gas flow may enter the furnace through the convective zone, may pass through the second series of pipes, and may leave the furnace through the convective zone. The second of series of pipes may be made of material resistant to acid gases.

A reformer furnace is provided for use in converting a hydrocarbon feed into a synthesis gas stream. The reformer furnace includes at least one bayonet reformer tube located at least partly within an enclosed volume. The reformer furnace includes a first support arranged to support the second end portion of the at least one bayonet reformer tube against the second endwall of the reformer furnace.

A naphtha reforming reactor system comprising a first reactor comprising a first inlet and a first outlet, wherein the first reactor is configured to operate as an adiabatic reactor, and wherein the first reactor comprises a first naphtha reforming catalyst; and a second reactor comprising a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein the second inlet is in fluid communication with the first outlet of the first reactor, wherein the second reactor is configured to operate as an isothermal reactor, and wherein the second reactor comprises a plurality of tubes disposed within a reactor furnace, a heat source configured to heat the interior of the reactor furnace; and a second naphtha reforming catalyst disposed within the plurality of tubes, wherein the first naphtha reforming catalyst and the second naphtha reforming catalyst are the same or different.

The present invention pertains to improved processes and catalysts for aromatization. The processes generally contacting a feed stream comprising a naphtha fraction having a C.sub.6 to C.sub.8 content with a catalyst pellet composition to form aromatic hydrocarbons. The catalyst pellet composition generally comprises a plurality of cylindrical pellets each pellet comprising a Group VIII metal on a zeolite. The pellets may have (a) a plurality of holes passing through the length of the cylindrical pellets, (b) a dome-shaped top and bottom, and (c) a plurality of semi-circular grooves along the length of the exterior of the cylinder.

The present invention provides a process of catalytic depolymerization of polystyrene involving a spherical catalyst, an apparatus for carrying out the depolymerization, recovering the aromatic rich liquid product and recycling the catalyst without any decrease in the catalytic performance. Further, the present invention provides that the aromatic rich liquid product includes styrene, xylene, benzene, ethyl benzene, with styrene content greater than 65%. Additionally, the catalyst involved in the depolymerization process is a spherical catalyst that is easily recovered from coke/char formed during the process and is recycled and reused without any decrease in the catalytic performance.

A process is proposed for producing synthesis gas with reduced steam export by catalytic steam reforming of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas with steam in a multitude of reformer tubes in a burner-heated reformer furnace to form a steam reforming flue gas. This process includes a configuration of the reformer tubes as reformer tubes with internal heat exchange and the use of a structured catalyst. For amounts of export steam between 0 and 0.8 kg of export steam per m.sub.N.sup.3 of hydrogen produced, these features interact synergistically when particular steam reforming conditions are selected.

An apparatus for the production of hydrogen from a fuel source includes a combustor configured to receive a combustor fuel and convert the combustor fuel into a combustor heat; a reformer disposed annularly about the combustor, a removable structured catalyst support disposed within the gap and coated with a catalyst to induce combustor fuel combustion reactions that convert the combustor fuel to the combustor heat, and a combustor fuel injection aperture configured for mixing combustion fuel into the combustion catalyst. The combustor fuel injection aperture being disposed along a length of the combustion zone. The reformer and the combustor define a gap therebetween and the reformer is configured to receive the combustor heat.