An H.sub.2-rich fuel gas stream can be advantageously produced by reforming a hydrocarbon/steam mixture in to produce a reformed stream, followed by cooling the reformed stream in a waste-heat recovery unit to produce a high-pressure steam stream, shifting the cooled reformed stream a first shifted stream, cooling the first shifted stream, shifting the cooled first shifted stream to produce a second shifted stream, cooling the second shifted stream, abating water from the cooled second shifted stream to obtain a crude gas mixture stream comprising H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2, and recovering a CO.sub.2 stream from the crude gas mixture stream. The H.sub.2-rich stream can be advantageously combusted to provide thermal energy needed for residential, office, and/or industrial applications including in the H.sub.2-rich fuel gas production process. The H.sub.2-rich fuel gas production process can be advantageously integrated with an olefins production plant comprising a steam cracker.

A catalyst composition includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons includes contacting in a reactor system a carbon-containing feedstock with at least one catalyst in the presence of oxygen to generate olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; and collecting the olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; wherein: the at least one catalyst includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for preparing the catalyst includes mixing metal catalyst precursors selected from transition metal compounds and rare-earth metal compounds and a eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides and heating it. A use of the catalyst in the catalytic cracking process of hydrocarbons.

A catalyst composition includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons includes contacting in a reactor system a carbon-containing feedstock with at least one catalyst in the presence of oxygen to generate olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; and collecting the olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; wherein: the at least one catalyst includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for preparing the catalyst includes mixing metal catalyst precursors selected from transition metal compounds and rare-earth metal compounds and a eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides and heating it. A use of the catalyst in the catalytic cracking process of hydrocarbons.

Disclosed is an ethylene and/or propylene cracker unit that uses recycled carbon dioxide as a working fluid. A boiler may also use recycled carbon dioxide as a working fluid. In either instance, instead of releasing high-purity CO.sub.2 into the atmosphere, the bulk of the CO.sub.2 is utilized as the working fluid and the produced CO.sub.2 is captured and sent to the pipeline for utilization or storage. These systems will minimize heat loss and achieve essentially zero CO.sub.2 emission to the air.

A catalyst composition includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons includes contacting in a reactor system a carbon-containing feedstock with at least one catalyst in the presence of oxygen to generate olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; and collecting the olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; wherein: the at least one catalyst includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for preparing the catalyst includes mixing metal catalyst precursors selected from transition metal compounds and rare-earth metal compounds and a eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides and heating it. A use of the catalyst in the catalytic cracking process of hydrocarbons.

Disclosed is a boiler may that uses recycled carbon dioxide as a working fluid. Instead of releasing high-purity CO.sub.2 into the atmosphere, the bulk of the CO.sub.2 is utilized as the working fluid and the produced CO.sub.2 is captured and sent to a pipeline for utilization or storage. These systems will minimize heat loss and achieve essentially zero CO.sub.2 emission to the air.

A process for producing syngas and olefins includes the steps of feeding a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reactant mixture having oxygen, first hydrocarbons, and optionally steam to a CPO reaction zone having a CPO catalyst such that at least a portion of the CPO reactant mixture reacts, via an exothermic CPO reaction, to produce syngas having hydrogen (H.sub.2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), water, and unreacted first hydrocarbons. The syngas is characterized by a molar ratio M defined as (H.sub.2−CO.sub.2)/(CO+CO.sub.2). The method further includes feeding a cracking zone feed having second hydrocarbons to a cracking zone such that at least a portion of the second hydrocarbons undergoes an endothermic cracking reaction to produce a cracking zone product stream having olefins, hydrogen, and unreacted second hydrocarbons; and cooling the CPO reaction zone by heating the cracking zone while cooling the CPO reaction zone via heat transfer between the CPO reaction zone and the cracking zone.

A process for producing syngas and olefins includes the steps of feeding a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reactant mixture having oxygen, first hydrocarbons, and optionally steam to a CPO reaction zone having a CPO catalyst such that at least a portion of the CPO reactant mixture reacts, via an exothermic CPO reaction, to produce syngas having hydrogen (H.sub.2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), water, and unreacted first hydrocarbons. The syngas is characterized by a molar ratio M defined as (H.sub.2−CO.sub.2)/(CO+CO.sub.2). The method further includes feeding a cracking zone feed having second hydrocarbons to a cracking zone such that at least a portion of the second hydrocarbons undergoes an endothermic cracking reaction to produce a cracking zone product stream having olefins, hydrogen, and unreacted second hydrocarbons; and cooling the CPO reaction zone by heating the cracking zone while cooling the CPO reaction zone via heat transfer between the CPO reaction zone and the cracking zone.

Disclosed are systems and processes to produce aromatic and olefinic compounds by aromatization and thermal cracking of hydrocarbons.

The invention relates to a process for the production of ethylene in an integrated configuration comprising (i) a steam cracker configuration which comprises a steam cracker unit, a water condensation unit and a carbon dioxide removal unit and (ii) an oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) configuration which comprises an ODH unit and a water condensation unit, wherein an effluent coming from the ODH configuration, which effluent comprises unconverted ethane and ethylene, is fed to the steam cracker configuration at a position which is downstream of the steam cracker unit, and wherein unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and acetylene are removed from at least a portion of the stream coming from the ODH unit by oxidation of carbon monoxide and acetylene into carbon dioxide in an oxidation unit which is located at a position (a) which is downstream of the ODH unit, and (b) which is downstream of the steam cracker unit and upstream of the carbon dioxide removal unit of the steam cracker configuration.