PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHESIS GAS

Abstract

A process for producing synthesis gas, the process comprising the steps of a) reforming a hydrocarbon feed in a reforming section thereby obtaining a synthesis gas comprising CH4, CO, CO2, H2 and H2O and impurities comprising ammonia; b) shifting the synthesis gas in a shift section comprising one or more shift steps in series to a shifted synthesis gas; c) separating from the shifted synthesis gas a process condensate originating from cooling and optionally washing of the shifted synthesis gas; d) passing a part of the process condensate to a condensate steam stripper, wherein dissolved shift byproducts comprising ammonia, methanol and amines formed during shifting the synthesis gas are stripped out of the process condensate using steam resulting in a stripper steam stream, e) adding the stripper steam stream from the process condensate steam stripper to the hydrocarbon feed and/or to the synthesis gas downstream the reforming section, up-stream the last shift step, wherein the remaining part of the process condensate is purged.

Claims

1. A process for producing synthesis gas, the process comprising the steps of a) reforming a hydrocarbon feed in a reforming section thereby obtaining a synthesis gas comprising CH.sub.4, CO, CO.sub.2, H2 and H.sub.2O and impurities comprising ammonia; b) shifting the synthesis gas in a shift section comprising one or more shift steps in series to a shifted synthesis gas; c) separating from the shifted synthesis gas a process condensate originating from cooling and optionally washing of the shifted synthesis gas; d) passing a part of the process condensate to a condensate steam stripper, wherein dissolved shift byproducts comprising ammonia, methanol and amines formed during shifting the synthesis gas are stripped out of the process condensate using steam resulting in a stripper steam stream, e) adding the stripper steam stream from the process condensate steam stripper to the hydrocarbon feed and/or to the synthesis gas downstream the reforming section, up-stream the last shift step, wherein the remaining part of the process condensate is purged.

2. Process of claim 1, wherein the condensate steam stripper is a medium pressure stripper.

3. Process of claim 1, wherein the purge is passed to a purge condensate steam stripper.

4. Process of claim 1, wherein the purge condensate steam stripper is a low pressure stripper.

5. Process of claim 3, wherein steam from the purge condensate steam stripper is condensed and non-condensable gases are employed as fuel.

6. Process of claim 1, wherein stripped condensate from step (d) is passed to water treatment.

7. Process of claim 3, wherein the stripped purge condensate from the purge condensate steam stripper is passed to water treatment.

Description

EXAMPLE

[0036] Reference is made to FIG. 1

[0037] The stream numbers in the tables below refers to the reference numbers in FIG. 1 Table 1 shows a case for removing formed ammonia and amines by converting these in the reforming section by adding 8.4% of the stripped steam to this unit.

[0038] Table 2 shows a case for removing formed ammonia and amines by purging 8% of the process condensate.

[0039] There is in both cases the same built-up of ammonia and amines in the shift section. This built-up can be reduced or removed by admitting all the stripped steam to either the reforming section or the process condensate purge.

TABLE-US-00001 Stream 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Flow T/h 92 100 168 255 255 125 0 125 95 87 8 Ammonia Kg/g 0 40 42 482 480 480 0 480 480 440 40 Amines Kg/h 0 3 0 33 36 36 0 36 36 33 3

TABLE-US-00002 Stream 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Flow T/h 100 100 168 255 255 125 10 115 87 87 0 Ammonia Kg/g 0 0 42 480 478 478 40 438 438 438 0 Amines Kg/h 0 0 0 33 36 36 3 33 33 33 0