Lower cost syngas via nitrogen quenching

Syngas generation units (SGU) comprise one or more hydrocarbons, steam and/or oxidative reformers, a transfer line and a syngas cooling package. Oxidative reformers are based on air, enriched-air or oxygen, and operate according to adiabatic homogeneous syntheses, as partial oxidation reactors (POX) or gasifiers, or according to adiabatic heterogeneous syntheses, as auto-thermal reactors (ATR) or catalytic partial oxidation reactors (CPOX). A combination of steam and oxidative reformers is frequently adopted. The transfer line is a refractory-lined large-size conduit for bringing hot syngas from reforming to the cooling package. The syngas cooling package usually includes a high-pressure water boiler connected to a steam drum; other heat exchangers are often included in the syngas cooling package.

Hot syngas discharged from the reforming operation is at high temperature and pressure; after cooling, the syngas is at operating conditions useful for water-gas shift (WGS) operation. The hot syngas has a high H2 and CO content; it is chemically aggressive towards mild-to-alloy steels at high metal temperatures.