gas heated reforming - an overview
TRANSCRIPT
By Gerard B. Hawkins
Managing Director, CEO
Oxidant
Steam
Steam
Natural Gas Air Secondary
Steam
MP Steam
800°C
1000°C
500°C
Fired-box reformer ◦ Intrinsically unreliable, relies on reaction in tubes to
prevent damage ◦ Relatively labour intensive ◦ Start-up / shut-down are high risk
Big steam system ◦ slow to start up ◦ another major source of unreliability
Limitations on capacity
Oxidant
Secondary Reformer
Mixed feed
Syngas
Preheater
Gas Heated Reformer
Heat Recovery
1000°C
700°C 450°C
520°C
Gas Heated Reformer
Plant Location Started up Terra LCA#1 UK 1988 Terra LCA#2 UK 1988 Coogee Energy MRP Australia 1994 Mississippi Chems LCA#1 USA 1998
The original GHR was a complex device to fabricate.
Desire to simplify the design: ◦ eliminate the bayonet tubes ◦ simplify the upper (triple) tubesheet
In 1998, BHPP replaced the original GHR with the new AGHR.
The AGHR
• Part of major component combined with the sheath tubeplate
• Low alloy plate P4 group materials
• Machined Fabrication • Weight 28 tonnes
Part of major component combined with catalyst tubeplate sub-assembly
Low alloy plate P4 group materials
Machined Fabrication Weight 17 tonnes
Major element of the AGHR Large Fabrication, critical
machined features Support platform for the bundle Key item with two tiers of close
tolerance tube hole arrays. Weight 45 tonnes
Fabricated tube component with laser welded fins.
High tolerance required, needs to fit precisely with corresponding components
Relatively flimsy assembly careful handling required
Fabricated tube component
High tolerance required on outside & inside diameters to achieve fit with corresponding components
Large plate fabrication.
Grillage aperture centres to be in line with tube array.
High level of accuracy required
TCC
Purge Fuel Comp.
MUG
Circ. Recycle H2
Distillation Reboilers
To Topping Column
Flash Gas
Saturator Water Heater
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
210 220 230 240 250 260 270
Exit Temperature (°C)
% M
eOH
exi
t Con
vert
er
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
% MeOH exit Converter
Rec
ycle
Rat
io
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
4 6 8 10 12 14
% MeOH exit Converter
Cat
alys
t Vol
ume
(m3/
ktpd
)
TCC
Purge Fuel Comp.
MUG
Circ. Recycle H2
Distillation Reboilers
To Topping Column
Flash Gas
Saturator Water Heater
TCC
WCR
Purge Fuel Comp.
MUG
Circ. Recycle H2
To Topping Column
Flash Gas
Distillation Reboilers
MUGCompressor
Circulator
Interchanger In Circ
Recycle
BFW Heater
Compressed MUG
Purge
Gas exWCC
Membrane
R202 R201
In Conv
Saturator Water
Process Condy
Water toSaturator
H2 P
ermeate
NaturalGas
RCRB RC FeedVaporizer
TCRB
E3 R102 R103
R101
C101
B101
B102
ToB101
ToC101
ToR101
Gas toE3
Ex AGHRShell
Sat Gasex E3
To AGHRTubes
Gas exATR
Gas toATR
Oxygento ATR
Gas To HT SatWat Heater
HP WasteGas
Water toWCC
Make-upWater
MU
G to C
omp
CrudeMeOH