Gas Heated Reforming - An Overview

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