Sunday, August 8, 2010

steam gas hydrocarbon reforming

28.7.2 Steam-Hydrocarbon Reforming
This is also an endothermic process. The reaction takes place inside catalyst-filled furnace tubes. Heat is supplied to the tubes by furnace
firing. Almost any hydrocarbon can be used—natural gas, propane, butane. The objective is to make hydrogen. Most of the world's hydrogen is produced in this way. Half the hydrogen comes from steam and the other half from hydrocarbons. All of the carbon in the feed is converted to CO2 and vented. How hydrogen powered cars for sale will help global warming, I do not grasp.
28.7.3 Alkylation
This is a very exothermic reaction. Iso-butane and light olefines react to form iso-octane, a gasoline blending component with a 100 octane. That's where the word "octane" comes from. Reaction takes place at 50°F, in a liquid phase of either H2SO4 or HF acid.
28.7.4 Polymerization

This is an old process using a solid bed of phosphoric acid. Reaction takes place in the vapor phase. Feed is normally propylene. Products are hexane and nonane. Polymerization is a very exothermic process.
28.7.5 Sweetening
This is slightly exothermic process. Mercaptains are converted to disulfides by adding air. Catalyst is a blue powder (Merox), which impregnates a bed of charcoal saturated with caustic. Converting ( Process Equipment ) mercaptains to disulfides reduces the bad smell of gasoline and jet
fuel. The process takes place at about 100°F. Sulfur content of the product is not changed.
28.7.6 White Oil Hydrogenation
Motor oil is hydrotreated at 3000 psig and 450 to 650°F to remove all aromatic compounds by contact with hydrogen. The resulting white oil is used for baby oil, mineral oil, and ladies' cosmetics. The white oil costs $3 per gallon to make and is sold for $30 an ounce in
face creams.