Temporary desulphurization reactor for pre-treatment of a hydrocarbon feedstock prior to steam reforming in order to produce hydrogen

摘要

The method for pre-treating a steam reforming feed containing sulfur-containing compounds by adsorption of the sulfur-containing compounds onto an adsorbent solid using two desulfurization reactors, is claimed, where the reactors include a temporary desulfurization reactor (1010) containing an active adsorbent solid, and a permanent desulfurization reactor (1003) is placed upstream of a steam reforming unit, which contains an adsorbent solid in a passivated state, necessitating a depassivation phase in order to be rendered active. The method for pre-treating a steam reforming feed containing sulfur-containing compounds by adsorption of the sulfur-containing compounds onto an adsorbent solid using two desulfurization reactors, is claimed, where the reactors include a temporary desulfurization reactor (1010) containing an active adsorbent solid, and a permanent desulfurization reactor (1003) is placed upstream of a steam reforming unit, which contains an adsorbent solid in a passivated state, necessitating a depassivation phase in order to be rendered active. The temporary desulfurization reactor is disconnected as soon as the adsorbent solid of the permanent desulfurization reactor is activated, and a volume of the temporary desulfurization reactor is 1/50-1/200 times of a volume of the permanent desulfurization reactor. The method comprises two phases, where the steam reforming feed is sent to the temporary desulfurization reactor containing the active adsorbent solid and then to the permanent desulfurization reactor placed upstream of the steam reforming unit in the first phase termed as an activation phase, where a period of operation of the temporary desulfurization reactor allows the permanent desulfurization reactor to be activated by depassivation of the adsorbent solid contained in the reactor; and the temporary desulfurization reactor is disconnected and the steam reforming feed is sent directly to the activated permanent desulfurization reactor in the second phase. The method comprises three phases, where: the steam reforming feed is sent to the temporary desulfurization reactor, and the desulfurized feed obtained from the reactor is stored in a drum in the first phase; the desulfurized feed contained in the storage drum is heated in a first exchanger (1002) and then sent to the permanent reactor and then cooled in a second exchanger (1004) at an outlet from the permanent reactor before returning to the storage drum in the second phase, where the rotation from the storage drum to the permanent reactor is carried out until the permanent reactor is activated; and the temporary desulfurization reactor is disconnected, and the steam reforming feed is sent directly to the activated permanent desulfurization reactor in the third phase.