PRODUCTION OF A GAS STREAM CONTAINING AT LEAST 50 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF HYDROGEN FROM A CARBONACEOUS FEEDSTOCK

摘要

A carbonaceous feedstock, e.g. coal or heavy oil, having a low hydrogen to carbon atomic ratio is partially oxidised using air, or oxygen enriched or depleted air, to form a crude gas which is subjected to catalytic shirt and excess steam removal. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are then removed from the resultant raw gas, which has a hydrogen to nitrogen, plus carbon monoxide, volume ratio in the range 0.5 to 1.5 and a nitrogen content at least 10 times the carbon monoxide content, in a pressure swing adsorption process thereby producing a product gas stream containing at least 50% hydrogen and 0.5 to 40% nitrogen, by volume. The waste gas from the pressure swing adsoprtion may be catalytically combusted to power a turbine driving the compressor for the air or the crude gas.