Apparatus and process for steam reforming

Abstract

An apparatus and process for steam reforming may be configured to produce at least one product with reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and / or nitrogen oxides. Some embodiments may be better adapted to reform a pre-existing steam reforming process, while other embodiments may be better adapted to newly built facilities. Embodiments may be configured to utilize a synthetic air oxidant to provide combustion that results in the formation of a flue gas having a relatively high carbon dioxide concentration, which may also have low nitrogen and low nitrogen oxide concentrations. A control system may also be configured for use in such embodiments to control a steam reforming process and / or an oxidant forming process. Some embodiments may also be configured to provide carbon dioxide recovery, which may allow recovery of a second product stream comprising carbon dioxide.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications This application claims priority to U.S. Nonprovisional Application No. 18 / 498,480, filed October 31, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 527,810, filed July 19, 2023. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to processes and apparatus for steam reforming (e.g., steam methane reformers (SMRs), steam reformers, steam reforming processes, etc.). For example, some embodiments can be configured to form and use synthetic air as an oxidant for combustion of fuel in steam reforming or steam methane reforming, which can produce hydrogen while also promoting improved carbon dioxide recovery. Background Technology

[0003] Steam reforming, or steam methane reforming, can be considered as using a reformer feedstock to form syngas by reacting it with steam (e.g., the feedstock and steam react over a catalyst to form syngas). For example, hydrogen can be produced using a steam reforming process (e.g., a steam methane reforming process). Different types of steam reforming processes and systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,591,992, 7,850,944, 8,496,908, and 9,458,013, U.S. Patent Application Publications Nos. 2021 / 0071861 and 2014 / 0124705, and International Publication No. WO 2022 / 131925. Summary of the Invention

[0004] We have recognized that typical steam methane reformers utilize air as the oxidant gas for fuel combustion. We also recognize that using air as the oxidant in steam reforming units and processes can generate flue gas streams with diluted concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, recovering CO2 from these streams can require significant energy and utility losses, potentially making CO2 recovery processes extremely expensive.

[0005] We have determined that CO2 recovery can be significantly improved for steam reforming processes (e.g., steam methane reforming, etc.), allowing for improved CO2 recovery while also reducing costs associated with CO2 recovery and significantly mitigating the environmental impact associated with such processes (e.g., limiting CO2 emissions). Some implementations can be configured as blue hydrogen production systems or processes, for example, that allow for improved hydrogen production while also providing an additional CO2 product stream from CO2 recovery, which can have the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and operation-related costs by limiting or avoiding CO2 emissions.

[0006] Our process and equipment implementations can be configured to form syngas as an oxidant, instead of using air or oxygen-enriched air. Such implementations can form syngas with a relatively low amount of nitrogen, while also having suitable concentrations of oxygen (e.g., 20 mol% O2 to 40 mol% O2, 20 mol% O2 to 35 mol% O2, 20 mol% O2 to 30 mol% O2, 20 mol% O2 to 28 mol% O2, etc.) and significant concentrations of CO2 (e.g., 45 mol% CO2 to 70 mol% CO2, 20 mol% CO2 to 60 mol% CO2, etc.). The resulting syngas oxidant can have a relatively high CO2 concentration by injecting oxygen into a flue gas stream with a relatively high CO2 concentration. The flue gas flow can be recirculated from the combustion of methane or other fuels in the combustion chamber of a steam reformer unit, or it can be flue gas from another process gas that can be fed into a mixing unit to inject oxygen for the formation of synthetic air oxidant.

[0007] For example, the CO2 content of the synthesized air can be between 20 mol% and 80 mol%, or between 20 mol% and 60 mol%. Water (H2O) can also be included in the synthesized air to similarly help suppress the formation of NOx from the combustion of fuels (e.g., methane, etc.). In some embodiments, water can be between 2 mol% and 40 mol% of the synthesized air. In other embodiments, water may be absent or may be present only in relatively trace amounts (e.g., water may be between 0 mol% and 5 mol% of the synthesized air).

[0008] In some embodiments, synthetic air that can be used as an oxidant can be formed such that a preselected ratio of water to CO2 (water / CO2) is present. In some embodiments, this preselected ratio can be 0.8, between 0 and 1.1, or between 0.6 and 0.9. Other embodiments may also utilize another suitable ratio, which can be configured to meet a specific set of design criteria.

[0009] The water contained in the synthetic air may include water from the flue gas. In some embodiments, water may also be provided by injecting water from a water source into the flue gas via a mixing device or a water injection mechanism located downstream of the mixing device, which may be configured to inject oxygen into the flue gas to form a synthetic air oxidant. For example, water injection may occur after the formed oxidant has been preheated and before it is fed into the combustion chamber.

[0010] The resulting synthetic air can contain relatively low amounts of nitrogen, far lower than the nitrogen content in air or oxygen-enriched air. For example, the resulting synthetic air can contain 20 mol% oxygen (O2) to 40 mol% O2, 0 mol% argon (Ar) to 3 mol% Ar, 2 mol% nitrogen (N2) to 20 mol% N2, 5 mol% water to 40 mol% water, and 20 mol% carbon dioxide (CO2) to 70 mol% CO2. The resulting synthetic air may also include other components, such as small amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) and helium (He).

[0011] For example, a mixing device for injecting oxygen into flue gas to form a syngas oxidant can be configured to form syngas, which may contain 30 mol% to 60 mol% CO2, 23 mol% to 28 mol% O2, 1 mol% to 2 mol% Ar, 5 mol% to 15 mol% N2, and 5 mol% to 40 mol% water. As another example, a mixing device for injecting oxygen into flue gas to form a syngas oxidant can be configured to form syngas, which may contain 20 mol% to 70 mol% CO2, 22 mol% to 35 mol% O2, 1 mol% to 2 mol% Ar, 5 mol% to 15 mol% N2, and 2 mol% to 40 mol% water.

[0012] As yet another example, the mixing device can be configured to generate synthesis air, which may include less than 15 mol% or less than 10 mol% N2. Preferably, the N2 concentration in the generated synthesis air is minimized or otherwise kept relatively low (e.g., less than 20 mol% or less than 15 mol%). We have found that using low levels of N2 can help limit or avoid the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can help further reduce the environmental impact associated with the operation or implementation.

[0013] The implementation scheme can also utilize a control scheme for controlling the formation of low-N2 syngas oxidant and CO2 recovery, which can be provided by a hydrogen production process via a steam reforming unit. For example, the control scheme can be implemented using an automated process control system or a distributed control system (DCS). The implementation scheme can utilize at least one controller communicatively connected to at least one sensor for controlling at least one operating parameter of at least one unit (rotation speed of a booster fan or induction fan, positioning of at least one control valve or damper, and / or the rate at which one or more gases are fed into the mixing unit to form the oxidant, etc.). The implementation scheme can provide improved operational flexibility and consistency. Implementation schemes can be adapted such that combustion and / or reforming can be started or initiated using a first type of oxidant (e.g., air or oxygen-enriched air), and the process can subsequently be switched so that syngas is used as the oxidant, and air or oxygen-enriched air is no longer used. Other implementation schemes can be adapted such that only syngas is used as the oxidant for the process.

[0014] Our process and equipment implementations can also be used to retrofit existing steam reformer equipment, for example, to utilize syngas and carbon capture units or systems. Other implementations can be incorporated into new equipment designed for CO2 capture, which can allow for a reduction in the carbon footprint of hydrogen (H2) production. Still other implementations can be incorporated into new equipment or used to retrofit existing equipment to facilitate reduced CO2 emissions and / or the generation of a CO2 product stream, which also allows for the production of at least one other product from the resulting syngas via the steam reforming process.

[0015] In a first aspect, an apparatus for steam reforming may include a combustion unit configured to burn fuel with an oxidant in a combustion chamber of the combustion unit to form flue gas, and to heat at least one reactant stream passing through the combustion unit to form at least one reforming product stream for the production of hydrogen. A mixing unit may be positioned to receive a portion of the flue gas from the combustion unit to mix with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form an oxidant, such that the oxidant comprises 20 mol% to 40 mol% oxygen (O2), 20 mol% to 80 mol% carbon dioxide (CO2), 0 mol% to 25 mol% nitrogen (N2), and 0 mol% to 40 mol% water. A carbon capture system may be positioned to receive a portion of the flue gas from the combustion unit to recover CO2 and form at least one CO2 product stream.

[0016] In some embodiments, the CO2 product stream can be fed into a CO2 pipeline or storage device for storing CO2 for subsequent use and / or transportation. In other embodiments, the CO2 product stream can be used for CO2 sequestration. In still other embodiments, the CO2 product stream can be fed into another process unit of the equipment.

[0017] In a second aspect, the equipment for steam reforming may include at least one particulate removal device positioned upstream of the feed compression system of the carbon capture system to remove particulate matter from the carbon capture portion of the flue gas. In some embodiments, a first particulate removal device may be positioned upstream of a cooler unit positioned to cool the carbon capture portion of the flue gas before it is fed into the feed compression system of the carbon capture system. A second particulate removal device may also optionally be positioned between the feed compression system and the cooler unit. In other embodiments, the first particulate removal device may be positioned between the feed compression system and the cooler unit.

[0018] In the third aspect, the carbon capture system can be configured to output an oxidant forming feed stream to a mixing unit to mix with the flue gas and oxygen in the mixing unit section to form an oxidant.

[0019] In the fourth aspect, the carbon capture portion of the flue gas can be the first portion of the flue gas, and the mixing device portion of the flue gas can include the second portion of the flue gas. The mixing device portion of the flue gas can be 30% to 90% of the flue gas, and the first portion of the flue gas can be the remaining portion of the flue gas.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, the mixing device and carbon capture system can be positioned such that a second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas upstream of a cooler unit, which is positioned between the location where the second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion and the cooler unit. The feed compression system of the carbon capture system can be positioned to receive the first portion of the flue gas as the carbon capture portion of the flue gas from the cooler unit.

[0021] In some embodiments, the mixing device can be positioned such that a third portion of the flue gas can be diverted from the first portion of the flue gas upstream of the feed compression system and downstream of the cooler unit for feeding the third portion of the flue gas into the mixing device. For example, in some embodiments, the mixing device can be positioned such that a second portion of the flue gas is mixed with the third portion of the flue gas to form a mixing portion of the flue gas for feeding into the mixing device to form an oxidant.

[0022] In some embodiments, the amount of flue gas in the third portion of the flue gas can be adjustable to form a flue gas mixing device portion to regulate the temperature of the flue gas mixing device portion. For example, the portion of the first portion of flue gas that is diverted to form the third portion of the flue gas can be adjustable to regulate the temperature of the second portion of the flue gas used to form the flue gas mixing device portion, such that the flue gas mixing device portion has a desired temperature or a temperature within a pre-selected temperature range.

[0023] In a sixth aspect, the equipment for steam reforming may include a hydrogen production system positioned to receive at least one reforming product stream to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The hydrogen production system may have a carbon capture unit positioned upstream of a hydrogen recovery unit. The hydrogen recovery unit may be configured to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream.

[0024] The carbon capture unit of a hydrogen production system can be configured to recover CO2 from at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system and output at least one CO2 recovery stream. For example, the carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system can be positioned and configured to output at least one CO2 recovery stream such that one or more of the following are achieved: (i) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream can be fed to a mixing device to form an oxidant, (ii) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream can be fed to a compression system to form a CO2 product stream, and / or (iii) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream can be fed to a tail gas stream that can be output from the hydrogen recovery unit for mixing with the tail gas stream and feeding it into the combustion chamber of a combustion device.

[0025] In a seventh aspect, at least one CO2 product stream may include a first CO2 product stream, and the carbon capture system may include a partial condensation unit positioned to receive compressed flue gas from a compression system of the carbon capture system (e.g., a feed compression system of the carbon capture system) and output a first CO2-rich stream and a second CO2-rich stream. The first CO2-rich stream may be output at a pressure higher than that of the second CO2-rich stream. The second CO2-rich stream may be fed into a first stage of the CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream, and the first CO2-rich stream may be fed into a second stage of the CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream. The first CO2 product stream may have a pre-selected CO2 content. For example, the CO2 product stream may have a CO2 content of 90 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2.

[0026] In the eighth aspect, the apparatus for steam reforming may include other features. For example, the apparatus for steam reforming of the first aspect may include one or more features of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and / or seventh aspects. Therefore, it should be understood that other embodiments may utilize other features or other combinations of features. Examples of such combinations of features can be understood from the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0027] For example, a steam reformer apparatus may include a combustion unit configured to burn fuel with an oxidant in a combustion chamber to form flue gas and heat at least one reactant stream passing through the combustion unit to form at least one reforming product stream for hydrogen production. A mixing unit may be positioned to receive a portion of the flue gas from the combustion unit to mix with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form an oxidant, such that the oxidant comprises 20 mol% to 40 mol% O2, 20 mol% to 80 mol% CO2, and 0 mol% to 25 mol% N2. A carbon capture system may be positioned to receive a portion of the flue gas from the combustion unit to recover CO2 and form at least one CO2 product stream. The carbon capture system may include at least one particulate removal unit positioned upstream of the feed compression system and a membrane unit positioned downstream of the feed compression system. The membrane unit may be positioned to output a permeate stream and a residual stream. The membrane unit can be positioned to feed a permeate stream as an oxidant into a mixing unit to form an oxidant. The hydrogen production system can be positioned to receive at least one reforming product stream to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The hydrogen production system may have a carbon capture unit positioned upstream of a hydrogen recovery unit. The hydrogen recovery unit can be configured to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system can be configured to recover CO2 from at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system and output at least one CO2 recovery stream. The carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system can be positioned and configured to output at least one CO2 recovery stream, such that one or more of the following are achieved: (i) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream can be fed to a mixing device to form an oxidant, (ii) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream can be fed to a compression system to form a CO2 product stream, and / or (iii) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream can be fed to a tail gas stream that can be output from the hydrogen recovery unit for mixing with the tail gas stream and feeding it into the combustion chamber of a combustion device.

[0028] As another example, an apparatus for steam reforming may include a combustion device configured to burn fuel with an oxidant in a combustion chamber of the combustion device to form flue gas and heat at least one reactant stream passing through the combustion device to form at least one reforming product stream for producing hydrogen; and a mixing device positioned to receive a portion of the flue gas from the combustion device for mixing with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form an oxidant, such that the oxidant comprises 20 mol% to 40 mol% O2, 20 mol% to 80 mol% CO2, 0 mol% to 25 mol% N2, and 0 mol% to 40 mol% water. The device may also include at least one of the following: (a) a first booster located downstream of the combustion unit to help drive flue gas flow to the mixing unit and / or carbon capture system; (b) an oxidant preheater located between the mixing unit and the combustion chamber of the combustion unit to preheat the oxidant before it is fed into the combustion chamber, the preheater being positioned to receive a heating medium, including boiler feedwater, for heating the oxidant; and / or (c) at least one oxidant preheating heat exchanger duct located in the combustion unit to receive oxidant from the mixing unit and preheat the oxidant therein via the flue gas in the combustion chamber before it is fed into the combustion chamber of the combustion unit for fuel combustion and flue gas formation. The first booster may be configured as a fan, compressor, or other type of fluid flow booster that can help drive fluid flow downstream of the booster.

[0029] In some embodiments, the equipment for steam reforming may also include a boiler feedwater cooling device, which is positioned to receive boiler feedwater output from the preheater to cool the boiler feedwater to a temperature within a preselected boiler feedwater temperature range.

[0030] Some implementations may utilize a hydrogen production system positioned to receive at least one reforming product stream to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The hydrogen production system may include a hydrogen recovery unit configured to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The hydrogen recovery unit may be located downstream of a water removal unit configured to remove water from at least one reforming product stream. A reforming product stream cooling device may be located upstream of the hydrogen recovery unit and upstream of the water removal unit, and downstream of a cooling train. The reforming product stream cooling device may be positioned to receive a cooling medium to cool at least one reforming product stream to a temperature within a pre-selected feed temperature range of the water removal unit.

[0031] The hydrogen production system may also include a carbon capture unit located upstream of the hydrogen recovery unit. As mentioned above, the carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system may be configured to recover CO2 from at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system and output at least one CO2 recovery stream. For example, the carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system may be positioned and configured to output at least one CO2 recovery stream such that one or more of the following are achieved: (i) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream is fed to a mixing device to form an oxidant, (ii) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream is fed to a compression system to form a CO2 product stream, and / or (iii) a portion of at least one CO2 recovery stream is fed to a tail gas stream output from the hydrogen recovery unit for mixing with the tail gas stream and feeding it into the combustion chamber of a combustion device.

[0032] In some embodiments, the equipment for steam reforming may include one or more of the following: (1) a first booster configured to help drive the flue gas flow to a mixing device and / or a carbon capture system; (2) a second booster configured to feed a first portion of the flue gas toward the carbon capture system and / or feed a third portion of the flue gas toward the mixing device; and / or (3) a third booster configured to feed a third portion of the flue gas toward the mixing device.

[0033] For example, some embodiments of a steam reforming apparatus may include a carbon capture system positioned to receive a carbon capture portion of flue gas to recover CO2 from the carbon capture portion of the flue gas; and one or more of the following: (1) a first booster positioned to assist in driving the flow of flue gas to a mixing device and / or the carbon capture system; and / or (2) a second booster positioned to feed the carbon capture portion of the flue gas toward the carbon capture system.

[0034] In a ninth aspect, a steam reforming process may include forming an oxidant. The oxidant may have 20 mol% to 40 mol% O2, 20 mol% to 80 mol% CO2, 0 mol% to 25 mol% N2, and 0 mol% to 40 mol% water. The process may further include using the oxidant to burn fuel in a combustion unit of a steam reformer to generate flue gas, heating at least one reaction stream to output at least one reforming product stream; and feeding a mixing portion of the flue gas to a mixing unit to mix the mixing portion of the flue gas with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form the oxidant.

[0035] The implementation of this process can be achieved through an implementation of equipment for steam reforming.

[0036] In a tenth aspect, the steam reforming process may include removing particulate matter from the carbon capture section of the flue gas upstream of the feed compression system of the carbon capture system, and feeding the carbon capture section of the flue gas back to the carbon capture system for CO2 recovery. In some embodiments, the process may further include feeding an oxidant feed stream from the carbon capture system to a mixing unit to mix with the mixing unit section of the flue gas and oxygen to form an oxidant.

[0037] In the eleventh aspect, the steam reforming process may include diverting a second portion of the flue gas from a first portion of the flue gas. A mixing section of the flue gas may include the second portion of the flue gas, and a carbon capture section of the flue gas may include the first portion of the flue gas. In some embodiments, the process may further include diverting a third portion of the flue gas from the first portion of the flue gas after the first portion passes through a cooler unit located between the location where the second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion and the feed compression system of the carbon capture system. The third portion and the second portion of the flue gas may be fed into a mixing unit as a mixing section of the flue gas to form an oxidant. In some embodiments, the third portion and the second portion of the flue gas may be mixed together before being fed into the mixing unit. For example, such mixing may be performed to control the temperature of the mixing section of the flue gas.

[0038] For example, feeding a third portion and a second portion of flue gas into a mixing device may include mixing the second portion of flue gas with the third portion upstream of the mixing device to form a mixing portion of the flue gas. The third portion of flue gas may be diverted from the first portion of flue gas to control the temperature of the mixing portion, such that the mixing portion has a pre-selected temperature within a pre-selected temperature range. In some embodiments, the mixing portion of the flue gas comprises 30% to 90% of the flue gas, and the first portion of the flue gas is the remaining portion.

[0039] In a twelfth aspect, the steam reforming process may include feeding at least one reforming product stream into a hydrogen production system to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream, and processing the at least one reforming product stream via a carbon capture unit located upstream of a hydrogen recovery unit to recover CO2 from the at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system and output at least one CO2 recovery stream. Embodiments may also include one or more of the following: (i) feeding a portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream into a mixing device to form an oxidant, (ii) feeding a portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream into a compression system to form a CO2 product stream, and / or (iii) feeding a portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream into a tail gas stream that can be output from the hydrogen recovery unit, for mixing with the tail gas stream and feeding it into the combustion chamber of a combustion device. Some embodiments may use only one of these options (i) to (iii), other embodiments may use a combination of two of options (i) to (iii), and still other embodiments may use all three of these options (iii).

[0040] In a thirteenth aspect, the steam reforming process may include feeding a carbon capture portion of the flue gas to a carbon capture system to form a first CO2-rich stream and a second CO2-rich stream. The first CO2-rich stream may be output at a pressure higher than that of the second CO2-rich stream. The second CO2-rich stream may be fed into a first stage of a CO2 product stream compression system to form a first CO2 product stream, and the first CO2-rich stream may be fed into a second stage of a CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream. The first CO2 product stream may have a pre-selected CO2 content (e.g., a CO2 content of 90 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2, or a CO2 content of 95 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2, etc.).

[0041] In the fourteenth aspect, the steam reforming process may include one or more other features. For example, the steam reforming process of the ninth aspect may include one or more features of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and / or thirteenth aspects. Therefore, it should be understood that other embodiments may utilize other features or other combinations of features. Examples of such combinations of features can be understood from the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0042] For example, a steam reforming process may include forming an oxidant having 20 mol% O2 to 40 mol% O2, 20 mol% CO2 to 80 mol% CO2 and 0 mol% N2 to 25 mol% N2, using the oxidant to burn fuel in a combustion unit of a steam reformer device to produce flue gas, heating at least one reaction stream to output at least one reforming product stream, feeding a mixing portion of the flue gas to a mixing unit to mix the mixing portion of the flue gas with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form the oxidant, and at least one of the following: (a) conveying at least a portion of the flue gas toward a mixing unit and / or a carbon capture system via at least one booster located downstream of the combustion unit; and / or (b) preheating the oxidant before it is fed into the combustion chamber of the combustion unit of the steam reformer device for fuel combustion. Preheating of the oxidant may include: (i) preheating the oxidant via boiler feedwater passing through an oxidant preheater, and / or (ii) preheating the oxidant via passing the oxidant through at least one oxidant preheating heat exchanger duct positioned in the convection section of the combustion unit, so as to preheat the oxidant by heat exchange with flue gas within the combustion unit before the oxidant is fed into the combustion chamber for fuel combustion.

[0043] Some implementations of the process may also include cooling the boiler feedwater output from the oxidizer preheater to cool the boiler feedwater to a temperature within a preselected boiler feedwater temperature range, and / or passing the boiler feedwater through the convection section of the combustion unit to heat the boiler feedwater before it passes through the oxidizer preheater to preheat the oxidizer.

[0044] The implementation of this process may also include feeding a carbon capture portion of the flue gas to a carbon capture system for CO2 recovery, removing particulate matter from the carbon capture portion of the flue gas, and outputting an oxidant from the carbon capture system to form a feed stream to a mixing unit for mixing with the flue gas and oxygen to form an oxidant.

[0045] In some embodiments, the process may further include feeding at least one reforming product stream into a hydrogen production system to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream; and cooling boiler feedwater output from an oxidant preheater to a temperature within a pre-selected boiler feedwater temperature range via a boiler feedwater cooling unit located downstream of the oxidant preheater. At least one reforming product stream may be processed via a carbon capture unit located upstream of a hydrogen recovery unit to recover CO2 from the at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system, and also output at least one CO2 recovery stream.

[0046] In a fifteenth aspect, a control system for an apparatus for steam reforming is provided. Embodiments of the control system may be included in embodiments of the apparatus for steam reforming. In some embodiments, the control system may include an oxygen analyzer positioned and configured to monitor the O2 content of flue gas output from the combustion chamber of a combustion unit of the reformer apparatus. The control system may also include a flow control mechanism controller connected to a flow control mechanism through which oxygen is fed to a mixing unit to inject oxygen into the gas to form an oxidant for feeding into the combustion chamber for combustion of fuel to form flue gas. The oxygen analyzer may be communicatively connected to the flow control mechanism controller such that the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit can be adjusted based on the O2 content in the flue gas, such that the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit increases in response to data indicating that the O2 content of the flue gas is below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold, and decreases in response to data indicating that the O2 content of the flue gas is above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold.

[0047] In a sixteenth aspect, the control system may include a flow rate sensor positioned to monitor the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit. The flow rate sensor may be communicatively connected to a flow control mechanism controller, such that the adjustment of the oxygen flow rate delivered to the mixing unit is based on the O2 content in the flue gas and the flow rate of the oxygen delivered to the mixing unit.

[0048] In a seventeenth aspect, the control system may include a booster controller communicatively connected to at least one of: (a) a booster positioned and configured to assist in driving the flow of flue gas from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing device, and / or (b) a damper positioned to facilitate the flow of flue gas from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing device, the damper being adjustable between a plurality of different positions. The booster controller can be configured to: (i) adjust the speed of the booster based on the oxygen content of the oxidant fed into the combustion device, such that the speed of the booster decreases in response to the oxygen content of the oxidant being higher than a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and the speed of the booster increases in response to the oxygen content of the oxidant being lower than a pre-selected low O2 content threshold, and / or (ii) adjust the position of the damper based on the oxygen content of the oxidant fed into the combustion device, such that the flow rate of the flue gas increases in response to the oxygen content of the oxidant being higher than a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and the flow rate of the flue gas decreases in response to the oxygen content of the oxidant being lower than a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0049] In some embodiments, the control system may further include a first flue gas velocity sensor positioned upstream of the booster to measure the flow rate of the flue gas upstream of the booster, wherein the first flue gas velocity sensor is communicatively connected to the booster controller. A second flue gas velocity sensor may be positioned downstream of the booster to measure the flow rate of the flue gas downstream of the booster, wherein the second flue gas velocity sensor is communicatively connected to the booster controller.

[0050] In an eighteenth aspect, the control system may include a flue gas flow controller communicatively connected to a feed compressor system of a carbon capture system, the carbon capture system being positioned and configured to recover CO2 from a portion of the flue gas output from the combustion unit to help drive the flow of the flue gas from the combustion unit to the carbon capture system and / or the mixing unit. The flue gas flow controller may be configured to adjust the compressor speed of the feed compressor system based on the oxygen content of the oxidant fed to the combustion unit, such that the compressor speed decreases in response to an oxygen content in the oxidant exceeding a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and increases in response to an oxygen content in the oxidant falling below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0051] In a nineteenth aspect, the control system may include a flue gas flow controller communicatively connected to a feed compressor system of a carbon capture system, the carbon capture system being positioned and configured to recover CO2 from a carbon capture system portion of the flue gas output from the combustion unit to help drive the flow of the flue gas output from the combustion unit to the carbon capture system and / or mixing unit. The flue gas flow controller may also be communicatively connected to a flue gas flow control mechanism positioned in fluid communication with a flue gas output duct and / or a flue gas recirculation duct through which the flue gas passes to help control how the flue gas is diverted into the carbon capture portion and the mixing unit portion of the flue gas. The flue gas flow controller can be configured to adjust the operating parameters of the feed compressor system and / or the flue gas flow control mechanism based on the oxygen content of the oxidant fed into the combustion device, such that the flow rate of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system decreases in response to the oxygen content of the oxidant being higher than a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and increases in response to the oxygen content of the oxidant being lower than a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0052] In a twentieth aspect, the control system may include a pressure controller positioned and configured to determine the pressure of the flue gas in the chimney of the combustion device to control the position of a venting damper such that, in response to the flue gas pressure being at or above a pre-selected venting pressure threshold, the damper is opened to vent the flue gas. The pressure controller and the damper may be configured such that the damper remains in a closed position to prevent venting unless the flue gas pressure is at or above the pre-selected venting pressure threshold.

[0053] In a twenty-first aspect, the control system may include a pressure controller configured to monitor the pressure of flue gas output from the combustion unit for feeding into a carbon capture system, the carbon capture system being configured to receive a carbon-captured portion of the flue gas from the combustion unit and / or mixing unit. The pressure controller may be communicatively connected to at least one damper configured to discharge the flue gas output from the combustion unit for feeding into the carbon capture system and / or mixing unit, controlling the position of the at least one damper for discharge such that, in response to the flue gas pressure being at or above a pre-selected discharge pressure threshold, the at least one damper is opened to discharge the flue gas.

[0054] In a twenty-second aspect, the control system may include a pressure controller positioned and configured to determine the pressure of the flue gas in the chimney or within the combustion device. The controller is communicatively connected to a damper positioned to regulate the flow rate of the flue gas output from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing unit, and / or the controller may be communicatively connected to a booster positioned and configured to assist in driving the flow of the flue gas output from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing unit. The controller may be configured to regulate the speed of the booster and / or the position of the damper. The pressure controller can be communicatively connected to the controller such that: (1) the speed of the booster increases in response to the pressure of the flue gas being at or above a first preselected pressure, which is below a preselected emission pressure threshold and also above the first preselected flue gas pressure, and / or (2) the position of the damper is adjusted such that the flow rate of the flue gas output from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or the mixing device increases in response to the pressure of the flue gas being at or above a first preselected pressure, which is below a preselected emission pressure threshold and also above the first preselected flue gas pressure.

[0055] For example, in some embodiments, the pressure controller may be communicatively connected to the controller such that: (a) the speed of the booster decreases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or below a second preselected pressure or the flue gas pressure being determined to tend toward a preselected low pressure threshold, and / or (b) the position of the damper is adjusted such that the flow rate of the flue gas output from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing device decreases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or below a second preselected pressure or the flue gas pressure being determined to tend toward a preselected low pressure threshold.

[0056] In some configurations, the turbocharger can be positioned downstream of where the flue gas output from the combustion unit is diverted, such that a first portion of the flue gas is fed to a carbon capture system and a second portion is fed to a mixing unit. The turbocharger can be positioned to assist in driving the first portion of the flue gas through the carbon capture system, and the controller can be configured to adjust the turbocharger speed based on the oxygen content of the oxidant fed to the combustion unit, such that the turbocharger speed decreases in response to an oxygen content in the oxidant exceeding a pre-selected high O2 content threshold and increases in response to an oxygen content in the oxidant falling below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0057] In some implementations, the pressure controller can be positioned and configured to control the position of the exhaust damper. The pressure controller can be configured to control the position of the exhaust damper for venting, such that the exhaust damper is opened to vent the flue gas in response to the flue gas pressure being at or above a pre-selected exhaust pressure threshold.

[0058] In aspect twenty-three, the control system may include other features. For example, the control system of aspect fifteen may include one or more features of aspects sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twentieth, twenty-first, and / or twenty-second. The implementation may also be used in equipment for steam reforming as described above. Therefore, it should be understood that other implementations of the control system may utilize other features or other combinations of features. Examples of such combinations of features can be understood from the exemplary implementations discussed herein.

[0059] For example, in some embodiments, the control system for a steam reforming apparatus may include an oxygen analyzer positioned and configured to monitor the O2 content of flue gas output from the combustion chamber of the reformer apparatus; and a flow control mechanism controller connected to an oxygen feed duct through which oxygen is fed to a mixing unit to inject oxygen into the gas to form an oxidant, which is then fed to the combustion chamber for combustion of fuel to form flue gas. The oxygen analyzer may be communicatively connected to the flow control mechanism controller such that the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit can be adjusted based on the O2 content in the flue gas, such that the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit increases in response to data indicating that the O2 content of the flue gas is below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold, and decreases in response to data indicating that the O2 content of the flue gas is above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold. The flue gas flow controller may be communicatively connected to the compressor of a feed compression system of a booster or carbon capture system. The controller can be configured to adjust at least one operating parameter of the turbocharger or at least one operating parameter of the compressor based on the O2 content of the oxidant fed into the combustion unit, such that the flow rate of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system decreases in response to the O2 content of the oxidant being higher than a preselected high O2 content threshold, and increases in response to the O2 content of the oxidant being lower than a preselected low O2 content threshold. The pressure controller can be positioned and configured to determine the pressure of the flue gas in the chimney or combustion unit. The pressure controller can be communicatively connected to the chimney damper and / or the turbocharger controller, such that the flow rate of the flue gas output from the combustion unit increases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or above a first preselected pressure, which is lower than and also higher than a preselected emission pressure threshold, and decreases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or below a second preselected pressure or the flue gas pressure being determined to tend towards a preselected low pressure threshold.

[0060] In a twenty-fourth aspect, a process for controlling an apparatus for steam reforming is provided. For example, embodiments of this process may be included in embodiments of a process for steam reforming. Embodiments of the process for controlling an apparatus for steam reforming may include monitoring the O2 content of flue gas output from the combustion chamber of a combustion unit of a reformer apparatus, and adjusting the flow rate of oxygen delivered to a mixing unit based on the O2 content in the flue gas to form an oxidant fed into the combustion chamber for fuel combustion, such that the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit increases in response to the O2 content of the flue gas being below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold, and decreases in response to the O2 content of the flue gas being above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold.

[0061] In the twenty-fifth aspect, the process for controlling the equipment for steam reforming can also be configured such that the regulation of the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit is also based on the flow rate of oxygen delivered to the mixing unit.

[0062] In a twenty-sixth aspect, the process for controlling the equipment for steam reforming may further include adjusting the position of a damper and / or the speed of a booster, the booster being positioned and configured to assist in driving the flow of flue gas from the combustion unit to the carbon capture system and / or mixing unit. The adjustment of the damper position and / or the booster speed may be based on the O2 content of the oxidant fed to the combustion unit, such that the flue gas flow rate increases in response to an O2 content in the oxidant being above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and decreases in response to an O2 content in the oxidant being below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0063] In a twenty-seventh aspect, the process for controlling the equipment for steam reforming may further include adjusting the operating parameters of the compressor of the feed compression system of the carbon capture unit, which is positioned and configured to recover CO2 from a portion of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system. The adjustment of the compressor operating parameters may be performed based on the O2 content of the oxidant fed into the combustion unit, such that the flow rate of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system decreases in response to an O2 content of the oxidant exceeding a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and increases in response to an O2 content of the oxidant falling below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0064] In the twentieth aspect, the process for controlling the equipment for steam reforming may include determining the pressure of flue gas in the chimney of the combustion device to control the position of a damper for discharge, such that the damper is opened to discharge the flue gas in response to the pressure of the flue gas being at or above a pre-selected discharge pressure threshold.

[0065] In a twentieth aspect, the process for controlling equipment for steam reforming may include determining the pressure of flue gas in the chimney or in the combustion unit. The process may also include one or more of the following: (1) adjusting the speed of a booster, the booster being positioned and configured to assist in driving the flow of flue gas output from the combustion unit to a carbon capture system and / or a mixing unit, wherein the adjustment of the booster speed is performed such that the booster speed increases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or above a first preselected pressure, the first preselected pressure being below a preselected emission pressure threshold and also above a first preselected flue gas pressure, and wherein the booster speed increases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or below a second preselected pressure or the flue gas pressure being determined to be trending towards a second preselected pressure. (2) Decrease towards a pre-selected low pressure threshold; and / or (3) Adjust the position of the chimney damper such that the flow rate of the flue gas output from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing device increases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or above a first pre-selected pressure, which is below a pre-selected emission pressure threshold and also above a first pre-selected flue gas pressure, and the flow rate of the flue gas output from the combustion device to the carbon capture system and / or mixing device decreases in response to the flue gas pressure being at or below a second pre-selected pressure or the flue gas pressure being determined to tend towards a pre-selected low pressure threshold.

[0066] In some embodiments, the booster may be positioned downstream of where the flue gas from the combustion unit is diverted, such that a first portion of the flue gas is fed to a carbon capture system and a second portion is fed to a mixing unit. The booster may be positioned to help drive the first portion of the flue gas through the carbon capture system. The process for controlling the equipment for steam reforming may further include adjusting the booster speed based on the O2 content of the oxidant fed to the combustion unit, such that the booster speed decreases in response to the O2 content of the oxidant being above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold, and increases in response to the O2 content of the oxidant being below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold.

[0067] In the thirtieth aspect, the process for controlling the equipment for steam reforming may include other features or combinations of features. For example, the process in the twenty-fourth aspect may include one or more features of the twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and / or twenty-ninth aspects. Therefore, it should be understood that other embodiments may utilize other features or other combinations of features. Examples of such combinations of features can be understood from the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0068] It should be understood that implementations of this process and equipment can utilize various conduit arrangements and process control elements. Implementations can utilize sensors (e.g., pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, concentration sensors, etc.), controllers, valves, piping, and other process control elements. Furthermore, as mentioned above, some implementations can utilize automated process control systems and / or distributed control systems (DCS). A variety of different conduit arrangements and process control systems can be used to meet a specific set of design criteria.

[0069] Further details, objectives, and advantages of our apparatus for reducing nitrogen oxide formation during combustion, processes for reducing nitrogen oxide formation during combustion, and methods of manufacture and use thereof will become apparent as some of its exemplary embodiments are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0070] Exemplary embodiments of our equipment for steam reforming, processes for steam reforming, control equipment for steam reforming, and control processes for steam reforming, as well as methods of manufacture and use thereof, are shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that similar reference numerals used in the drawings may identify similar components.

[0071] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a device for steam reforming.

[0072] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a device for steam reforming.

[0073] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a third exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for steam reforming.

[0074] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a fourth exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for steam reforming.

[0075] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a fifth exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for steam reforming.

[0076] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a sixth exemplary embodiment of a device for steam reforming. Figure 6 In the diagram, communication connections between different components are shown in dashed line format (e.g., ● ● ●).

[0077] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a seventh exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for steam reforming.

[0078] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an eighth exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for steam reforming.

[0079] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a carbon recovery device that can be used in an embodiment of a device for steam reforming.

[0080] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a control system CTRL for an exemplary embodiment of a device for steam reforming. Figure 10 In the diagram, communication connections between different components of the control system are shown in dashed line format (e.g., ● ● ●). The implementation of this control system can be used in implementations of equipment for steam reforming.

[0081] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a control system CTRL for an exemplary embodiment of a steam reforming apparatus. Figure 11 In the diagram, communication connections between different components of the control system are shown in dashed line format (e.g., ● ● ●). The implementation of this control system can be used in implementations of equipment for steam reforming.

[0082] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a third exemplary embodiment of a control system for an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for steam reforming. Figure 12 In the diagram, communication connections between different components of the control system are shown in dashed line format (e.g., ●● ●). The implementation of this control system can be used in implementations of equipment for steam reforming.

[0083] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a first exemplary process for steam reforming. An embodiment of the equipment for steam reforming can implement this process.

[0084] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating a second exemplary process for steam reforming. An embodiment of the equipment for steam reforming can implement this process. Detailed Implementation

[0085] refer to Figures 1 to 12The apparatus 1 for steam reforming may include: a steam reformer apparatus 2 comprising a combustion system 3 having a combustion device 137 in which at least one fuel is burned to generate heat and form flue gas; a carbon capture system 4 configured to process at least a portion of the flue gas to recover carbon dioxide (CO2) from the flue gas; and a hydrogen production system 5 configured to produce at least one hydrogen-rich product stream of hydrogen (H2). Each hydrogen-rich product stream may have at least 70 mol% H2 or 80 mol% to 100 mol% H2. Some hydrogen-rich product streams may have more than 90 mol% H2 (e.g., 95 mol% to 100 mol% H2, etc.).

[0086] For example, a reactant feed stream 100, which may contain reactants (e.g., methane, natural gas, vaporized naphtha, etc. mixed with steam), may pass through at least one combustion device reactant preheating conduit 101 for warming by heat. For example, heat from a flow of flue gas 014 may be used to heat the fluid within the preheating conduit 101 positioned within the combustion device 137, the flue gas flow being formed by the combustion of fuel that can occur in the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137. In some embodiments, for example, each reactant preheating conduit 101 may be positioned in a convection section of the combustion device 137 such that heat from the flue gas 014 can be transferred to preheat the reactant feed stream 100. In some embodiments, the feed stream 100 may also be preheated before being fed to the preheating conduit.

[0087] The preheated reactant feed stream 102 can be output from at least one combustion device reactant preheating conduit 101 at a preselected preheating temperature within a preselected preheating reactant temperature range. The preheated reactant feed stream 102 can be fed into one or more reformer conduits 104 via a preheated reformer feed conduit connected between a reformer conduit 104 and at least one combustion device reactant preheating conduit 101, such that the reactant feed stream can pass through one or more reformer conduits 104 positioned within the radiant section of the combustion device 137, such that the heat from the combustion of fuel and / or flue gas 014 within the combustion device 137 can heat the reactants to produce a reformer product stream 105.

[0088] Each reformer conduit 104 may contain a catalyst to promote the reaction of reactants (e.g., hydrocarbon material mixed with steam, methane mixed with steam, etc.) by heating the reactants to form a reformate stream 105. The catalyst used in the reformer conduit 104 may be selected to meet a pre-selected set of design criteria. For example, the catalyst material within the reformer conduit 104 may include a catalytic material comprising at least one metal (e.g., nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and / or iridium). In some embodiments, the catalyst may be a supported catalyst, wherein the support comprises one or more of high-temperature stable alumina, calcium aluminate, and magnesium aluminate. As yet another example, the catalyst in the reformer conduit 104 may be a structured packing catalyst (e.g., wherein the catalyst material is applied to the structured packing by a washcoat process or other impregnation or coating process).

[0089] The reformate stream 105, exiting from one or more reformer conduits 104, can be cooled in a reformate cooling device 106. A reformate cooling device feed conduit can be positioned between the reformer conduits 104 and the reformate cooling device 106 to feed the reformate stream 105 into the cooling device, for example, as a heating medium therein. The reformate cooling device 106 can be, for example, a heat exchanger that receives boiler feedwater 010 for heating via the heat from the reformate stream to form stream 011. In some embodiments, stream 011 may include steam or may include steam mixed with water. The reformate can be cooled via heated water feed 010 to form stream 011 and exited from the reformate cooling device 106 as a water-gas shift reactor feed stream 107.

[0090] A feed conduit for the water-gas shift reactor can be connected between the reformate cooling device 106 and the water-gas shift reactor 108 to feed the water-gas shift reactor stream 107 into the reactor. The water-gas shift reactor 108 can be configured to shift the cooled reformate to form additional hydrogen (H2) therein, thereby increasing the hydrogen concentration.

[0091] The cooled and shifted reformate stream 109 can be output from the water-gas shift reactor 108. The cooled and shifted reformate stream 109 can be further processed to utilize the heat from the stream and remove components from the stream to provide at least one hydrogen-rich product stream 118.

[0092] For example, the cooled and shifted reformate stream 109 can be fed into a cooling unit 110 as a heating medium for heating different process fluids. A cooling unit feed duct can be connected between the water-gas shift reactor 108 and the cooling unit 110 for, for example, feeding the shifted reformate stream 109 into the cooling unit 110. The cooling unit 110 can be configured to utilize the shifted reformate stream 109 as a heating medium for one or more heat exchangers to preheat feed, boiling feed water, or other process fluids via the heat of the shifted reformate stream 109, which can result in cooling of the shifted reformate stream 110. Further cooled and shifted reformate stream 111 can be output from the cooling unit 110 and fed into a water removal unit 112 (e.g., a knock-out drum, etc.). The water removal unit feed conduit can be connected between the water removal unit 112 and the cooling unit 110 to feed the reformed product stream 111, which is further cooled and transformed, into the water removal unit 112.

[0093] In some embodiments, additional reformate stream cooling devices may be positioned upstream of the water removal unit 112 and the cooling unit 110. For example, in some embodiments, a heat exchanger configured to cool the reformate stream and heat boiler feedwater or other process fluids may be positioned between the cooling unit 110 and the water removal unit for further cooling of the stream before it is fed into the water removal unit 112. Such heat exchangers may be included, for example, in retrofit operations. In some embodiments, such additional types of heat exchanger arrangements may also be considered part of the cooling unit 110 (e.g., an addition to or supplement to the cooling unit 110, etc.).

[0094] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the further cooled and transformed reformate stream 111 output from cooling unit 110 can undergo further cooling before being fed into water removal unit 112. There, the further cooled and transformed reformate stream 111 output from cooling unit 110 can be cooled via a reformate stream cooling device 509 located downstream of cooling unit 110 and upstream of water removal unit 112. Reformate stream cooling device 509 can be configured as a heat exchanger that utilizes a cooling medium feed 507 for further cooling of the cooled and transformed reformate stream 111' for feeding the further cooled and transformed reformate stream 111' into water removal unit 112. Warm cooling medium can be output as a warm cooling medium stream 508. In some embodiments, cooling medium feed 507 can be air or cooling water, and warm cooling medium stream 508 can be warm water or warm air output from reformate stream cooling device 509.

[0095] The water removal unit 112 can be configured to remove water condensate from the cooled and transformed reforming product stream 109 and output a lean water reforming product stream 113. The removed water condensate can be output from the water removal unit as water condensate stream 012.

[0096] The lean water reforming product stream 113 can be output from the water removal unit 112 for further downstream processing. For example, the lean water reforming product stream 113 can be fed into the hydrogen recovery unit 117. Examples of the hydrogen recovery unit 117 may include a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system. Other examples of the hydrogen recovery unit 117 may include a temperature swing adsorption (TSA) system or other suitable hydrogen recovery systems.

[0097] Hydrogen recovery unit 117 can process lean reforming product stream 113 and form hydrogen-rich product stream 118. The hydrogen-rich product stream can have a relatively high hydrogen concentration (e.g., more than 70 mol% H2, more than 90 mol% H2, 90 mol% to 100 mol% H2, etc.). Hydrogen recovery unit 117 can also output tail gas stream 119, which can include the portion of lean reforming product stream 113 that has been removed to form hydrogen-rich product stream 118. The tail gas stream can include, for example, H2 and CO2, as well as other components (e.g., CO, methane (CH4), nitrogen (N2)). In some embodiments, tail gas stream 119 can be fed into combustion unit 137 for combustion in the combustion chamber of combustion unit 137 to form flue gas.

[0098] In some embodiments, the exhaust gas 119 may optionally be preheated and / or optionally mixed with a feed of supplemental fuel 120 (e.g., methane, refinery exhaust gas, etc.) for feeding into the burner of the combustion unit 137 for fuel combustion and flue gas formation within the combustion chamber of the combustion unit 137. For example, an exhaust gas combustion unit feed duct 121 may be positioned between the hydrogen production unit 117 and the combustion unit 137 for feeding the exhaust gas 119 or a mixture of the exhaust gas 119 and supplemental fuel 120 into the combustion unit for combustion therein.

[0099] In some embodiments, supplemental fuel may also be fed into the burner via at least one fuel stream 120' for combustion therein. In some embodiments utilizing at least one fuel stream 120', the exhaust gas stream 119 may not be mixed with supplemental fuel 120 when it is recirculated to the combustion device for use in the burner and / or combustion chamber of the combustion device 137. In other embodiments utilizing at least one fuel stream 120', the exhaust gas stream 119 may also be mixed with supplemental fuel 120 for use in the combustion device 137 and / or its burner for combustion in the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137.

[0100] Before being processed by the hydrogen production unit 117, the lean-water reformate stream 113 output from the water removal unit 112 can undergo further processing. For example, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the lean reformate stream 113 can be fed to a CO2 capture unit 114 (shown in dashed lines) located upstream of the hydrogen production unit 117 to remove CO2 from the stream before it is fed into the hydrogen production unit 117. In some embodiments, the CO2 capture unit 114 may include an amine absorption system and / or a CO2 vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VSA) system configured for CO2 recovery. The CO2 capture unit 114 may also include other CO2 capture devices. The CO2 removed via the CO2 capture unit 114 can be output as a CO2 recovery stream 115 for subsequent use. In some embodiments, the CO2 content of the CO2 recovery stream 115 may be from 95 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2 (dry basis), or greater than 98 mol% CO2 and up to 100 mol% CO2 (dry basis).

[0101] The lean water reforming product stream 113 may have substantially all of its CO2 removed by the CO2 capture unit 114. For example, the lean water reforming product stream 113 may have 85% to 100% of the CO2 in the stream removed by the CO2 capture unit 114.

[0102] At least a portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 can then be fed into the exhaust stream 119 for mixing with the exhaust stream 119 and into the combustion device 137 via the exhaust mixing duct 115a (shown in dashed line) connected between the CO2 capture unit 114 and the exhaust combustion device feed duct 121 for use in promoting combustion and the formation of flue gas 014.

[0103] As another example, at least a portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 may be an oxidant stream forming portion of CO2, which is fed into the mixing device 128 via a CO2 recovery mixing device feed conduit 115b (shown in dashed lines) connected between the CO2 capture unit 114 and the mixing device 128 for the purpose of forming an oxidant. In embodiments where both the tail gas mixing portion and the oxidant forming portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 are present, a portion may be a first portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115, and another portion may be a second portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115.

[0104] As yet another example, at least a portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 can be fed as a CO2 product stream feed 115c (shown in dashed lines) to the compressor system 115'. The compression system 115' (shown in dashed lines) may include a compressor configured to compress CO2 to output a CO2 product stream 115d, which may be used as a product, for downstream processes, or for permanent storage. In embodiments where a portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 is fed to the CO2 compression system 115', this portion may be considered a first, second, or third portion, depending on whether a tail gas mixing portion and an oxidant forming portion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 are also utilized. The proportion of the CO2 recovery stream 115 utilized in such portions can be adjusted to suit a pre-selected set of design criteria or to suit predefined operating criteria or other factors.

[0105] In yet another embodiment, CO2 recovery stream 115 can be used as a CO2 product stream. For example, CO2 recovery stream 115 can be fed into a pipeline or storage unit for subsequent provision as a product to one or more other users. In yet another embodiment, CO2 recovery stream 115 can be permanently stored.

[0106] At least one oxidant stream 136 may be generated by the combustion of fuel fed into combustion device 137 or the combustion chamber of combustion device 137 to form flue gas 014 and generate heat, which is then used to heat the reaction stream to form reforming products. The oxidant stream may be a low-NOx oxidant stream, such as a type of synthesized air. In some embodiments, oxidant stream 136 may comprise an oxidant of no more than 25 mol% nitrogen (N2), 2 mol% N2 to 25 mol% N2, or 2 mol% N2 to 15 mol% N2. In some embodiments, the oxidant may be, for example, 0 mol% N2 to 10 mol% N2, or 0 mol% N2 to 20 mol% N2. The oxidant stream may also have significant levels of CO2 and sufficient oxygen (O2) to promote combustion. For example, the oxidant can be 20 mol% to 40 mol% O2 and 20 mol% to 80 mol% CO2, or the oxidant can be 21 mol% to 35 mol% O2 and 20 mol% to 70 mol% CO2. As yet another example, the oxidant can be 24 mol% to 28 mol% O2 and 20 mol% to 60 mol% CO2.

[0107] In some embodiments, the oxidant may also comprise water (H2O). For example, the oxidant may comprise water vapor at a concentration between 2 mol% and 40 mol%, or water having a concentration greater than 0 mol% and not exceeding 40 mol%. In some embodiments, synthetic air that can be used as an oxidant may be formed such that a preselected ratio of water to CO2 (water / CO2) is present. In some embodiments, this preselected ratio may be 0.8, between 0 and 1.1, or between 0.6 and 0.9. Other embodiments may also utilize another suitable ratio, which may be configured to meet a specific set of design criteria.

[0108] The oxidant may also include relatively small amounts of other components. For example, the oxidant may also include relatively small amounts of argon (Ar) and / or carbon monoxide (CO) (e.g., in some embodiments, the oxidant may have 0 mol% Ar to 3 mol% Ar and / or 0 mol% CO to 0.5 mol% CO).

[0109] For example, the synthetic air oxidant formed may include 20 mol% to 70 mol% CO2, 22 mol% to 35 mol% O2, 1 mol% to 2 mol% Ar, 5 mol% to 15 mol% N2, and 2 mol% to 40 mol% water. As another example, the synthetic air formed may include 30 mol% to 60 mol% CO2, 21 mol% to 28 mol% O2, 1 mol% to 2 mol% Ar, 5 mol% to 20 mol% N2, and 5 mol% to 40 mol% water. As yet another example, synthetic air that can be used as an oxidant may include 20 mol% CO2 to 70 mol% CO2, 20 mol% O2 to 40 mol% O2, 1 mol% Ar to 2 mol% Ar, 5 mol% N2 to 20 mol% N2, and 2 mol% water to 40 mol% water.

[0110] The oxidant can be formed via mixing device 128 and subsequently fed into combustion device 137 for combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber of combustion device 137. For example, the formed oxidant can be fed into combustion device 137 as oxidant stream 136.

[0111] The oxidant stream 136 can be formed and preheated before being fed into the combustion device. For example, gas from at least one gas source 131 (shown in dashed lines), gas output from the carbon capture system 4 (e.g., oxidant forming feed stream 225), and / or a recirculated portion of flue gas 014 formed in the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137 via fuel combustion (e.g., a second portion 203 and / or a third portion 229 of flue gas) can be fed into the mixing device 128 via a mixing device feed duct 138, which is connected to the mixing device 128 and positioned to feed one or more of these oxidant forming feeds from the gas into the mixing device 128 for the formation of oxidant.

[0112] At least one gas source 131 may include a flow control mechanism 139 (e.g., a valve, damper, or other mechanism) connected to an oxidant component gas feed duct 132, which may be connected to a flue gas recirculation duct 133 and / or a mixing unit feed duct 138 for feeding gas from gas source 131 to mixing unit 128. At least one gas source 131 may be or include ambient air and / or at least one gas source containing CO2, such as CO2 gas stored in a CO2 tank, CO2 gas from a CO2 pipeline, or CO2-rich flue gas from another process. The flow control mechanism 139 can be adjusted between a closed position and an open position such that gas from one or more gas sources can be included in the mixing unit for oxidant formation during some operating cycles (e.g., during start-up or shutdown cycles, where there may not be enough CO2-rich flue gas from the combustion unit to form the oxidant), and can also be shut off during other operating cycles (e.g., after the start-up of the reforming process, and during operating cycles in which the reformer unit 2 expects to use ambient air or oxygen-enriched air as the oxidant for the combustion unit 137, where there is sufficient CO2-rich flue gas available from the recirculation of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137, etc.) to prevent such gas from being included in the oxidant.

[0113] The CO2-rich flue gas that can be used as gas source 131 can be flue gas with a significant CO2 content (e.g., 20 mol% CO2 to 50 mol% CO2, 20 mol% CO2 to 70 mol% CO2, etc.). The CO2-rich flue gas can also be low in nitrogen (e.g., due to nitrogen removal via a treatment process, etc.).

[0114] Oxygen feed 129 from oxygen source 130 can also be fed to mixing unit 128 to form an oxidant. The oxygen source may include a tank for storing oxygen or a tank for storing liquid oxygen, which can be vaporized into a gas used to form oxygen feed 129. Oxygen source 130 may also include a buffer tank that can store the vaporized oxygen before it is fed to mixing unit 128. Oxygen source 130 may also include industrial-grade oxygen feed from an air separation unit (ASU), an adsorbent-based vacuum pressure swing adsorption system, a pressure swing adsorption system, and / or a water electrolyzer system that can output oxygen via water electrolysis. An oxygen feed conduit may be connected between oxygen source 130 and mixing unit 128 to provide oxygen feed 129 to mixing unit 128.

[0115] The gas fed into the mixing unit 128 can be utilized by the mixing unit 128 to form an oxidant. For example, the mixing unit 128 can output an oxidant stream 134 based on the gas fed into the mixing unit 128 for feeding the output stream of oxidant 134 into the combustion chamber of the combustion unit 137. For example, when the formed oxidant is at a sufficient temperature to avoid preheating, the output oxidant 134 can be fed directly into the combustion chamber without any preheating. As another example, the output oxidant 134 can then be preheated before being fed into the combustion unit 137. For example, the oxidant output from the mixing unit 128 can be fed into at least one oxidant preheating heat exchanger duct 135 located in the combustion unit 137 for outputting an oxidant stream 136 at a preselected combustion chamber feed temperature for feeding into the combustion chamber for combustion of at least one fuel therein. The resulting oxidant can have a preselected oxygen content (O2 content of the oxidant), which is between a preselected low O2 content threshold and a preselected high O2 content threshold.

[0116] An oxidant outlet conduit may be connected between the mixing device 128 and at least one oxidant preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 for feeding oxidant to be preheated. An oxidant combustion chamber feed conduit may be connected between at least one oxidant preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 and the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137 for feeding preheated oxidant into the combustion chamber.

[0117] In some configurations, the oxidant may also be preheated via an oxidant preheater 503 positioned between the mixing unit 128 and the combustion unit 137. This type of preheating can occur without the use of any preheating heat exchanger conduits 135, or it can be used in addition to the use of one or more preheating heat exchanger conduits 135. Figure 7 and Figure 8 An example of such an oxidizer preheater 503 is illustrated. For example, boiler feedwater 500 from a boiler feedwater source can be fed into at least one boiler water preheating heat exchanger conduit 501 for preheating the boiler water. The heated boiler water can be sufficiently heated via an oxidizer preheater heating medium feed conduit connected between at least one boiler water preheating heat exchanger conduit 501 and the oxidizer preheater 503 to serve as a heating medium flow 502 in the oxidizer preheater 503. The preheated oxidizer can be output from the oxidizer preheater 503 for further preheating via at least one oxidizer preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 located in the combustion device 137 (e.g., located in the convection section of the combustion device). An oxidizer preheater output conduit 134' can be connected between the oxidizer preheater 503 and at least one oxidizer preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 to feed the preheated oxidizer into at least one oxidizer preheating heat exchanger conduit 135.

[0118] In some embodiments utilizing the oxidant preheater 503, preheating may be sufficient, thus eliminating the need for further preheating of the oxidant via at least one oxidant preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 located in the combustion device 137. In such cases, the preheated oxidant can be fed into the combustion chamber after exiting the preheater 503 without the use of the oxidant preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 (e.g., the oxidant preheating heat exchanger conduit 135 can be omitted from such embodiments).

[0119] In configurations where boiler feedwater is used as the heating medium for oxidant preheater 503 (when in use), it is anticipated that the boiler feedwater may not be sufficiently cooled when the heat from the boiler feedwater is used to preheat the oxidant. In such cases, boiler feedwater cooling device 505 can be used to further cool the boiler feedwater (e.g., Figure 7 For example, the cooled boiler feedwater flow 504 output from the oxidant preheater 503 can be fed into the boiler feedwater cooling device 505 for cooling therein by transferring heat to another fluid passing through the boiler feedwater cooling device 505.

[0120] For example, cooled boiler feedwater stream 504 can be fed into boiler feedwater cooling unit 505 to transfer its heat to process stream 505a fed into boiler feedwater cooling unit 505 for heating therein, such as... Figure 7 As shown in the diagram, the heated process flow can be output from the boiler feedwater cooling unit 505 as heated process flow 505b. The heated process flow 505a can be, for example, cooling water flow from a water circuit or cooling water source. In other configurations, the boiler feedwater cooling unit 505 is also expected to be configured as a chiller or air cooler, or alternatively. Further cooled boiler feedwater can be output from the boiler feedwater cooling unit 505 as boiler feedwater flow 506 for subsequent use (e.g., fed into the boiler to form steam, etc.).

[0121] The oxidant formed, preheated for use in the combustion chamber of combustion unit 137, can be fed into the combustion chamber to promote combustion of the fuel therein. Heat from the combustion process and / or the generated flue gas 014 can be transferred to the reactants via one or more reformer ducts 104 as discussed above for the formation of hydrogen. The generated flue gas 014 can also pass through combustion unit 137 to transfer heat for preheating the oxidant, reactants, and / or boiler feedwater, as discussed above. The flue gas 014 can then pass through chimney 124 for discharge, recirculated to mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation, and / or fed into carbon capture system 4. Induced draft fan unit 122 can be connected to combustion unit 137 and positioned to facilitate the flow of flue gas 014 through chimney 124 for recirculation of flue gas 014 to mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation, discharge, and / or feeding into carbon capture system 4.

[0122] Flue gas emissions can be provided via an exhaust damper 125 located in an exhaust duct 126 connected to the combustion unit 137. The exhaust damper 125 can be closed to prevent emissions under normal operating conditions. However, the exhaust damper 125 can be adjusted from its closed position to its open position to discharge flue gas 014 to accommodate specific situations (e.g., malfunctions, detected issues requiring emissions to help ensure safety, etc.).

[0123] Flue gas 014 can be fed into mixing unit 128 and / or carbon capture system 4 via flue gas outlet duct 123 connected to chimney 124 and / or combustion unit 137. For example, flue gas outlet duct 123 can be connected to flue gas recirculation duct 133, which is connected to mixing unit feed duct 138, for feeding a portion of flue gas 014 into mixing unit 128 for the formation of an oxidant. Flue gas outlet duct 123 can also be connected to carbon capture system feed duct for feeding flue gas 014 from combustion unit 137 into carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery.

[0124] The carbon capture system portion of flue gas 014 can be 30% to 70% of the flue gas output from the combustion device. The remaining portion of flue gas 014 can be the flue gas mixing device portion (e.g., 70% to 30% of flue gas 014). In cases where emissions may occur, the proportions of flue gas that may be included in the carbon capture portion and the mixing device portion can be adjusted to address emissions. However, emissions may be infrequent, and responses should be made to detected events, as described above.

[0125] In some embodiments, 30% to 90% of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137 for feeding into the flue gas output duct 123 can be conveyed to the mixing unit 128 via the flue gas recirculation duct 133 as a flue gas mixing unit portion. The remaining portion (e.g., 10% to 70% of the flue gas fed into the flue gas output duct 123) can be conveyed to the CO2 capture system 4 as a carbon capture portion. In such embodiments, the ratio of flue gas recirculated for oxidant formation to flue gas fed into the carbon capture system for CO2 recovery can be in the range of 9:1 to 3:7.

[0126] In other embodiments, 45% to 90% of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137 for feeding into the flue gas output duct 123 can be conveyed to the mixing unit 128 via the flue gas recirculation duct 133 as a mixing unit portion. The remaining portion (e.g., 10% to 55% of the flue gas fed into the flue gas output duct 123) can be conveyed to the CO2 capture system 4 as a carbon capture portion. In such embodiments, the ratio of flue gas recirculated for oxidant formation to flue gas fed into the carbon capture system for CO2 recovery can be in the range of 9:1 to 9:11.

[0127] In another embodiment, 40% to 60% of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137 for feeding into the flue gas output duct 123 can be conveyed as a mixing unit portion to the mixing unit 128 via the flue gas recirculation duct 133. The remaining portion (e.g., 60% to 40% of the flue gas fed into the flue gas output duct 123) can be conveyed as a carbon capture portion to the CO2 capture system 4. In such embodiments, the ratio of flue gas recirculated for oxidant formation to flue gas fed into the carbon capture system for CO2 recovery can be in the range of 2:3 to 3:2.

[0128] In another embodiment, 45% to 55% of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137 for feeding into the flue gas output duct 123 can be conveyed as a mixing unit portion to the mixing unit 128 via the flue gas recirculation duct 133. The remaining portion (e.g., 55% to 45% of the flue gas fed into the flue gas output duct 123) can be conveyed as a carbon capture portion to the CO2 capture system 4. In such embodiments, the ratio of flue gas recirculated for oxidant formation to flue gas fed into the carbon capture system for CO2 recovery can be in the range of 9:11 to 11:9.

[0129] To help provide sufficient or desired flow of flue gas 014 to the mixing unit 128 and through the carbon capture system 4, one or more boosters (e.g., fans, blowers, etc.) may be positioned to provide additional support to help drive the flue gas 014 flow to the mixing unit 128 and through the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery. Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figures 10 to 12 Examples of different flue gas flow boosters are illustrated below. Each booster can be a fan or a booster blower, which can be positioned in or connected to a duct to help drive the flow of flue gas.

[0130] For example, a first booster 201 may be present, which can be connected to a flue gas outlet duct 123 upstream of which flue gas 014 can be diverted to form a mixing unit section for oxidant formation and a carbon capture section for CO2 recovery. The first booster 201 can help drive the flue gas at a higher flow rate and / or pressure via the first booster outlet duct 202 connected between the flue gas outlet duct 123, the mixing unit 128, and the carbon capture system 4, toward the mixing unit 128 and the carbon capture system 4. In some embodiments, a second booster 201' may be present, which can be positioned downstream of the diversion of flue gas 014 and downstream of the first booster 201 to help drive the flue gas through the carbon capture system 4 (see, for example...). Figure 3 The second booster can also be positioned upstream of the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system. For example, in some configurations, the cold flue gas booster 227 can be positioned downstream of the first booster 201 (when in use) and / or upstream of the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4, and the cold flue gas booster 227 can be configured to help drive a portion of the flue gas fed to the mixing unit 128 to the mixing unit 128 if a portion of the flue gas fed to the mixing unit 128 is diverted upstream of the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 (see, for example...). Figure 6 The cold flue gas booster 227 can be considered a cold flue gas booster by being positioned downstream of a cooler unit 206 for cooling the flue gas. This cooler unit is located between position A and the feed compression system 8 of the carbon capture system 4 and is configured to increase the flow rate of the cooled flue gas output from the cooler unit 206 for feeding toward the mixing device 128, where the flue gas is diverted at position A to feed the carbon capture portion of the flue gas into the carbon capture system.

[0131] In some configurations, the first booster 201 may not be used, but a second booster 201' may be used. In such configurations, the second booster 201' can be considered as the first booster. For example, this booster may be positioned downstream of the diversion of flue gas 014 at location A and may be positioned to assist in driving the flue gas through the carbon capture system 4. For example, Figure 4 An example of this type of configuration is shown.

[0132] In other embodiments, it is contemplated that a second booster 201' may be used, and another booster may be used as the first booster instead of the first booster 201' upstream of the flue gas split. For example, a cold flue gas booster 227 may alternatively be connected to the flue gas recirculation duct 133 to help drive the flue gas to the mixing unit 128 after the flue gas is split from the carbon capture section of the flue gas in the mixing unit section. In this configuration, a portion of the flue gas is split when the mixing unit section is split upstream of the feed compression system 208 of the CO2 capture system 4, and the cold flue gas booster 227 may be positioned to help drive that portion of the flue gas to the mixing unit.

[0133] When the first booster 201 and the second booster 201' are used, the cold flue gas booster 227 can be considered as the third booster. When the first booster 201 is used and the second booster 201' is not used, the cold flue gas booster 227 can be considered as the second booster. When the cold flue gas booster 227 is used and the second booster 201' is also used without the first booster 201, the cold flue gas booster 227 can be considered as the second booster, and the second booster 201' can be considered as the first booster.

[0134] The diversion of flue gas 014 into a mixing unit portion and a carbon capture portion can occur at a single location (e.g., location A or location B) upstream of the feed compression system 208 of the mixing unit 128 and the carbon capture system 4, or at various different locations (e.g., both locations A and B), to meet a specific set of design criteria and operational objectives. In some embodiments, the diversion of flue gas 014 can occur at different locations, such that the different diversion portions of the flue gas are combined to form a mixing unit portion of the flue gas, which is fed into the mixing unit 128 to form an oxidant (see, for example...). Figure 6 ).

[0135] For example, the flue gas can be diverted into a first portion 204 and a second portion 203 upstream of the mixing unit 128 and the cooler unit 206, which is configured to pre-cool the flue gas before it is fed into the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery processing. In some embodiments, at least one flow control mechanism 200 (e.g., at least one valve or damper, a series of valves or dampers arranged in parallel, a series of valves or dampers arranged in series, etc.) can be positioned in fluid communication with the flue gas output duct 123 and / or the flue gas recirculation duct 133 to help control how the flue gas is diverted into these portions.

[0136] The first portion 204 of the flue gas may pass through a particulate removal device 205 (shown in dashed lines) before undergoing cooling via cooler unit 206, which may be positioned upstream of cooler unit 206. Alternatively, the flue gas may pass through a particulate removal device 205' (shown in dashed lines), which may be positioned downstream of cooler unit 206 and upstream of feed compression system 208 (e.g., between feed compression system 208 and cooler unit 206). In yet another embodiment, it is contemplated that both upstream particulate removal device 205 and second particulate removal device 205' may exist downstream of the first particulate removal device 205.

[0137] Particulate matter removal devices can be suitable devices or combinations of devices configured to remove particulate matter (e.g., ash, refractory dust, etc.) from flue gas. For example, a particulate matter removal device (e.g., particulate matter removal device 205 or 205') can be an electrostatic precipitator, a wet electrostatic precipitator, a scrubber, a venturi scrubber, a cyclone separator, a bag filter, or it can be a particulate matter removal unit that includes a combination of these devices (e.g., a combination of two or more of these particulate matter removal units arranged in series to process flue gas for particulate matter removal).

[0138] Cooler unit 206 may be a chiller, a water sprayed tower, or a heat exchanger, which can use a refrigerant or cooling medium (e.g., chilling water, process gas, etc.) to cool the flue gas and output a cooled flue gas stream 207. At least a portion of the cooled flue gas stream 207 may be fed to the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery. In some embodiments, the entire cooled flue gas stream 207 may be fed to the feed compression system 208. In other embodiments, an adjustable portion of the cooled flue gas stream 207 may be fed to the feed compression system 208 as a carbon capture portion of the flue gas, while another adjustable portion is formed as a third portion 229 of the flue gas, used as a cooled mixing portion of the flue gas to be fed to the mixing unit 128. In this implementation, the first portion 203 of the flue gas and the third portion 229 of the flue gas can be mixed together to form a mixing device portion of the flue gas, which is fed into the mixing device 128 to form an oxidant.

[0139] The amount of the third portion 229 of flue gas, which is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 as a cooling flue gas flow 207, can be adjusted to control the temperature of the mixing portion of the flue gas fed into the mixing device 128. For example, the cold flue gas booster 227 can adjust its speed to adjust the proportion of the formed third portion 229 to control the temperature of the mixing portion formed by mixing the second and third portions together to form the mixing portion of the flue gas, so that the formed mixing portion of the flue gas has a pre-selected mixing portion temperature within a pre-selected temperature range. For example, such a temperature or temperature range can be selected to help control the temperature of the oxidant to be formed via the mixing device 128.

[0140] In cases where a portion of the cooled flue gas flow 207 fed into the mixing unit 128 and the carbon capture system 4 is adjustable, at least one valve can be positioned to assist in controlling this adjustment. For example, the range of adjustability can be from the entire cooled flue gas flow 207 fed into the carbon capture system 4 to only a portion of the cooled flue gas flow 207 fed into the carbon capture system 4.

[0141] In the case where the cooled mixing section is diverted from the cooled flue gas flow 207, this section can be conveyed to the flue gas recirculation duct 133 as a third portion 229 of the flue gas. This third portion 229 of the flue gas, which can be formed at location B, can pass, for example, through the cooled mixing section duct 226 connected to the flue gas recirculation duct 133. Where a cold flue gas booster 227 can be provided, the cold flue gas booster 227 can be connected to the cooled mixing section duct 226 to help drive the flue gas flow toward the mixing device 128. The rotational speed of the cold flue gas booster 227 can be controlled to help regulate the portion of the cooled flue gas flow 207 that is fed into the mixing device 128 as part of the mixing section (or as an alternative to a valve).

[0142] The cooled mixing portion of the flue gas diverted from the carbon capture section at location B can be mixed with the warmer portion diverted at location A, forming the second portion 203 of the flue gas. This mixing can be provided via an in-line mixer, a mixing container, or other type of mixing mechanism that may be included in the flue gas recirculation duct 133. The first portion 203 and the third portion 229 of the flue gas can pass through the flue gas recirculation duct to form the mixing portion of the flue gas that can be used to form an oxidant.

[0143] The cooled mixing section and its flow rate, which can be controlled by the cold flue gas booster 227, can be adjusted based on temperature data from a temperature sensor 230 connected to the flue gas recirculation duct 133. The temperature data from the temperature sensor can be transmitted to a controller 228 of the cold flue gas booster 227 to adjust the flow rate of the cooled mixing section of the flue gas fed into the flue gas recirculation duct 133 for mixing with a warmer second portion 203 of the flue gas to form a mixing section of the flue gas to be used for oxidizing the oxidant, such that the mixing section has a pre-selected temperature within a pre-selected temperature range. This type of temperature control for the formation of the mixing section of the flue gas that can be fed into the mixing device 128 can help promote the formation of the oxidant, which has a more desirable temperature for controlling the feed temperature of the oxidant flow 136 fed into the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137. The temperature control that can be provided allows the formation of the mixing section of the flue gas such that the oxidant formed via the mixing device 128 is at a pre-selected temperature within a pre-selected oxidant temperature range. For example, the temperature can be between -20°C and 200°C or between 20°C and 120°C.

[0144] In other embodiments, the flue gas may be diverted at only a single location (e.g., location A or location B). In such implementations, where a third portion 229 of the flue gas is formed and a second portion 203 is not formed at location A, the third portion of the flue gas can be considered as the second portion of the flue gas. Furthermore, in some implementations where a third portion 229 formed via location B does not exist, the second portion 203 may be the only portion of the flue gas that can be diverted from the flue gas delivered to the flue gas output duct 123 for use as part of the feed into the mixing unit 128.

[0145] In some configurations, the mixing device 128 may be positioned and configured to also receive other gases for mixing with oxygen to form an oxidant for feeding into the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137. For example, the mixing device 128 may be configured and positioned to receive an oxidant feed stream 225 from the carbon capture system 4 for mixing with oxygen from the oxygen source 130 and flue gas from the flue gas recirculation duct 133 to form an oxidant.

[0146] The oxidant forming feed stream 225 can be generated via the operation of the carbon capture system 4. This oxidant forming feed stream 225 can be a relatively small stream and can be fed into the mixing unit 128 to aid in oxidant formation, rather than being discharged. In an alternative embodiment, the formed oxidant forming feed stream 225 can be discharged instead of being fed into the mixing unit 128.

[0147] An embodiment utilizing an oxidant-forming feed stream 225 to form an oxidant instead of emitting it can be configured to form the oxidant-forming feed stream 225 and feed it to a mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation. For example, after being fed into the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4, the flue gas undergoes compression and is output as a compressed flue gas stream 209 for feeding into the assembly 6 of elements of the carbon capture system 4 downstream of the feed compression system 208. The feed compression system 208 may also include an acid gas purification unit and / or at least one chiller, such that the compressed flue gas stream 209 has a pre-selected carbon capture temperature, pressure, and / or composition for feeding into the adsorption system 210. The adsorption system may be, for example, a temperature-switching adsorption (TSA) system.

[0148] The adsorption system 210 can remove water or other components from the flue gas to output a purified, CO2-rich flue gas stream 212, which is fed into a cold section condenser unit 214 to form at least one lean CO2 stream 219 and one or more CO2-rich streams. The removed water and other components can be removed to prevent such components from freezing during downstream processing, which could lead to maintenance problems or other processing issues.

[0149] Compared to one or more CO2-rich streams, the resulting CO2-poor stream 219 can have a lower CO2 concentration (e.g., the CO2 content of the CO2-poor stream 219 can be 10 mol% CO2 to 80 mol% CO2, 10 mol% CO2 to 50 mol% CO2, or 20 mol% CO2 to 30 mol% CO2, etc.).

[0150] In some embodiments, the cold partial condensation unit 214 may output a first CO2-rich stream 215 having at least 95 mol% CO2 or 95 mol% to 100 mol% CO2, and a second CO2-rich stream 216 having at least 95 mol% CO2 or 95 mol% to 100 mol% CO2. The first CO2-rich stream may be output at a pressure higher than that of the second CO2-rich stream. In other embodiments, the cold partial condensation unit 214 is expected to output a single CO2-rich stream with a high CO2 content (e.g., 90 mol% to 100 mol% CO2 content, 95 mol% to 100 mol% CO2 content, etc.).

[0151] In some embodiments, one or more CO2-rich streams may be fed into a CO2 product stream compressor system 217 to form a CO2 product stream 218. In some embodiments, this CO2 product stream 218 may be considered a first CO2 product stream. In such embodiments, CO2 product stream 115d (when formed) may be considered a second CO2 product stream.

[0152] For example, in the case where a second CO2-rich stream 216 and a first CO2-rich stream 215 are provided, the second CO2-rich stream can be fed into the first stage of the compression system 217, and the first CO2-rich stream 215 with a higher pressure can be fed into another stage of the compression system 217 (e.g., the second stage of the compression system 217, which may be downstream of the first stage of the compression system 217) to output a CO2 product stream 218 at a desired CO2 product pressure, which can be selected for storage in a CO2 storage tank, feeding into a CO2 liquefaction system, feeding into a CO2 pipeline, use in another equipment process, for permanent storage, or for another desired purpose.

[0153] In other embodiments, each CO2-rich stream output from the cold partial condensation unit 214 can be considered a product stream, which is output for storage, preservation, and / or other downstream uses. Each CO2-rich stream output from the cold partial condensation unit 214 (e.g., a first CO2-rich stream 215 and / or a second CO2-rich stream 216, etc.) can have a significant CO2 content of at least 90 mol% CO2 (e.g., 95 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2, 99 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2, etc.).

[0154] Figure 9 An example of a cold-part condensation unit 214 that can be used in some embodiments is illustrated. For example, purified CO2-rich flue gas flow 212 output from adsorption system 210 can be fed to heat exchanger 300 for cooling the fluid. The cooled fluid can be output from heat exchanger 300 and fed to first separator 302 via first separator feed conduit 301 connected between heat exchanger 300 and first separator 302. First separator 302 can output a first CO2 liquid flow 304 and a vapor flow 303 consisting substantially of CO2, the vapor flow of which can be conveyed to heat exchanger 300 for cooling CO2-rich flue gas flow 212 and subsequently fed to second separator 305. Second separator 305 can output a second liquid flow 307 and a second vapor flow 306 consisting substantially of CO2, the second vapor flow of which can pass through heat exchanger 300 as a cooling medium and is subsequently output from heat exchanger as lean CO2 flow 219. The first liquid stream 305 and the second liquid stream 307 can be fed into a stripper 308 to remove oxygen (O2) from the fluid. The stripper 308 can process the liquid streams to form a lean CO2 vapor stream 309, which can be fed into a heat exchanger 300 to cool a purified CO2-rich flue gas stream 212 and output as a lean CO2 stream 321 for discharge or recycling to a carbon capture feed compressor system 208. The stripper 308 can also output a first liquid stream 310 as a high-pressure CO2-rich stream 310. This stream can be fed into the heat exchanger 300. A first portion of this stream 317 can pass through the heat exchanger 300 as a cooling medium therein and is subsequently output, for example, as a first CO2-rich stream 215.

[0155] In some embodiments, the high-pressure CO2-rich flow 310 can be diverted to form a second portion 313, which can be fed into a heat exchanger as a cooling medium therein and subsequently passed through an expansion device 314 (e.g., a valve or expander) to expand the fluid and further cool it. This expanded CO2-rich fluid 315 can be output from the expansion device 314 to be fed back into the heat exchanger 300 to provide additional cooling before the CO2-rich fluid is output as a second CO2-rich flow 216, which can be at a lower pressure than the first CO2-rich flow 215.

[0156] Stripper 308 can be operated to provide a reboiled stream. For example, a portion of fluid 311 can be output from stripper 308 to undergo warming in heat exchanger 300 as a cooling medium therein to help cool purified CO2-rich flue gas stream 212, which can then be recycled back to stripper 308 as a gasified or more fully gaseous fluid stream 312 to promote oxygen removal from the fluid, thereby increasing CO2 recovery from the fluid and helping to generate a lean CO2 vapor stream 309.

[0157] The lean CO2 stream 219 output from the cold partial condensation unit 214 can be fed into membrane unit 220 via a membrane feed conduit positioned between membrane unit 220 and the cold partial condensation unit 214. Membrane unit 220 may include a membrane separator or a series of membrane separators, configured to separate membrane permeate streams containing some O2 (e.g., greater than 0 mol% O2 and less than or equal to 40 mol% O2, 5 mol% O2 to 30 mol% O2, 10 mol% O2 to 25 mol% O2, etc.). The membrane permeate stream can act as an oxidant to form feed stream 225 output from the membrane unit for feeding into mixing unit 128.

[0158] Membrane unit 220 can also output a permeate stream 221, which may have reduced O2 content (e.g., 0 mol% O2 to 20 mol% O2, etc.) compared to the lean CO2 stream 219 fed into membrane unit 220. Permeate stream 221 may also contain a reduced concentration of CO2 (e.g., 0 mol% CO2 to 20 mol% CO2, etc.) compared to the lean CO2 stream 219 fed into membrane unit 220. All or a portion of permeate stream 221 may be fed into adsorption system 210 as a regeneration gas for the regeneration of one or more offline adsorbers in the adsorption system. Permeate stream 221 may then be vented. A portion of permeate stream 221 that may not be used as a regeneration gas may also be vented or recycled back to feed compression system 208.

[0159] For regeneration of the offline adsorber, the permeate stream 221 may optionally be fed to a regeneration gas expander 222 for expansion and / or heated via a regeneration gas heater 224 for feeding the permeate stream as a regeneration gas stream 211 into the adsorption system 210. The regeneration gas heater 224 may be an electric heater, a steam heater, a heat exchanger connected to the combustion unit 137 for heating the regeneration gas using heat from the flue gas from the combustion unit 137, or other types of heaters. A regeneration gas feed conduit 223 may be connected between the membrane unit 220 and the adsorption system 210 to feed the permeate stream 221 into the adsorption unit 210 as regeneration gas. The used regeneration gas, containing elements removed from the adsorbent material within the offline adsorber for regenerating the material, may be output from the adsorption system 210 as an exhaust stream 213 for discharge or other processing.

[0160] An embodiment of our steam reformer device 2 can be configured to utilize a combustion system 3, which can use the generated synthesis air as an oxidant, such that the generated synthesis air has a low level of N2 (e.g., 20 mol% N2 to 0 mol% N2, below 15 mol% N2, below 10 mol% N2, etc.). The generated oxidant can also have a suitable level of oxygen (e.g., 20 mol% O2 to 35 mol% O2, 22 mol% O2 to 30 mol% O2, etc.) and can have a desired level of water (e.g., 0 mol% water to 40 mol% water). The synthesis air used as an oxidant can have a significant level of CO2 (e.g., 20 mol% CO2 to 60 mol% CO2, 30 mol% CO2 to 70 mol% CO2, 20 mol% CO2 to 80 mol% CO2, etc.). The significant CO2 content in the oxidant can promote the formation of high-CO2 flue gas, which can provide improved CO2 recovery via a carbon capture system. Furthermore, low NOx emissions can be provided by the combustion of fuel in combustion unit 137 to form flue gas.

[0161] For example (and as discussed above), mixing device 128 can be configured to use oxygen and flue gas, as well as other gases (e.g., membrane permeate streams output from membrane unit 220, which form feed stream 225 as an oxidant for being fed into mixing device 128) to form synthesis air as the formed oxidant, which may include 20 mol% CO2 to 60 mol% CO2, 21 mol% O2 to 30 mol% O2, 1 mol% Ar to 3 mol% Ar, 5 mol% N2 to 15 mol% N2 and 5 mol% water to 40 mol% water. As another example, the mixing device 128 can be configured to use oxygen and flue gas to form syngas as an oxidant, which may comprise 20 mol% CO2 to 70 mol% CO2, 20 mol% O2 to 40 mol% O2, 1 mol% Ar to 2 mol% Ar, 5 mol% N2 to 20 mol% N2, and 2 mol% water to 40 mol% water. Other examples of syngas that can be formed and used as an oxidant are also discussed herein.

[0162] Before the steam reformer unit 2 and its combustion system 3 are fully operational to form a consistent level of flue gas for use in forming synthesis air as an oxidant, the oxidant can be formed by using at least one gas source 131. This is done by recirculating the flue gas and injecting oxygen into the recirculated flue gas (e.g., the mixing portion of the flue gas delivered to the mixing unit 128 via recirculation duct 133) and the oxidant forming feed stream 225 output from the carbon capture system 4 (and, when in use, a CO2-rich stream as an oxidant forming portion provided by the carbon capture unit 114 as discussed above, which is fed to the mixing unit 128 via CO2 recovery mixing feed duct 115b for oxidant formation). Once sufficient flue gas is available, the feed of one or more other gas sources 131 can be stopped (e.g., the flow control mechanism 139 of each gas source 131 can be shut off).

[0163] In some implementations, this initial unused syngas, primarily formed from recirculated flue gas, can be provided by using ambient air as a gas source, and oxygen-enriched ambient air can be used for the initial start-up period before flue gas recirculation can be used to increase the CO2 content in the flue gas for the formation of syngas.

[0164] In other embodiments, this initial unused synthetic air, primarily formed from recirculated flue gas 014, can be synthetic air derived from CO2-rich flue gas obtained from a CO2 source (e.g., CO2 storage and / or CO2 piping) and / or stored in tanks and / or available from another equipment process, to form synthetic air with low N2 (e.g., less than 20 mol% N2), sufficient O2 (e.g., 20 mol% O2 to 40 mol% O2), and significant levels of CO2 as discussed above (and optionally, desired levels of water, e.g., 0 mol% water to 40 mol% water).

[0165] Temperature control of the oxidant formed via mixing device 128 can be enhanced by utilizing different gas flows used to form the oxidant via mixing device 128. For example, the recirculated flue gas from the mixing device portion of the flue gas fed into mixing device 128 can have a different temperature than the oxidant forming feed stream 225 output from the membrane unit 220 of carbon capture system 4. Oxygen supplied by oxygen source 130 can also be at yet another different temperature when fed into mixing device 128. The use of these different temperatures and the adjustment of the flow rates of these different fluid flows can be used to help control the temperature of the oxidant formed via mixing device 128. Such temperature control can be further enhanced by utilizing a third portion of the flue gas from position B discussed above, which can be a cooler portion of the flue gas that can be mixed with the hotter second portion 203, thus allowing for more precise temperature control of the first and third portions of the flue gas used to form the mixture of the flue gas fed into mixing device 128. The flue gas recirculated to the mixing unit 128 can constitute the main part of the oxidant formed as a whole, so further fine control of the temperature of this fluid can have a significant impact on the ability to more sensitively control the temperature of the formed oxidant (e.g., more precise control of the oxidant temperature, while also providing the ability to adjust the oxidant temperature more quickly to adapt to other detected conditions in the combustion system 3 and / or reformer device 2).

[0166] We have also found that the implementation scheme can allow for enhanced thermal integration of the reformer equipment arrangement, which can be modified to utilize syngas with low N2 and significant CO2 levels to form CO2-rich flue gas. Such modifications can be provided to upgrade combustion unit performance, resulting in reduced NOx emissions; and / or include a carbon capture system 4 and / or a CO2 capture unit 114 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and / or provide additional CO2 product formation capabilities.

[0167] Furthermore, some implementation schemes can be adapted for retrofit applications by providing enhanced thermal integration with pre-existing boiler feedwater circuits and / or combustion systems designed to use ambient air or oxygen-enriched air as the oxidant for fuel combustion. For example, Figure 7 and Figure 8 The exemplary implementation may be advantageous for some retrofit applications by allowing better utilization of boiler feedwater for the use of synthetic air as an oxidant, since synthetic air can be fed into combustion unit 137 at a lower total flow rate compared to air or oxygen-enriched air, due to the significantly less N2 that may be present in synthetic air. For example, in a conventional arrangement where air or oxygen-enriched air can be used as an oxidant, boiler feedwater can be used to warm the oxidant and cool the boiler feedwater to the desired temperature. After retrofitting to utilize our device in which synthetic air can be used, the boiler feedwater may be too hot when it leaves the oxidant preheater (e.g., less synthetic air can be used compared to air or oxygen-enriched air, and / or synthetic air may be hotter than air, thus a smaller cooling load can be applied to the boiler feedwater). Using an additional boiler feedwater cooling device (e.g., boiler feedwater cooling device 505) can help provide effective control of the boiler feedwater temperature for such configurations in a way that also provides improved operating performance when using synthetic air as the oxidant, and can help avoid the significant work associated with rearranging pre-existing water circuit conduits for boiler feedwater, which is more substantially required for retrofitting pre-existing conventional steam reformers or steam-methane reformers (SMRs). Boiler feedwater cooling device 505 can be positioned and configured to help provide boiler feedwater output at a pre-selected temperature within a pre-selected boiler feedwater temperature range.

[0168] Furthermore, the optional use of carbon capture unit 114 in hydrogen production system 5 can provide additional process flexibility and improved CO2 recovery. For example, during start-up and shutdown operations, utilizing carbon capture unit 114 to recover CO2 can help provide a higher CO2 content stream for oxidant formation, allowing combustion unit 137 to utilize low-N2 oxidant for longer periods, as the recovered CO2 can be fed into mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation when additional CO2 may be required for mixing with the oxidant, as discussed above. Additionally, the use of carbon capture unit 114 allows for improved CO2 recovery when such CO2 is not required for oxidant formation in some operating cycles discussed above.

[0169] In some embodiments, the carbon capture unit 114 can help provide the recovery of 50% to 60% of the CO2 generated during the operation of the reformer unit 2. In some embodiments, once the reformer unit 2 is operated with a syngas having low N2 content to produce flue gas with high CO2 content, CO2 recovery can be enhanced via the operation of the carbon capture system 4 to provide at least 90% recovery of CO2 (e.g., 90% to 100% of the CO2 formed, greater than 95% and less than 100% of the CO2 formed, etc.).

[0170] Furthermore, the carbon capture unit 114 can provide additional enhanced temperature control for the operation of the oxidant and / or the combustion device 137. For example, the CO2-rich CO2 recovery stream 115 output from the carbon capture unit 114 can be at another temperature that can be used to control the temperature of the oxidant when a portion of the fluid is fed into a mixing device for the formation of the oxidant; and / or when the fluid is mixed with the exhaust stream 119 for feeding into the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137, that temperature can be used to control the temperature within the combustion chamber.

[0171] We have found that using syngas as an oxidant can surprisingly provide low NOx concentrations in flue gas when nitrogen concentrations are kept relatively low. For example, the N2 concentration in the syngas formed via mixing device 128, which can be used as an oxidant, can be minimized or otherwise kept relatively low (e.g., below 20 mol% or below 15 mol%). However, N2 may enter the combustion chamber of combustion device 137 due to imperfect seals and / or combustion chamber exposure to the atmosphere, possibly due to other imperfect sealing conditions over time. This can be particularly problematic in cases where the flue gas 014 used to form the syngas is formed by combustion in the combustion chamber and is partially recycled as part of the mixing device for use as an oxidant in forming the syngas. In such cases, although the N2 concentration of the synthesized air oxidant may initially be about 0 mol%, or 10 mol% to 0 mol%, or 5 mol% to 0 mol%, the N2 concentration in the synthesized air may increase to higher concentrations over time (e.g., 5 mol% N2 to 15 mol% N2, 5 mol% N2 to 20 mol% N2, or 5 mol% to 25 mol%).

[0172] In other cases (e.g., newer combustion equipment facilities), seals and other potential locations for ambient air ingress may not be significant issues. In such cases, the resulting synthetic air oxidant can be maintained such that the N2 concentration of the synthetic air oxidant is below 20 mol%, preferably below 12 mol%, and most preferably from 10 mol% to 0 mol%.

[0173] In some embodiments, the synthetic air oxidant formed via mixing device 128 is expected to have 0 mol% N2 or only trace amounts of N2 (e.g., 0 mol% N2 to 1 mol% N2). However, most embodiments intended for use in industrial environments can be configured to utilize synthetic air as an oxidant for steam reforming applications with N2 content ranging from 3 mol% to 20 mol% to accommodate a variety of different design criteria.

[0174] We have found that using synthetic air as an oxidant in the combustion chamber of combustion device 137 can promote low NOx formation during fuel combustion. Using synthetic air oxidant with a low N2 concentration can help avoid the presence of nitrogen to prevent NOx formation. Furthermore, synthetic air can include relatively high concentrations of CO2 and water, which can help further suppress NOx formation. We were surprised to find that embodiments of reformer device 2 using synthetic air as the oxidant, with such low N2 concentrations and relatively high concentrations of water and CO2, can provide a significant reduction in NOx formation (e.g., in some embodiments, a 75% to 95% reduction in NOx formation compared to using air as the oxidant or using oxygen-enriched air as the oxidant (e.g., an oxidant stream with 70 mol% to 79 mol% N2 and 20 mol% to 28 mol% O2). It has been surprisingly found that this is true even in the presence of relatively low levels of N2, which can be much lower than those in ambient air, but still sufficient for an O2-rich atmosphere to anticipate high NOx emissions near the flame, where temperatures may be higher compared to atmospheric combustion.

[0175] The use of synthetic air as an oxidant via mixing unit 128, along with one or more fluid flows including recycled flue gas, permeate streams from one or more carbon capture devices (e.g., carbon capture unit 114 and / or membrane unit 220 of carbon capture system 4, which may be oxidant formation feed stream 225 from carbon capture system 4), and oxygen from oxygen source 130, can be controlled and / or monitored using a control system that can utilize predefined control processes. Such a control system may include at least one controller communicatively connected to at least one sensor and one or more flow control mechanisms (e.g., dampers, valves, etc.). The at least one controller may also be connected to one or more fluid drive mechanisms (fans, boosters, compressors, etc.) that can be used to increase the flow rate and / or pressure of the fluid when it is delivered to mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation. The at least one controller may also be connected to other sensors, controllers, detectors, analyzers, flow control mechanisms and / or fluid drive mechanisms to monitor and / or control the operation of the combustion device 137 for fuel combustion, the hydrogen production system 5 for hydrogen production and / or the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery or related steam reforming.

[0176] Figures 10 to 12 Different exemplary embodiments of the control system CTRL are illustrated, which can be used in embodiments of equipment 1 for steam reforming that may include reformer equipment 2 and / or in embodiments of our reformer equipment 2 having combustion system 3, carbon capture system 4, and hydrogen production system 5. For example, these exemplary control system CTRLs can be discussed above and Figures 1 to 8 The device 1 and / or reformer device 2 shown in the embodiments are used.

[0177] Figure 10 An example first exemplary control system CTRL is illustrated, which may include an oxygen analyzer 408 configured to measure the concentration of O2 in flue gas 014 exiting the combustion chamber via a sensor 409 positioned upstream of chimney 124 and upstream of induced draft fan unit 122, which may be positioned adjacent to and in fluid communication with chimney 124 and / or flue gas outlet duct 123. For example, sensor 409 may be positioned near the outlet of the radiant chamber.

[0178] Oxygen analyzer 408 can be configured to determine the oxygen concentration in flue gas 014 using data from sensor 409, and use that data to control the position of damper 400 to control the gas flow rate through a fan 13 (e.g., a forced draft fan) in a duct upstream or downstream of mixing unit 128 for feeding oxidizer into the combustion chamber of combustion unit 137. Adjusting the position of damper 400 helps control the flow rate of oxidizer fed into combustion unit 137 (e.g., affecting the flow rate of oxidizer that can be driven by forced draft fan 13). Damper 400 can be upstream or downstream of mixing unit 128, and fan 13 can also be upstream or downstream of mixing unit 128.

[0179] Isolation device 439 (e.g., shut-off device or on / off valve, etc.) may be positioned to help isolate fan 13 and / or regulate the flow rate of fluid fed into mixing unit 128 for isolating at least one gas source 131 from mixing unit 128 (e.g., isolation device 439 may be adjusted from an open position to a closed position to prevent gas (such as air or CO2-rich flue gas) from gas source 131 from being fed into mixing unit 128, or adjusted to an open position to allow such gas to be fed into mixing unit 128). Isolation device 439 may be positioned and configured to isolate fan 13 and / or gas source 131 to prevent flue gas leakage via fan 13 and / or gas source 131. For example, when the gas source 131 is air or CO2-rich flue gas, the isolation device 439 can be configured to close after operation has been regulated to prevent any fluid to be fed into the mixing unit from leaking from the mixing unit 128 into the gas source 131 (e.g., the atmosphere), so that operation occurs via the use of synthesis air, which is formed from recirculated flue gas and oxygen from an oxygen source. During start-up operation, when air or other gas sources are initially available for forming the oxidant, the isolation device 439 can be in the open position, and the fan 13 can operate to assist in feeding fluid into the mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation.

[0180] Isolation devices 415 and / or 438 can also be positioned to isolate mixing device 128 from one or more other fluids. For example, isolation device 415 can be adjusted from an open position to a closed position to prevent flue gas from being fed towards carbon capture system 4 and / or mixing device 128. As yet another example, isolation device 438 can be positioned to be adjusted from an open position to a closed position to prevent carbon capture system portion of flue gas from being fed into carbon capture system 4. Isolation devices 415 and 438 can be utilized and adjusted between their open and closed positions to facilitate emission operations or other fluid flow control operations.

[0181] The control system CTRL may also include a pressure sensor 407, which may be positioned in the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137 (e.g., its radiant section or its convection section) to measure pressure. The pressure sensor 407 may be communicatively connected to a damper 410 positioned adjacent to the flue gas outlet duct 123 and / or the chimney 124, such that pressure data can be used to adjust the position of the damper 410 to help indicate the flow rate of flue gas that can be fed to the induced draft fan 122. The use of the pressure sensor 407 and the oxygen analyzer 409 can be used during the startup of the reformer unit 2 to facilitate a smooth startup of the unit 1 for steam reforming. After startup, these components can be used in conjunction with other components of the control system CTRL.

[0182] In some implementations (such as new equipment design implementations), the oxygen analyzer 408 can be adjusted during its use when synthetic air oxidant is used as the oxidant for combustion. In implementations where air or oxygen-enriched air can be used as the oxidant for start-up operation, this can occur after start-up. This conversion can occur after start-up and after sufficient CO2 has accumulated in the flue gas 014 to provide a CO2-rich flue gas 014, which can be used as a mixing component for feeding into the mixing unit 128 to form an oxidant, for example, which may have a relatively low level of nitrogen. The oxygen analyzer 408 can measure the concentration of oxygen in the flue gas 014 to be output from the combustion unit 137 via sensor data from sensor 409 and provide control data to the flow control mechanism controller 429 of the flow control mechanism 431, which is connected to the oxygen feed duct through which the oxygen feed 129 from the oxygen source 130 passes. The flow control mechanism 431 may be a valve or damper, or a combination of valves or dampers. For example, it may be regulated via a flow control mechanism controller 429, which may adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431 based on control data or other data provided by the oxygen analyzer 408. Regulation of the flow control mechanism 431 may regulate the flow rate at which oxygen from an oxygen source (e.g., oxygen feed 129) is fed into the mixing unit 128 to form an oxidant. The flow rate of oxygen from the oxygen source (e.g., oxygen feed 129) delivered to the mixing unit 128 may also be monitored via an oxygen flow sensor 430, which may be positioned in an oxygen feed duct through which oxygen feed 129 passes to measure the oxygen feed flow rate. The oxygen flow sensor 430 may be communicatively connected to the flow control mechanism controller 429 to provide data identifying the oxygen flow rate, thereby facilitating the flow control mechanism controller's determination of how to regulate the flow control mechanism 431.

[0183] For example, the flow control mechanism controller 429 may respond to oxygen content data from the oxygen analyzer 408, indicating that the oxygen in the flue gas 014 is higher than a pre-selected value (e.g., at or above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold), to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431, thereby reducing the rate at which oxygen feed 129 is fed into the mixing unit 128, to reduce the total oxygen content in the oxidant, so that the flue gas 014 can have a lower oxygen concentration that better conforms to a pre-selected set of design criteria. As another example, the flow control mechanism controller 429 may respond to oxygen content data from the oxygen analyzer 408, indicating that the oxygen in the flue gas 014 is lower than a pre-selected value (e.g., at or below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold), to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431, thereby increasing the rate at which oxygen feed 129 is fed into the mixing unit 128, to increase the total oxygen content in the oxidant, so that the flue gas 014 can have a higher oxygen concentration that better conforms to a pre-selected set of design criteria.

[0184] In embodiments that utilize a booster 201' (e.g., a booster fan) that can help drive the flue gas flow through the carbon capture system 4, the speed control of the booster 201' (e.g., booster fan speed control) can affect the flow rate of the oxidant-forming feed stream 225 output from the membrane unit 220 of the carbon capture system 4, which is fed to the mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation. The booster 201' can be controlled based on a booster controller 423 that receives flow rate data from a first flue gas velocity sensor 421 located upstream of the booster 201' and before the second portion 203 of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion 204 (e.g., at location A as discussed above in embodiments utilizing such diversion). The first flue gas velocity sensor 421 can provide data to the booster controller 423 via a communication connection between these elements. This data can identify the flue gas velocity output from the combustion device 137 via the flue gas output duct 123. For example, this data may include velocity measurement data and / or pressure measurement data that can be used to determine the flue gas velocity.

[0185] The booster controller 423 can also receive data from a second flue gas velocity sensor 421', which is positioned to measure the flow rate of the second portion 203 of the flue gas after it has been diverted from the first portion 204. Data from the second flue gas velocity sensor 421' can be provided to the booster controller via a communication connection between these components. This data may include, for example, flow rate measurements and / or pressure measurements that can be used to determine the flow rate of the flue gas. The booster controller 423 can use this data to determine the difference between the total flue gas flow rate and the flow rate of the first portion 204 of the flue gas passing through the booster 201', thereby adjusting the speed of the booster 201' to accommodate the mass flow rate of the carbon-captured portion of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery via the cold section condensation unit 214. The booster controller 423 can also be communicatively connected to an oxygen analyzer 404, which is positioned to detect the oxygen content in the oxidant fed into the combustion unit 137 (e.g., positioned in the oxidant feed duct through which the oxidant feed stream 136 passes, or positioned in the oxidant inlet of the combustion unit through which the oxidant feed stream enters the combustion unit). The booster controller 423 can also control the speed of the booster 201' to help ensure that the oxygen level in the oxidant formed via the mixing unit 128 is within a pre-selected range, because the speed of the booster 201' can affect the flow rate of the oxidant forming feed stream 225 output from the carbon capture system 4, which is fed into the mixing unit 128 for oxidant formation (e.g., output from the membrane unit 220, etc.).

[0186] For example, if the oxygen level is deemed too low based on data from oxygen analyzer 404 (e.g., at or below a pre-selected low O2 content threshold for the oxidant fed into combustion unit 137), the speed of booster 201' can be increased by booster controller 423 based on the difference between the flue gas flow rates provided by first flue gas velocity sensor 421 and second flue gas velocity sensor 421' and the degree to which the oxygen level is determined to be below a desired level. As another example, where the oxygen level is deemed too high based on data from oxygen analyzer 404 (e.g., at or above a pre-selected high O2 content threshold for the oxidant fed into combustion unit 137), the speed of booster 201' can be decreased by booster controller 423 based on the difference between the flue gas flow rates determined based on data from first flue gas velocity sensor 421 and second flue gas velocity sensor 421' and the degree to which the oxygen level is determined to be above a desired level. In addition to the booster speed, the position of the damper or other operating parameters can also be adjusted to regulate the flow rate of the flue gas via the booster controller 423 or other controllers.

[0187] The pressure controller 412 is communicatively connected to a pressure sensor to detect the pressure of the flue gas 014 in the chimney 124 and control the position of the exhaust damper 125. As described above, for normal operation, the exhaust damper 125 can be held in the closed position. However, if a high-pressure condition is detected, the pressure controller can determine the presence of this condition and communicate with the exhaust damper 125 to adjust its position to the open position for venting. For example, if the pressure data from the pressure sensor monitoring the pressure of the flue gas in the chimney 124 meets or exceeds a pre-selected venting pressure threshold, the controller can communicate with the exhaust damper 125 to open it for venting the flue gas, thereby reducing pressure and avoiding potential safety hazards.

[0188] Flue gas from the combustion device can also be discharged via flue gas outlet duct 123 for feeding into the carbon capture system 4 and / or toward the mixing unit 128. For example, a pressure controller 436 can be positioned in the flue gas outlet duct 123 to monitor the pressure of the flue gas in the duct and, in response to determining that the flue gas pressure meets or exceeds a pre-selected discharge pressure threshold (e.g., a pre-selected discharge pressure), control the position of the flue gas discharge duct damper 437 from a closed position to an open position. The pressure controller 436 can be communicatively connected to the damper 437 to initiate the adjustment of the damper's position. The flue gas discharge duct damper 437 can also be otherwise held in a closed position to prevent the discharge of flue gas to the carbon capture system 4 and / or the mixing unit 128.

[0189] Figure 11 An exemplary embodiment of the control system CTRL is illustrated, which can be applied to an embodiment of a reforming device that can be formed via a modification operation to adjust the characteristics of a pre-existing steam reforming system to create our embodiment of steam reforming device 1. Of course, it is anticipated that in some cases, such an embodiment can also be used in newly constructed steam reforming devices.

[0190] For the implementation scheme of the CTRL control system, the startup operation can be as discussed above. Figure 10 The same approach to the implementation plan Figure 11 The implementation plan is controlled. However, in Figure 11 In one implementation, the control scheme utilized after switching to the use of synthetic air for the formation of oxidant via a portion of the flue gas through a mixing device via recirculated flue gas can be different from the combination of the recirculated flue gas with one or more fluid streams from one or more carbon capture devices (e.g., carbon capture unit 114 and / or oxidant forming feed stream 225 that can be output from carbon capture system 4) and oxygen from oxygen source 130.

[0191] For example, the flue gas flow controller 427 can be communicatively connected to the flow rate sensor 426, which is located downstream of the booster 201 and downstream of the flow control mechanism 200. The flow rate sensor 426 can be positioned to detect, measure, and / or identify the flow rate of the flue gas fed into the mixing unit 128 in the mixing unit section.

[0192] The flue gas flow controller 427 can also be communicatively connected to the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 to control the suction pressure of the compressor operation of the feed compression system 208 (e.g., controlling the compressor speed, etc.). For example, the flue gas flow controller 427 can be communicatively connected to the compressor controller 440 of the compressor of the feed compression system to communicate with the compressor controller 440 to adjust at least one operating parameter of the compressor (e.g., compressor speed, compressor blade angle adjustment, and / or other operating parameters of the compressor of the feed compression system 208 for adjusting the flow rate of the flue gas delivered to the carbon capture system 4 and / or the proportion of flue gas fed to the carbon capture system 4 as part of the flue gas). Adjustment of the operation of the feed compression system 208 and / or the flow control mechanism 200 (e.g., damper, etc.) can result in a change in the flow rate of the compressed flue gas fed to the carbon capture system 4 by the assembly of elements 6 located downstream of the feed compression system 208.

[0193] The flue gas flow controller 427 can also be communicatively connected to the flow control mechanism 200 to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 200, thereby adjusting the diversion of the flue gas to regulate the proportion of flue gas fed into the mixing unit 128 as part of the mixing unit and the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 as part of the carbon capture system. For example, the flue gas flow controller 427 can adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 200 (e.g., adjusting the position of the damper when the flow control mechanism 200 is a damper) to regulate the proportion of flue gas fed into the mixing unit 128 as part of the flue gas and the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 as part of the flue gas. The flue gas flow controller 427 can communicate with the flow control mechanism 200 and / or the feed compression system to adjust at least one operating parameter to regulate the proportion of flue gas fed into the mixing unit and the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4.

[0194] In some embodiments, the flue gas controller 427 may be configured to control the operation of the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 based on flow rate data received from a first flue gas flow rate sensor 421, which is located upstream of the feed compression system 208 and before the second portion 203 of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion 204 (e.g., at location A as discussed above in embodiments utilizing such diversion). The first flue gas flow rate sensor 421 may provide data to the flue gas controller 427 via a communication connection between these elements. This data may identify the flue gas flow rate output from the combustion device 137 via the flue gas output duct 123. For example, this data may include flow rate measurements and / or pressure measurements that can be used to determine the flow rate of the flue gas.

[0195] The flue gas controller 427 can also receive data from a second flue gas flow rate sensor 426, which is positioned to measure the flow rate of the second portion 203 of the flue gas after it has been diverted from the first portion 204. For example, this data may include flow rate measurements and / or pressure measurements that can be used to determine the flue gas flow rate. Data from the second flue gas flow rate sensor 426 can be provided to the flue gas controller 427 via a communication connection between these components. The flue gas controller 427 can use this data to determine the difference between the total flue gas flow rate and the flow rate of the first portion 204 of the flue gas flowing to the feed compression system 208, such that the speed of the compressor in the feed compression system 208, the blade position of the compressor in the feed compression system, the position of the flow control mechanism 200, and / or other operating parameters of the compressor can be adjusted to accommodate the mass flow rate of the carbon capture portion of the flue gas fed to the carbon capture system 4 via the cold section condensation unit 214 for CO2 recovery.

[0196] The flue gas flow controller 427 can also be connected to the oxygen analyzer 404 to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 200 and / or the operating parameters (e.g., blade position parameters and / or speed parameters, etc.) of the compressor of the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 using data on the oxygen content of the oxidant. For example, if the oxygen level is deemed too low based on data from the oxygen analyzer 404, the speed of the compressor of the feed compression system 208 can be increased by the flue gas flow controller 427 (e.g., via communication with the compressor controller 440) based on the flow rate detected by the second flow rate sensor 426 and the degree to which the oxygen level is determined to be below the desired level, to provide less flue gas to the mixing unit 128. Furthermore (or alternatively), the operating parameters of the flow control mechanism 200 and / or other compressors can be adjusted such that less flue gas is fed into the mixing unit 128 as a mixing unit component, thus a smaller proportion of flue gas is fed into the mixing unit 128, and the rate of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 can also be increased by this adjustment.

[0197] As another example, where the oxygen level is deemed too high based on data from oxygen analyzer 404, the compressor speed of the feed compression system 208 of the carbon capture system 4 can be reduced by controller 427 based on the difference between the flue gas flow rate determined from data from flue gas velocity sensor 426 and the degree to which the oxygen level is determined to be higher than desired, to provide a higher flow rate of flue gas to mixing unit 128 as the mixing portion of the flue gas. Furthermore (or alternatively), flow control mechanism 200 can be adjusted such that a smaller proportion of flue gas is fed into the carbon capture system 4 as the carbon capture portion of the flue gas, and a larger proportion of flue gas is fed towards mixing unit 128 as the mixing portion of the flue gas. For example, where the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 will be reduced, the position of flow control mechanism 200, the speed of the compressor of feed compression system 208 can be adjusted to a lower speed, and / or the compressor blade angle can be adjusted to provide such flow regulation. For example, one, two, or all of these parameters can be adjusted to provide a reduction in the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 as part of the flue gas carbon capture and an increase in the proportion of flue gas fed into the mixing device 128 as part of the flue gas mixing device.

[0198] When the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 is to be increased, the position of the flow control mechanism 200, the speed of the compressor in the feed compression system 208, or the blade position of the compressor can be adjusted based on predefined criteria controlled by the flue gas flow controller 427. In other cases, increasing the proportion of flue gas to be fed into the carbon capture system 4 can lead to an increase in the speed of the compressor in the feed compression system 208, an adjustment of the compressor blade position, and an adjustment of the flow control mechanism 200 to provide a larger proportion of flue gas as part of the flue gas mixture.

[0199] It should be understood that increasing the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 can lead to an increase in the flow rate of the oxidant-forming feed stream 225 fed into the mixing unit 128. This is a relatively small fluid flow rate overall and may have a negligible effect. If such an effect is considered significant, it can be taken into account in the adjustments provided by the flue gas flow controller 427. Furthermore, decreasing the proportion of flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 can lead to a decrease in the flow rate of the oxidant-forming feed stream 225 fed into the mixing unit 128. This effect can also be taken into account in the adjustments provided by the flue gas flow controller 427 to the extent that such a change in the flow rate of the oxidant-forming feed stream 225 is considered significant. Such an assessment can be based on predefined control criteria set in the flue gas flow controller 427 and / or the use of data from a flow rate sensor communicatively connected to the flue gas flow controller 427 (e.g., via...). Figure 11 (As shown in the communication connection 428), the flow rate sensor can identify the flow rate of the oxidant forming feed stream 225 fed into the mixing device 128 to the flue gas flow rate controller 427.

[0200] For Figure 11 The control system CTRL of the proposed implementation can also utilize a pressure controller 412, which is communicatively connected to a pressure sensor to detect the pressure of the flue gas 014 in the chimney 124 and control the position of the exhaust damper 125. As described above, for normal operation, the exhaust damper 125 can be held in the closed position. However, if a high-pressure condition is detected, the pressure controller 412 can determine the presence of this condition and communicate with the exhaust damper 125 to adjust its position to the open position for venting. For example, if the pressure data from the pressure sensor monitoring the pressure of the flue gas in the chimney 124 meets or exceeds a pre-selected venting pressure threshold, the controller can communicate with the exhaust damper 125 to open it for venting the flue gas, thereby reducing pressure and avoiding potential safety hazards.

[0201] Pressure controller 412 may also be communicatively connected to booster controller 417, which is connected to booster 201, to control the speed at which booster 201 can operate (e.g., the speed at which booster blowers or fans can rotate) and / or the position of one or more dampers (e.g., dampers of chimney 124) upstream of booster 201. Depending on the detected pressure conditions of flue gas 412, the speed of booster 201 may be increased or decreased, and / or the position of the upstream dampers may be adjusted. For example, if the pressure of the flue gas in the combustion chamber of combustion device 137 or chimney 124 is considered to be at a high pressure increasing toward the discharge pressure (e.g., at a pressure above a first pre-selected pressure but still below a pre-selected discharge pressure threshold), pressure controller 412 may communicate with controller 417 to increase the speed of booster 201 and / or further open at least one upstream damper, thereby helping to alleviate pressure by helping to extract flue gas from chimney 124 or combustion chamber at a higher rate. As another example, if the pressure of the flue gas in the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137 or the chimney 124 is considered to be at a low pressure, which decreases at an undesirable rate to meet a potentially undesirable predefined low-pressure condition (e.g., pressure at or below a second preselected pressure and / or flue gas pressure at or approaching a preselected low-pressure threshold), then the pressure controller 412 may communicate with the controller 417 to reduce the speed of the booster 201 and / or adjust the position of the damper upstream of the booster 201 (e.g., the damper of the chimney 124) to be closed more completely, thereby allowing the pressure to increase by reducing the flow rate of the flue gas out of the combustion chamber of the combustion device 137.

[0202] Figure 11 The control system CTRL of the implementation scheme can also be configured to facilitate the emission of flue gas, which will be recycled to the mixing unit 128 and / or fed to the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery. For example, the pressure controller 419 can be positioned to receive pressure data from a pressure sensor positioned to detect the pressure of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137 (e.g., the flue gas pressure within the flue gas output duct 123), determine the pressure of the flue gas output from the combustion chamber for feeding into the mixing unit 128 and / or the carbon capture system 4, and adjust the exhaust damper 420, which is positioned to facilitate the emission of the flue gas from a closed position to an open position in response to a detected high-pressure condition.

[0203] For example, under normal operation, the exhaust damper 420 can remain in the closed position. However, if a high-pressure condition is detected, the pressure controller 419 can determine the presence of this condition and communicate with the exhaust damper 420 to adjust its position to the open position for venting. For example, if pressure data from a pressure sensor monitoring the pressure of the flue gas in the flue gas outlet duct 123 meets or exceeds a pre-selected venting pressure threshold, the controller 419 can communicate with the exhaust damper 420 to open the damper for the venting of the flue gas, thereby reducing pressure and avoiding potential safety hazards.

[0204] In some implementations, the exhaust damper 420 may be positioned downstream of the booster 201 to open in case of failure or other atypical or abnormal conditions, in order to help maintain a stable pressure downstream of the booster 201.

[0205] For Figure 11 The control system CTRL of the implementation scheme can also be utilized as in Figure 10 Similar control elements and control scheme elements are used in the implementation scheme. For example, oxygen analyzer 408 can be positioned to monitor the oxygen content in flue gas 014 and can use the data to facilitate control of the oxygen fed to form the oxidant. Oxygen analyzer 408 can measure the concentration of oxygen in the flue gas 014 to be output from combustion device 137 via sensor data from sensor 409 and provide control data to flow control mechanism controller 429 of flow control mechanism 431, which is connected to the oxygen feed duct through which oxygen feed 129 from oxygen source 130 passes. Flow control mechanism 431 can be regulated via flow control mechanism controller 429, which can adjust the position of flow control mechanism 431 based on control data provided by oxygen analyzer 408 or other data. Regulation of flow control mechanism 431 can regulate the flow rate at which oxygen from oxygen source (e.g., oxygen feed 129) is fed into mixing device 128 for oxidant formation. The flow rate of oxygen from an oxygen source (e.g., oxygen feed 129) delivered to the mixing unit 128 can also be monitored via an oxygen flow sensor 430, which can be positioned in the oxygen feed conduit through which oxygen feed 129 passes to measure the flow rate of the oxygen feed. The oxygen flow sensor 430 can be communicatively connected to a flow control mechanism controller 429 to provide data identifying the oxygen flow rate, enabling the flow control mechanism controller to determine how to adjust the flow control mechanism 431.

[0206] For example, the flow control mechanism controller 429 can respond to oxygen content data from the oxygen analyzer 408, indicating that the oxygen content in the flue gas 014 is higher than a pre-selected value, to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431. This reduces the rate at which the oxygen feed 129 is fed into the mixing unit 128, thereby reducing the total oxygen content in the oxidant and allowing the flue gas 014 to have a lower oxygen concentration that better conforms to a pre-selected set of design criteria. As another example, the flow control mechanism controller 429 can respond to oxygen content data from the oxygen analyzer 408, indicating that the oxygen content in the flue gas 014 is lower than a pre-selected value, to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431. This increases the rate at which the oxygen feed 129 is fed into the mixing unit 128, thereby increasing the total oxygen content in the oxidant and allowing the flue gas 014 to have a higher oxygen concentration that better conforms to a pre-selected set of design criteria.

[0207] Figure 12 Another exemplary implementation of a control system CTRL is illustrated, which can be configured for use in retrofit situations. Figure 12 An implementation scheme could, for example, be arranged to implement a control scheme that can be considered as discussed above. Figure 10 and Figure 11 Another option for the implementation plan. Of course, it is expected... Figure 12 Other implementation schemes of the control system CTRL of the proposed implementation scheme can also be used in new equipment design implementation schemes.

[0208] As from Figure 12 As can be seen from this, the implementation scheme of the CTRL control system can utilize the above-mentioned approach. Figure 10 and Figure 11 The implementation scheme discusses control scheme elements. For example, for... Figure 12 The startup control scheme for the implementation plan can be the same as that discussed above. Figure 10 and Figure 11 The same startup control scheme is used in the implementation plan.

[0209] As another example, oxygen analyzer 408 can be positioned to monitor the oxygen content within flue gas 014 and can use this data to facilitate control of the oxygen fed to form the oxidant. Oxygen analyzer 408 can measure the oxygen concentration in the flue gas 014 to be output from combustion device 137 via sensor data from sensor 409 and provide control data to flow control mechanism controller 429 of flow control mechanism 431, which is connected to the oxygen feed duct through which oxygen feed 129 from oxygen source 130 passes. Flow control mechanism 431 can be regulated via flow control mechanism controller 429, which can adjust the position of flow control mechanism 431 based on control data provided by oxygen analyzer 408 or other data. Regulation of flow control mechanism 431 can regulate the flow rate at which oxygen from oxygen source (e.g., oxygen feed 129) is fed into mixing device 128 for oxidant formation. The flow rate of oxygen from an oxygen source (e.g., oxygen feed 129) delivered to the mixing unit 128 can also be monitored via an oxygen flow sensor 430, which can be positioned in the oxygen feed conduit through which oxygen feed 129 passes to measure the flow rate of the oxygen feed. The oxygen flow sensor 430 can be communicatively connected to a flow control mechanism controller 429 to provide data identifying the oxygen flow rate, enabling the flow control mechanism controller to determine how to adjust the flow control mechanism 431.

[0210] For example, the flow control mechanism controller 429 can respond to oxygen content data from the oxygen analyzer 408, indicating that the oxygen content in the flue gas 014 is higher than a pre-selected value, to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431. This reduces the rate at which the oxygen feed 129 is fed into the mixing unit 128, thereby reducing the total oxygen content in the oxidant and allowing the flue gas 014 to have a lower oxygen concentration that better conforms to a pre-selected set of design criteria. As another example, the flow control mechanism controller 429 can respond to oxygen content data from the oxygen analyzer 408, indicating that the oxygen content in the flue gas 014 is lower than a pre-selected value, to adjust the position of the flow control mechanism 431. This increases the rate at which the oxygen feed 129 is fed into the mixing unit 128, thereby increasing the total oxygen content in the oxidant and allowing the flue gas 014 to have a higher oxygen concentration that better conforms to a pre-selected set of design criteria.

[0211] Furthermore, the booster 201' can be controlled based on a booster controller 423 that receives flow rate data from a first flue gas velocity sensor 421, which is positioned upstream of the booster 201' and before the second portion 203 of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion 204 (e.g., at location A as discussed above in embodiments utilizing such diversion). The first flue gas velocity sensor 421 can provide data to the booster controller 423 via a communication connection between these components. This data can identify the flue gas velocity output from the combustion device 137 via the flue gas output duct 123 (e.g., this data can include flow rate data or pressure measurement data that can be used to identify the flue gas velocity).

[0212] The booster controller 423 can also receive data from a second flue gas velocity sensor 421', which is positioned to measure the flow rate of the second portion 203 of the flue gas after it has been diverted from the first portion 204. This data may include, for example, flow rate data or pressure measurement data that can be used to identify the flue gas velocity. Data from the second flue gas velocity sensor 421' can be provided to the booster controller via a communication connection between these components. The booster controller 423 can use this data to determine the difference between the total flue gas flow rate and the flow rate of the first portion 204 of the flue gas passing through the booster 201', such that the speed of the booster 201' is adjusted to accommodate the mass flow rate of the carbon-captured portion of the flue gas fed into the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery via the cold section condensation unit 214. The booster controller 423 can also be communicatively connected to an oxygen analyzer 404, which is positioned to detect the oxygen content within the oxidant fed into the combustion unit 137 (e.g., positioned in the oxidant feed duct through which the oxidant feed stream 136 passes or in the oxidant inlet of the combustion unit). The booster controller 423 can also control the speed of the booster 201' to help ensure that the oxygen level within the oxidant formed via the mixing unit 128 is within a preselected range (e.g., between a preselected low O2 content threshold and a preselected high O2 content threshold for the oxidant), because the speed of the booster 201' can affect the flow rate of the oxidant forming feed stream 225, which is output from the carbon capture system 4 and fed into the mixing unit 128 to form the oxidant.

[0213] For example, if the oxygen level is deemed too low based on data from oxygen analyzer 404, the speed of booster 201' can be increased by booster controller 423 based on the difference between the flue gas flow rates provided by first flue gas velocity sensor 421 and second flue gas velocity sensor 421' and the degree to which the oxygen content of the oxidant is determined to be below a desired level, to provide a lower flow rate of flue gas as the mixing portion of the flue gas fed into mixing unit 128. As another example, where the oxygen content of the oxidant is deemed too high based on data from oxygen analyzer 404, the speed of booster 201' can be decreased by booster controller 423 based on the difference between the flue gas flow rates provided by first flue gas velocity sensor 421 and second flue gas velocity sensor 421' and the degree to which the oxygen level is determined to be above a desired level, to provide a higher flow rate of flue gas as the mixing portion of the flue gas fed into mixing unit 128.

[0214] for Figure 12 The implementation scheme can also provide discharge at various control locations. For example, the pressure controller 412 can be communicatively connected to a pressure sensor to detect the pressure of the flue gas 014 in the chimney 124 and control the position of the exhaust damper 125. As described above, for normal operation, the exhaust damper 125 can be held in the closed position. However, if a high-pressure condition is detected, the pressure controller can determine that such a condition exists and communicate with the exhaust damper 125 to adjust its position to the open position for discharge. For example, if the pressure data from the pressure sensor monitoring the pressure of the flue gas in the chimney 124 meets or exceeds a pre-selected discharge pressure threshold, the controller can communicate with the exhaust damper 125 to open the exhaust damper 125 to discharge the flue gas, thereby reducing pressure and avoiding potential safety hazards.

[0215] Flue gas from the combustion device can also be discharged via flue gas outlet duct 123 for feeding into the carbon capture system 4 and / or toward the mixing unit 128. For example, a pressure controller 436 can be positioned in the flue gas outlet duct 123 to monitor the pressure of the flue gas in the duct and, in response to determining that the flue gas pressure meets or exceeds a pre-selected discharge pressure threshold for the flue gas being routed as part of the carbon capture portion, control the position of the flue gas discharge duct damper 437 from a closed position to an open position. A pressure controller 427 can be communicatively connected to the damper 437 to initiate the adjustment of the damper position. The flue gas discharge duct damper 437 can otherwise be held in a closed position to prevent the discharge of flue gas to the carbon capture system 4 and / or the mixing unit 128.

[0216] Alternatively, the exhaust of flue gas to be recycled to the mixing unit 128 and / or fed to the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery can be provided at other locations. For example, a pressure controller 419 can be positioned to receive pressure data from a pressure sensor configured to detect the pressure of the flue gas output from the combustion unit 137 (e.g., the flue gas pressure within the flue gas output duct 123), determine the pressure of the flue gas output from the combustion chamber for feeding into the mixing unit 128 and / or the carbon capture system 4, and adjust an exhaust damper 420 configured to facilitate the discharge of the flue gas from a closed position to an open position in response to a detected high-pressure condition.

[0217] For example, under normal operation, the exhaust damper 420 can remain in the closed position. However, if a high-pressure condition is detected, the pressure controller 419 can determine the presence of this condition and communicate with the exhaust damper 420 to adjust its position to the open position for venting. For example, if pressure data from a pressure sensor monitoring the pressure of the flue gas in the flue gas outlet duct 123 meets or exceeds a pre-selected venting pressure threshold, the controller 419 can communicate with the exhaust damper 420 to open the damper for the venting of the flue gas, thereby reducing pressure and avoiding potential safety hazards.

[0218] In some implementations, the exhaust damper 420 may be positioned downstream of the booster 201 and upstream of the feed compression system 208 of the booster 201' and / or carbon capture system 4, so as to be open in case of failure or other atypical or abnormal circumstances, while helping to maintain stable pressure downstream of the booster 201.

[0219] refer to Figure 13 This illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a process for steam reforming. Any embodiment of the apparatus for steam reforming discussed above can implement an exemplary embodiment of this process.

[0220] In the first step S1, syngas can be formed as an oxidant for feeding into the combustion unit 137 for fuel combustion. An example of oxidant formation using such syngas is provided above. The formed syngas may include 20 mol% to 40 mol% O2, 0 mol% to 40 mol% water, a large amount of CO2 (e.g., 20 mol% to 60 mol%-80 mol% CO2, etc.) and a small amount of N2 (e.g., less than 20 mol% N2).

[0221] In the second step S2, the fuel can be burned in the combustion device 137 using the generated synthetic air as an oxidant. The combustion of the fuel can form flue gas 014, which has relatively low N2 and low NOx content and high CO2 content. The combustion of the fuel can provide heat to heat at least one reforming product stream 102 to form at least one reforming product stream 105, which can be fed into the hydrogen production system 5 to form at least one hydrogen product stream.

[0222] In the third step S3, a portion of the flue gas can be recycled to form a synthetic air oxidant. For example, a mixed portion of the flue gas can be fed into mixing unit 128 to form a synthetic air oxidant as discussed above. Another portion of the flue gas can be fed into a carbon capture system in the fourth step S4 for CO2 recovery (shown in dashed lines, as an optional step). For example, a carbon capture portion of the flue gas can be fed into carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery. In the fifth step S5 (shown in dashed lines, as an optional step), the stream output from carbon capture system 4 can be fed into mixing unit 128 to form a synthetic air oxidant (e.g., the formation and use of the oxidant formation feed stream 225 from carbon capture system 4 as discussed above).

[0223] Figure 14 Another implementation scheme of the steam reforming process is illustrated. Figure 14 An exemplary embodiment of the process includes a first step ST1 of forming synthetic air oxidant for feeding into combustion unit 137 as an oxidant. In a second step ST2, the formed synthetic air may be preheated via boiler feedwater and / or heat from the convection section of combustion unit 137, and subsequently fed into the combustion chamber of combustion unit 137 for combustion of fuel 137 using the preheated synthetic air as an oxidant, to produce flue gas 014 with relatively low N2 and low NOx and relatively high CO2 content in a third step ST3.

[0224] Optionally, boiler feedwater used to preheat the oxidant (and thus cool the water) may also be fed to at least one boiler feedwater cooling device 505. Examples of such cooling devices have been provided above. In some embodiments, this may also occur as part of a third step ST3.

[0225] In the fourth step ST4, at least one hydrogen product stream can be generated from the hydrogen formed by the reactants (e.g., reformate stream 105) fed into the combustion unit 137, which can be formed from the heat from the combustion of fuel occurring in the combustion unit 137. Optionally, carbon dioxide can be captured during the hydrogen production process. The exhaust gas from the hydrogen production process can be fed into the combustion unit 137. Examples of such processes have been discussed above.

[0226] In the fifth step ST5, a portion of the formed flue gas 014 can be recycled to the mixing unit 128 for mixing with oxygen and optional other gases (e.g., the oxidant forming feed stream 225 from the carbon capture system 4 as discussed above, carbon dioxide gas from the CO2 capture unit 114, etc.). Another portion of the flue gas can be fed to the carbon capture system 4 for CO2 recovery.

[0227] The implementation scheme for the steam reforming process can also utilize other steps. For example, the implementation and use of the control system can be included in the process implementation scheme. For example, the above combined with Figures 10 to 12 Examples of control scheme implementations are discussed. As another example, the implementation may also include using CO2 obtained from the CO2 carbon capture unit 114 to recover CO2, produce an oxidant, and / or feed it into the combustion device 137 along with the exhaust gas 119. As yet another example, the implementation may include removing particulate matter from at least a portion of the flue gas before it is fed into the cooler unit 206 and / or after the cooled flue gas is exited from the cooler unit 206 (e.g., via particulate matter removal devices 205 and / or particulate matter removal devices 205').

[0228] Other process steps may also be utilized in other embodiments. Examples of such additional steps can be understood from, for instance, the exemplary embodiment of the steam reforming apparatus 1 discussed above.

[0229] We have found that utilizing synthetic air with low N2 content provides surprising improvements in CO2 recovery capabilities and low NOx formation from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. The following are experimental results from classified testing that help describe the types of surprising results and improvements that some implementations of our equipment and processes can provide.

[0230] Experimental results As discussed above, it was surprisingly found that the implementation of process and equipment 1 can provide a significant reduction in NOx formation. Furthermore, the implementation can provide an improved ability to capture CO2 for providing at least one CO2 product stream, which can have a high CO2 concentration (e.g., greater than 90 mol% CO2, as discussed above).

[0231] Confidential testing was conducted to evaluate the implementation of our Unit 1 and process for reducing nitrogen oxide formation during combustion. The testing demonstrated that our Unit 1 and process implementation for steam reforming can provide significant NOx reductions and improved carbon capture.

[0232] In the tests conducted, an industrial air-staged, non-premixed, downcombustion burner with a load of 1.1 MW was used to burn a blend of two fuels: natural gas and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) exhaust gas. Table 1 below shows the composition of the fuel feed to the combustion unit used in this experiment: Table 1 Fuel composition used for the first set of tests fuel composition Concentration (mol%) natural gas 22 Hydrogen (H2) 25 CO2 51 N2 2 The fuel composition has a molecular weight of 27.2, a lower heating value (LHV) of 9,107 kJ / kg, and a theoretical air requirement of 2.8 on a volume-to-volume (vol / vol) basis for complete combustion.

[0233] Ambient air was used as the oxidant for comparison with an embodiment using synthetic air as the oxidant. Ambient air had typical air concentrations (e.g., 20 mol% to 21 mol% oxygen, 78 mol% to 79 mol% nitrogen, trace amounts of CO2, water, and Ar, etc.). The composition of the synthetic air used as the oxidant in the test is shown in Table 2 below: Table 2 The composition of synthetic air used in the first set of tests Synthetic air components Concentration (mol%) CO2 35 Ar 2 O2 26 N2 8 Water (H2O) 29 In the experiments conducted, using air as the oxidant resulted in NOx emissions of 25 parts per million (ppmvd) of dry weight (on a dry basis). In contrast, the use of synthetic air provided a 90% reduction in NOx emissions (e.g., producing 2.5 ppmvd of NOx). The reduction in NOx was measured on a dry basis.

[0234] Additional tests were conducted to evaluate the use of different fuel compositions and varying oxygen compositions in the synthetic air to assess how they could affect NOx formation. With oxygen contents adjusted to 22 mol% and 28 mol%, NOx emissions from fuel combustion were found to be 2.8 mg / Nm³. 3 and 2.6 mg / Nm 3 As used in this article, Nm 3It is a standard cubic meter, which is the volume of one cubic meter (m³) of gas in which the gas is absolutely dry, at a temperature of 0°C and an absolute pressure of 1 atmosphere (1.01325 bar). 3 The volume of the gas.

[0235] In contrast, using air with the same fuel resulted in 65.7 mg / Nm³ of combustion from the fuel. 3 This further demonstrates that using synthetic air in our process and equipment implementations can provide a NOx reduction of more than 95%.

[0236] Tests were also conducted to assess the potential impact of burner load on NOx emissions when using synthetic air as the oxidant for fuel. Our tests found that at 40% burner load, only 6.1 mg / Nm³ of NOx was generated. 3 This provides approximately 80% NOx reduction compared to ambient air being used as an oxidant. For other, higher loads, NOx formation was found to be below 3 mg / Nm³. 3 For example, at 60% load, the use of synthetic air resulted in 2.6 mg / Nm³. 3 NOx formation was observed, and at 80% and 120% loads, using synthetic air as the oxidant resulted in 0.8 mg / Nm³. 3 NOx formation is significantly reduced compared to ambient air. This type of low NOx formation provides a substantial reduction in NOx formation (e.g., a reduction of more than 80% to more than 95% of NOx). Tests conducted also showed that using synthetic air helps provide approximately a 10% reduction in flame length compared to using ambient air as the oxidant. Our tests also indicated that changing the oxygen content in the synthetic air from 22 mol% to 28 mol% had no meaningful effect on the adiabatic flame temperature or flame length and emissions.

[0237] These experimental results are quite surprising. Higher NOx emissions are expected near the flame, where temperatures may rise, in an oxygen-rich atmosphere with a relatively large amount of nitrogen, compared to atmospheric combustion. While the thermal and chemical effects of water are known to help suppress NOx formation, the results of the tests conducted indicate that NOx emissions are significantly and surprisingly reduced using syngas, and such significant reductions can be provided across a wide range of N2, CO2, and water compositions within syngas. In fact, NOx emissions can be significantly reduced even in the absence of water or without steam injection.

[0238] Even though the N2 in synthesis air may be much lower than that in ambient air, it can still be in sufficient quantities for an O2-rich atmosphere to anticipate high NOx emissions near the flame, where temperatures may rise compared to atmospheric combustion. However, our experimental results surprisingly show that even when this type of N2 is present in synthesis air (even if the N2 content is lower than that in ambient or oxygen-rich air), low NOx emissions are achieved through combustion of fuels using synthesis air as an oxidant.

[0239] Over time, air entering the combustion unit 137 during operation can result in this condition. This can be due to seal wear and other factors. As a result of this condition, the implementation of our equipment and process may lead to a higher N2 content in the synthesis air over time, where the CO2-containing gas source for the synthesis air is recirculated flue gas 014 from the combustion unit 137 as a mixing unit for flue gas. While this is possible, it is still surprising to find that even after long periods of use, the N2 concentration of the synthesis air can be below 20 mol% after a substantially continuous period of operation, and still provides a reduction in NOx formation between 95% and 75% over the duration of operation. And as discussed above, such NOx reduction can also provide improved carbon capture. Furthermore, NOx reduction and improved CO2 recovery can be provided without incurring the additional costs or operational risks associated with catalytic reduction (e.g., the risk of ammonia leakage, as discussed above, is not required). Improved NOx reduction can be provided regardless of whether an advanced burner is used in the combustion unit 137.

[0240] Our process, equipment, and system implementation schemes can be adapted to different design standards. For example, it should be understood that other implementation schemes may utilize different types of conduit arrangements, fuel storage tanks or fuel pipelines, oxygen storage tanks or oxygen production process units, combustion unit arrangements, and / or fuel types (e.g., natural gas, oil, etc.).

[0241] It should also be understood that other modifications can be made to meet a specific set of criteria for different implementations of the equipment or process. For example, the arrangement of valves, pipes, and other conduit elements (e.g., conduit connection mechanisms, tubing, seals, etc.) used to interconnect different units of the equipment for fluid communication between different components (e.g., compressors, fans, blowers, dampers, valves, ducts, etc.) can be arranged to meet a specific equipment layout design that takes into account the available area of ​​the equipment, the equipment's set dimensions, and other design factors. As another example, the flow rate, pressure, and temperature of the fluid passing through various equipment or system components can vary to accommodate different design configurations and other design criteria.

[0242] As yet another example, implementations of the equipment and processes can each be configured to include process control elements positioned and configured to monitor and control operations (e.g., temperature and pressure sensors, analyzers, flow sensors, automated process control systems with at least one workstation including a processor, non-transitory memory, and at least one transceiver for communicating with the sensor elements, valves, dampers, controllers, and means for providing a user interface for the automated process control system, which may run on another computer device at the workstation and / or on the equipment, etc.). It should be understood that implementations can utilize distributed control systems (DCS) to implement one or more processes and / or also control the operation of equipment or processes.

[0243] As another example, specific features described individually or as part of an embodiment may be combined with other individually described features or as part of other embodiments. Therefore, elements and actions of the various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide additional embodiments. Thus, while certain exemplary embodiments of processes, apparatus, systems, and methods of manufacture and use thereof have been shown and described above, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be embodied and practiced differently in other ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for steam reforming, the apparatus comprising: A combustion device configured to use an oxidant to burn fuel in the combustion chamber of the combustion device to form flue gas, and to heat at least one reactant stream passing through the combustion device to form at least one reforming product stream for the production of hydrogen; A mixing device, positioned as a mixing part of receiving the flue gas from the combustion device, to mix with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form the oxidant, such that the oxidant comprises 20 mol% to 40 mol% oxygen (O2), 20 mol% to 80 mol% carbon dioxide (CO2), 0 mol% to 25 mol% nitrogen (N2), and 0 mol% to 40 mol% water; as well as A carbon capture system is configured to receive a carbon capture portion of the flue gas from the combustion device to recover CO2 and form at least one CO2 product stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one particulate removal device is provided, the particulate removal device being positioned upstream of the feed compression system of the carbon capture system to remove particulate matter from the carbon capture portion of the flue gas.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the carbon capture system is configured to output an oxidant forming feed stream to the mixing device for mixing with the mixing device portion of the flue gas and the oxygen to form the oxidant.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the carbon capture portion of the flue gas is a first portion of the flue gas, and the mixing portion of the flue gas includes a second portion of the flue gas, the mixing portion of the flue gas being between 30% and 90% of the flue gas, and the first portion of the flue gas being the remaining portion of the flue gas.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mixing device and the carbon capture system are positioned such that the second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas upstream of the cooler unit, the cooler unit being positioned between the location where the second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas and the cooler unit. and The carbon capture system includes a feed compression system configured to receive the first portion of the flue gas as the carbon capture portion of the flue gas from the cooler unit. The mixing device is positioned such that a third portion of the flue gas can be diverted from the first portion of the flue gas upstream of the feed compression system and downstream of the cooler unit for feeding the third portion of the flue gas into the mixing device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mixing device is positioned such that the second portion of the flue gas is mixed with the third portion of the flue gas to form the mixing device portion of the flue gas for feeding into the mixing device to form the oxidant.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the amount of flue gas in the third portion of the flue gas is adjustable to form the mixing device portion of the flue gas to adjust the temperature of the mixing device portion of the flue gas.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises: A hydrogen production system configured to receive the at least one reforming product stream to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream; The hydrogen production system has a carbon capture unit located upstream of a hydrogen recovery unit, the hydrogen recovery unit being configured to form the at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system is configured to recover CO2 from at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system and output at least one CO2 recovery stream.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the carbon capture unit of the hydrogen production system is positioned and configured to output the at least one CO2 recovery stream, thereby achieving one or more of the following: A portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream may be fed into the mixing device to form the oxidant. A portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream may be fed into a compression system to form a CO2 product stream, and / or A portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream may be fed into the exhaust stream that can be output from the hydrogen recovery unit, for mixing with the exhaust stream and feeding into the combustion chamber of the combustion device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO2 product stream comprises a first CO2 product stream, and the carbon capture system comprises a partial condensation unit configured to receive compressed flue gas from the compression system of the carbon capture system and output a first CO2-rich stream and a second CO2-rich stream, the first CO2-rich stream being output at a pressure higher than that of the second CO2-rich stream; The second CO2-rich stream can be fed into the first stage of the CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream, and the first CO2-rich stream can be fed into the second stage of the CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream, the first CO2 product stream having a CO2 content of 90 mol% CO2 to 100 mol% CO2.

11. A steam reforming process, the process comprising: An oxidant is formed having 20 mol% to 40 mol% oxygen (O2), 20 mol% to 80 mol% carbon dioxide (CO2), 0 mol% to 25 mol% nitrogen (N2), and 0 mol% to 40 mol% water. The oxidant is used in the combustion unit of a steam reformer to burn fuel to produce flue gas and heat at least one reactant stream to output at least one reforming product stream. A portion of the flue gas is fed to a mixing device to mix the portion of the flue gas with oxygen from at least one oxygen source to form the oxidant.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein the process comprises: The second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas, the mixing device portion of the flue gas includes the second portion of the flue gas, and the carbon capture portion of the flue gas includes the first portion of the flue gas; After the first portion of the flue gas passes through the cooler unit, the third portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas. The cooler unit is positioned between the location where the second portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas and the feed compression system of the carbon capture system. as well as The third portion of the flue gas and the first portion of the flue gas are fed into the mixing device as the mixing device portion of the flue gas to form the oxidant.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein feeding the third portion and the second portion of the flue gas into the mixing device comprises mixing the second portion of the flue gas with the third portion of the flue gas upstream of the mixing device to form the mixing device portion of the flue gas; and The third portion of the flue gas is diverted from the first portion of the flue gas to control the temperature of the mixing device portion of the flue gas, such that the mixing device portion of the flue gas has a pre-selected temperature within a pre-selected temperature range.

14. The process according to claim 11, wherein the process comprises: The at least one reforming product stream is fed into a hydrogen production system to form at least one hydrogen-rich product stream. The at least one reforming product stream is processed via a carbon capture unit located upstream of the hydrogen recovery unit to recover CO2 from the at least one reforming product stream received by the hydrogen production system and output at least one CO2 recovery stream. as well as One or more of the following: A portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream is fed into the mixing device to form the oxidant. A portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream is fed into a compression system to form a CO2 product stream, and / or A portion of the at least one CO2 recovery stream is fed into the exhaust stream that can be output from the hydrogen recovery unit, for mixing with the exhaust stream and feeding it into the combustion chamber of the combustion device.

15. The process according to claim 11, wherein the process comprises: The carbon capture portion of the flue gas is sent to a carbon capture system to form a first CO2-rich stream and a second CO2-rich stream, wherein the first CO2-rich stream can be output at a pressure higher than that of the second CO2-rich stream. as well as The second CO2-rich stream is fed into the first stage of the CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream, and the first CO2-rich stream is fed into the second stage of the CO2 product stream compression system to form the first CO2 product stream, the first CO2 product stream having a CO2 content between 90 mol% CO2 and 100 mol% CO2.

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