Appeal No. 1998-1273
Application No. 08/624,148
APPENDIX
1. A process for producing carbon monoxide which
comprises the steps of:
(a) reacting a feed stock comprising methane and water
in the presence of a steam methane reforming
catalyst at a temperature ranging from 700°C to
1000°C and a pressure ranging from 2 to 50
atmospheres to form a reformate comprising hydrogen,
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and unreacted
feedstock;
(b) removing water from the reformate to form a water-
depleted reformate and heating the water-depleted
reformate to a temperature ranging from 200° to
500°C to form a heated water-depleted reformate;
(c) introducing the heated water-depleted reformate into
a plurality of reactors operated isothermally in a
predetermined timed sequence and according to the
following steps which are performed in a cycle
within each reactor:
(1) reacting the heated water-depleted reformate at
a first pressure in a first reactor containing
an admixture of a water adsorbent and a water
gas shift catalyst under reaction conditions
sufficient to convert carbon dioxide and
hydrogen to carbon monoxide and to adsorb water
onto the adsorbent and withdrawing a CO-
enriched stream under a relatively constant flow
rate at the first pressure;
(2) countercurrently depressurizing the first
reactor to a second pressure by withdrawing a
mixture comprising unreacted feedstock, carbon
monoxide and water;
(3) countercurrently purging the first reactor at
the second pressure with a weakly adsorbing
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