Importance

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Abstract

High yields of hydrogen of high purity are obtained from a methane-rich gas stream, such as natural gas, by a particular combination of operations wherein the methane-rich gas undergoes primary steam reforming under less severe operating conditions including lower steam to carbon ratio, supplemented by secondary reforming with oxygen, the obtained hydrogen is separated from accompanying carbon dioxide in the reformer effluent by a special five step pressure swing adsorption sequence having the steps of selective CO.sub.2 adsorption at superatmospheric pressure, rinsing with desorbed carbon dioxide, depressuring and then evacuating without additional rinsing, followed by repressuring the bed with part of the recovered pure hydrogen.

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First Claim