The paper summarises alternatives for the conversion of liquid petroleum products of medium to high sulphur content into clean gaseous fuels. It compares the techniques used and the process economics applicable to the manufacture of lean gases and substitute natural gas from a range of liquid fuels, i.e. LPG, naphtha, middle distillates, fuel oil and crude oil. It concludes that whilst naphtha reforming for SNG production will be a first choice on grounds of lowest investment and gas service costs, the gasification of crude oil and fuel oil for lower calorific value fuel gases may also find wide application. In the longer term coal as a raw material, at least in the US, seems likely to replace both light and heavy liquid fuels.
Cette communication passe en revue les différentes possibilités envisageables pour la transformation de produits pétroliers liquides, à teneur en soufre élevée ou moyenne, en combustibles gazeux propres. Elle compare les technologies et l'économie des procédés utilisés pour la fabrication de gaz pauvres, de gaz de ville et de gaz naturel de substitution à partir de plusieurs combustibles liquides, les GPL, le naphta, les distillats moyens, les gas oils, le mazout et le pétrole brut. On conclut qu'en raisons des disponibilités, l'utilisation du pétrole brut augmentera, mais que la méthode la plus économique de gazéification est le reformage du naphta. A long terme, cependant, la houille remplacera comme matière première, au moins aux Etats-Unis, à la fois les fractions légères et les fuels lourds.
Liquid petroleum fuels by comparison with gaseous fuels have a number of drawbacks including a greater tendency towards incomplete combustion, cracking and carbon formation instead of complete combustion to gaseous products. Therefore, gaseous flames are more adjustable in size and shape than liquid fuel flames, and the minimum oxidant demand to ensure complete combustion is usually lower for gases. In addition, most gases are inherently "cleaner", i.e. contain less non-hydrocarbon material, specifically sulphur compounds, than liquid fuels, and any impurities can be easily and effectively removed by various processes. Furthermore, the chemical composition of gaseous fuels is simpler than that of liquid fuels.
Normally no more than four or five chemical species ~ ~ by W. L. LOM, formerly Senior ScientiJic Associate, Esso Research Centre, Abingdon, Oxon., England, and P. J. AGIUS, Director of Research, Esso Petroleum Company Ltd, London, S. W. 1, England will be present and it is thus much easier to react a petroleum gas to produce various petrochemicals than to produce chemical derivatives from liquid hydrocarbons. Finally gaseous fuels are more readily distributed by pipeline, even at low flow rates, to points of consumption.
Consequently, the purposes of gas