TWM491514U - Reactor scheme in andrussow process - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for the production of hydrogen cyanide comprises feeding a reaction mixture feed to a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum, wherein the reaction mixture feed comprises gaseous ammonia, methane, and oxygen gas, determining whether a percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors is at or below a threshold, identifying one or more suboptimal reactors amongst the plurality of primary reactors when the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors is at or below the threshold, and supplementally feeding the reaction mixture feed to one or more supplementary reactors when the one or more suboptimal reactors are identified, wherein each of the one or more supplementary reactors comprises a catalyst bed comprising platinum. The supplemental feeding can be performed in place of the feeding of the reaction mixture feed to the one or more suboptimal reactors or in addition to the feeding of the reaction mixture feed to the one or more suboptimal reactors. The overall process is sufficient to maintain an overall measured hydrogen cyanide production rate amongst the one or more supplementary reactors and the primary reactors that is within a desired overall hydrogen cyanide production rate range.

Description

Reactor mode in the ANDRUSSOW method

This creation is a reactor model for the Andrussow process for the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from methane, ammonia and oxygen.

The Andrussow process is used to generate hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from methane, ammonia and oxygen phases via platinum or platinum alloy catalysts. The filtered ammonia, natural gas, and air are fed to the reactor and heated to a temperature of from about 800 °C to about 2,500 °C in the presence of a catalyst comprising platinum or a platinum alloy. Methane can be supplied from natural gas, which can be further purified. Hydrocarbons having two carbons, three carbons or more may be present in the natural gas. Although air can be used as the source of oxygen, the reaction can also be carried out using oxygen-enriched air or undiluted oxygen (for example, oxygen Andrussow process). The heat from the reactor effluent can be recovered in one or more waste heat boilers that can also cool the reactor effluent to a desired temperature. The reactor off-gas containing HCN can be passed through an ammonia absorption process to remove unreacted ammonia. This can be achieved by contacting the ammonium phosphate solution, phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid to remove ammonia. The product off-gas can be passed from an ammonia absorber to an HCN absorber where cold water can be added to entrain the HCN. The HCN-water mixture can be passed to a cyanide stripper where the waste can be removed from the liquid. Alternatively, the HCN-water mixture can be passed through a fractionator to concentrate the HCN and then the product can be stored in a tank or used as a feedstock.

Many HCN production facilities incorporating the Andrussow process include a number of reactors operating in parallel to increase the overall productivity of HCN. During operation of the multi-reactor Andrussow system, the catalyst in one or more reactors may unpredictably start with sub-optimal conversion yields. For example, when the catalyst bed reaches the end of its life. One unpredictable one or more catalyst beds due to sub-optimal operation of one or more catalyst beds or due to accidental shutdown of one or more sub-reactors during full-load operation at the intended facility Good operation can result in sub-optimal conversion of reactants fed to the system and sub-optimal yields of HCN.

The suboptimal reactor not only allows the overall conversion and yield to be lower than the desired conversion or yield, but the suboptimal reactor can also result in inconsistent flow of HCN in the product stream of the subsequent purification and processing portions of the facility. concentration. Inconsistent flows and concentrations of HCN fed to the purification and processing system can result in inconsistent changes in the final productivity of the HCN product. Non-uniform operation can also result in less economical operations in downstream operations. Changes in the productivity or concentration of HCN can also cause quality problems. For example, changes in HCN productivity can result in changes in the productivity of downstream consumers.

Compared to the air Andrussow method, there are some additional difficulties encountered when using the oxygen-rich Andrussow method or the oxygen Andrussow method. In the air Andrussow process, the oxygen feed stream comprises air having an oxygen content of about 20.95 mol% oxygen. The oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process oxygen-containing feed stream has a greater oxygen content than air, for example from about 21 mol% oxygen to about 30 mol% oxygen (for the enriched oxygen-based Andrussow process) Or about 26 mol% oxygen to about 100 mol% oxygen (for the oxygen Andrussow process). For example, for higher concentrations of oxygen in the reactant feed, the process tends to proceed in a higher concentration such that the process can tend to produce higher concentrations of all products, including by-products. Therefore, the equipment in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process is more susceptible to the accumulation of impurities which can be more easily washed away from the system in the air Andrussow process. The oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process, compared to the air Andrussow process, results in greater by-product aggregation rates that can lead to equipment corrosion or more frequent shutdowns. In addition, due to the higher concentration of reagents and products in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process, the system may be more sensitive to changes in reagent concentration than the air Andrussow process. For example, local variations in reagent concentration can result in localized hot spots within the catalyst bed compared to the air Andrussow process, which can shorten catalyst life. The oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process is more sensitive to changes in the calorific value of the feed gas; therefore, small changes in the composition of the feed stream can cause temperature fluctuations in the reactor to be greater than for air. Similar to the composition of the feed stream observed in the Rousseau method. In addition, variations in the concentration or flow rate of reagents in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process may result in greater differences in overall efficiency of the process compared to the air Andrussow process.

Generating the respective states of HCN kind set forth in the following articles: Eric.L.Crump, USEnvironmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Economic Impact Analysis For the Proposed Cyanide Manufacturing NESHAP ( 2000), which is available at http ://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi? Dockey=P100AHG1.PDF is available online for the manufacture, end use and economic impact of HCN; NVTrusov, Effect of Sulfur Compounds and Higher Homologues of Methane on Hydrogen Cyanide Production by the Andrussow Method , Rus.J.of Applied Chemistry, Vol. 74, No. 10, pp. 1693-97 (2001), on the formation of HCN by the Andrussow method for the inevitable components of natural gas (such as higher homologs of sulfur and methane); Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Clean Development Mechanism Project Design Document Form (CDM PDD) , 3rd edition, (July 28, 2006), available at http:// Cdm.unfccc.int/Reference/PDDs_Forms/PDDs/PDD_form04_v03_2.pdf is available online for the production of HCN by the Andrussow method; and Gary R. Maxwell et al., Assuring process safety in the transfer of hydrogen cyanide manufacturing technology , J. of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 142, pp. 677-84 (2007), on the safety of HCN.

As mentioned above, problems with existing Andrussow systems can include one or more reactors This may result in the need to replace the catalyst unplannedly or frequently due to suboptimal conversions due to unexpectedly good catalyst activity. In addition, sub-optimal conversions due to poor catalyst activity can result in unexpected changes in the productivity of the entire Andrussow system. This work describes a system for the production of hydrogen cyanide which avoids or reduces the operation of the catalyst in one or more reactors in a multi-reactor Andrussow system with less than the desired activity or due to the old catalyst in the reactor. The suboptimal conversion rate effect of hydrogen cyanide caused by conversion to a new catalyst. The authoring system includes the use of a supplemental reactor in addition to the reactor required to achieve the maximum yield of equipment for operating the system at full reactor operation. After the sub-optimal operation of a particular reactor is detected, a supplemental reactor can be activated to replace or supplement the sub-optimal reactor. Thus, supplemental reactors can quickly solve suboptimal conversion problems and provide a more consistent and predictable hydrogen cyanide productivity via the Andrussow process.

This work describes the method of producing hydrogen cyanide. The method can include feeding the reaction mixture feed to a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy. The reaction mixture feed can include gaseous ammonia, methane, and oxygen. When the feed reaction mixture is fed, it can be determined whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of main reactors is at or below a threshold, and when any of the plurality of main reactors One or more sub-optimal reactors of the plurality of primary reactors may be identified when the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide is at or below a threshold. When one or more sub-optimal reactors are identified, the reaction mixture feed can be fed to one or more supplemental reactors, wherein each of the one or more supplemental reactors comprises A catalyst bed containing platinum or a platinum alloy. After the start of the supplementary feed, the feed of the reaction mixture fed to one or more sub-reactors can be interrupted. The assay, the supplemental feed, and the interruption may be sufficient to maintain the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in one or more of the supplemental reactors and the main reactor other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors. The overall measurement of hydrogen cyanide productivity.

This work also describes a process for producing hydrogen cyanide which comprises feeding a reaction mixture feed to a plurality of main reactors each comprising a catalyst bed containing platinum or a platinum alloy. The reaction mixture feed can include gaseous ammonia, methane, and oxygen. Measured when the feed reaction mixture is fed Whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors is at or below a threshold, and the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors At or below the threshold, one or more sub-reactors of the plurality of main reactors can be identified. The reaction mixture feed can be fed in a complementary manner to one or more complementary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed containing platinum or a platinum alloy. The supplemental feed may be sufficient to maintain the overall measured hydrogen cyanide productivity within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in one or more of the supplemental reactors and the plurality of main reactors.

This creation also describes the system used to generate hydrogen cyanide. The system can include a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are capable of providing a first hydrogen cyanide production rate; and one or more each comprising a platinum or platinum alloy A complementary reactor for the catalyst bed. The feed system can feed the reaction mixture to one or more reactors at a rate sufficient to provide a first hydrogen cyanide production rate, wherein the reaction mixture feed can include gaseous ammonia, methane, and oxygen. The control system can be configured to determine whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors is below a threshold, identifying one or more hydrogen cyanide having a threshold below a sub-optimal reactor of fractional yield, the initial reaction mixture is fed to a supplementary feed of one or more supplementary reactors, the feed to the reaction mixture fed to one or more sub-reactors is interrupted and The overall measured hydrogen cyanide productivity is maintained within a desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in a plurality of supplemental reactors and primary reactors other than one or more sub-optimal reactors.

The present invention also describes a system for producing hydrogen cyanide, which may include a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed containing platinum or a platinum alloy, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are capable of providing a first hydrogen cyanide production rate; And one or more complementary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy. The feed system can feed the reaction mixture to one or more reactors at a rate sufficient to provide a first hydrogen cyanide production rate, wherein the reaction mixture feed can include gaseous ammonia, methane, and oxygen. The control system can be configured to determine whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors is below a threshold, identifying a plurality of low One or more sub-optimal reactors in a primary reactor having a percent hydrogen cyanide yield, a supplementary feed of the initial reaction mixture to one or more supplementary reactors and in the plural The overall measured hydrogen cyanide productivity in the main reactor and one or more supplementary reactors maintained within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range.

These and other examples and features of the present authoring system and method are set forth in part in the following description. This written content is intended to provide an overview of the subject matter of the present invention and is not intended to provide an exhaustive or exclusive explanation. The following embodiments are incorporated to provide further information regarding the present authoring system and method.

2‧‧‧NH ₃ flow / liquid NH ₃ flow / NH ₃ feed flow

4‧‧‧CH ₄ stream / natural gas feed

6‧‧‧Oxygen-containing flow

10‧‧‧ An exemplary method for producing hydrogen cyanide (HCN) via the Andrussow process

12‧‧‧HCN Synthesis System

14‧‧‧Product stream

16‧‧‧Ammonia recovery system

18‧‧‧ Acid flow

20‧‧‧NH ₃ recycle stream

22‧‧‧ Wastewater flow

24‧‧‧NH ₃ stripping stream of HCN

26‧‧‧HCN recycling system

28‧‧‧ Purified HCN product stream

32‧‧‧ Wastewater flow

34‧‧‧Combined wastewater streams

36‧‧‧Ammonia Stripper

38‧‧‧Additional NH ₃

40A‧‧‧First Primary Reactor/Secondary Reactor

40B‧‧‧Normal Operational Primary Reactor

40C‧‧‧Normal Operational Primary Reactor

42A‧‧‧Tactile bed

42B‧‧‧Tactile bed

42C‧‧‧Tactile bed

44‧‧‧Complementary Reactor/Offline Reactor/Operative Primary Reactor

46‧‧‧Tactile bed

48‧‧‧Ammonia gasifier

50‧‧‧NH ₃ vapor stream

52‧‧‧NH ₃ superheater

54‧‧‧Overheated NH ₃ vapour

56‧‧‧ gas heater

58‧‧‧Compressor

60A‧‧ gas mixer

60B‧‧ gas mixer

60C‧‧‧ gas mixer

62‧‧‧ gas mixer

64A‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream

64B‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream

64C‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream

66‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream/supplementary reactor mixture feed stream

68A‧‧‧First main reactor inlet valve

68B‧‧‧Main inlet valve

68C‧‧‧Main inlet valve

70‧‧‧First Supplementary Reactor Inlet Valve

72A‧‧‧Main outlet valve / first outlet valve

72B‧‧‧Main outlet valve

72C‧‧‧Main outlet valve

74‧‧‧Complementary export valve

1 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of producing hydrogen cyanide via the Andrussow process.

2 flowchart of an example based hydrogen cyanide synthesis system may be incorporated as part of the method of FIG 1.

Synthesis of hydrogen cyanide by the Andrussow process (see, for example, Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Vol. 8, VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim, 1987, pp. 161-162) may be via the inclusion of platinum or platinum alloys or other gases in the gas phase. Metal catalyst implementation. The catalysts found to be suitable for the implementation of the Andrussow process are described and described in the original Andrussow patent as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 1,934,838. In the original work of Andrussow, it is disclosed that the catalyst can be selected from an oxidizing catalyst that does not melt (solid) at an operating temperature of about 1000 ° C; it incorporates platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium in pure form or as an alloy. Antimony, gold or silver acts as a catalytically active metal. It is also noted that certain barium metals, such as rare earth metals, cerium, uranium and others, may also be used, for example, in the form of infusible oxides or phosphates, and it is noted that the catalyst may be formed into a mesh (mesh) or deposited on Heat resistant solid support (such as vermiculite or alumina).

In subsequent research and development work, platinum-containing catalysts have been selected for their effectiveness and even the heat resistance of metals in the form of mesh or mesh. For example, a platinum-rhodium alloy can be used as the catalyst, which can be in the form of a wire mesh or mesh, such as a woven or knitted mesh sheet, or it can be placed on a carrier knot. Constructed. In an example, the woven or knitted mesh sheet can be formed into a mesh structure having a mesh size of 20-80, for example, having an opening of about 0.18 mm to about 0.85 mm. The catalyst may comprise from about 85 wt% to about 95 wt% Pt and from about 5 wt% to about 15 wt% Rh, such as 85/5 Pt/Rh, 90/10 or 95/5 Pt/Rh. The platinum-ruthenium catalyst may also contain small amounts of metallic impurities such as iron (Fe), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and other metals. The impurity metal may be present in trace amounts (e.g., about 10 ppm or less).

A possible embodiment of the wide range of the Andrussow process is described in German Patent 549,055. In one example, a catalyst comprising a plurality of fine-grained screens of 10% bismuth Pt arranged in series is used at a temperature of from about 800 °C to 2,500 °C, from 1,000 °C to 1,500 °C, or from about 980 °C to 1050 °C. For example, the catalyst may be a commercially available catalyst such as Pt-Rh catalyst mesh available from Johnson Matthey Plc, London, UK or Pt-Rh catalyst filament available from Heraeus Precious Metals GmbH & Co., Hanau, Germany. network.

This work describes a method and system for generating hydrogen cyanide via the Andrussow process. In various embodiments, the present method and system can be directed to a reactor mode of a multi-reactor Andrussow process wherein the chemical production equipment has, for example, a government-approved rated maximum productivity. When the primary reactor is all operated at the expected conversion and feed rates, a certain number of primary reactors may be sufficient to maintain the allowed productivity or desired productivity. The present method and system includes one or more supplemental reactors that can be used to replace a primary reactor that is implemented in a sub-optimal manner or that complements a primary reactor that is implemented in a sub-optimal manner. The primary reactor may be sub-optimal due to the sub-optimal performance of the catalyst operating less than the desired activity or due to the conversion of the old catalyst in the reactor to a new catalyst.

The method and system of the present invention uses one or more complementary reactors in addition to maintaining the maximum allowable yield of the apparatus when the reactor is operated at the expected conversion rate, as compared to the more conventional Andrussow process and system. More capital costs are needed. However, additional capital costs can provide more consistent productivity from multiple reactor systems. More consistent productivity provides more consistent operation of other parts of the Andrussow process (eg ammonia recovery, hydrogen cyanide purification and wastewater treatment, as described below) and can be hydrogen cyanide produced by the Andrussow process Downstream Consumers provide a more consistent operation. The use of one or more supplemental reactors also allows for scheduled maintenance rather than rushing to change catalysts, thereby reducing costs and extending system online time.

Compared with the air Andrussow method, the method and system of the present invention can be especially applied to the oxygen-rich Andrussow method or the oxygen Andrussow method. The air Andrussow process uses air as the oxygen-containing feed stream having about 20.95 mol% oxygen. The oxygen-rich Andrussow process uses an oxygen-containing feed stream having a greater oxygen content than found in air, for example, having from about 21 mol% oxygen to about 26 mol% oxygen, 27 mol% oxygen, 28 mol% oxygen, 29 mol% oxygen, or A feed stream to about 30 mol% oxygen (e.g., about 22 mol% oxygen, 23 mol% oxygen, 24 mol% oxygen, or about 25 mol% oxygen). The oxygen Andrussow process uses an oxygen-containing feed stream having about 26 mol% oxygen, 27 mol% oxygen, 28 mol% oxygen 29 mol% oxygen, or about 30 mol% oxygen to about 100 mol% oxygen. In some embodiments, the oxygen Andrussow process can use about 35 mol% oxygen, 40 mol% oxygen, 45 mol% oxygen, 50 mol% oxygen, 55 mol% oxygen, 60 mol% oxygen, 65 mol% oxygen, 70 mol% oxygen, 75 mol% oxygen An oxygen-containing feed stream of 80 mol% oxygen, 85 mol% oxygen, 90 mol% oxygen, 95 mol% oxygen, or about 100 mol% oxygen.

In various examples, an oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or an oxygen-containing feed stream in an oxygen Andrussow process having an oxygen-containing feed stream of less than 100 mol% oxygen can be generated by at least one of the following: The mixed air is combined with oxygen, mixed oxygen and any suitable gas or gas or one or more gases are removed from the oxygen containing gas composition (e.g., air).

The use of an oxygen-rich Andrussow process or an oxygen Andrussow process rather than an air Andrussow process has advantages. Advantageously, a greater proportion of hydrogen can be produced in the effluent stream by using the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process as compared to the air Andrussow process. In addition, in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process, there are fewer non-reactive materials or impurity materials in the oxygen-containing feed stream, which reduces the heating cost of the desired reagent prior to addition to the reactor. , thereby reducing the cost of energy sources. The oxygen-rich Andrussow method or the oxygen Andrussow method is also more compact than the air Andrussow method for producing equivalent amounts of HCN. (smaller).

However, the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process can have many problems not experienced in the air Andrussow process. In addition, as the oxygen concentration of the feed gas increases, the problem also increases. For example, reagents in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process are less diluted by other gases, such as inert gases. Therefore, the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process tends to proceed at a higher concentration than the air Andrussow process. Thus, the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process tends to produce higher concentrations of all products, including by-products. If a reactor must be taken offline to replace the catalyst bed, a larger concentration of product and a smaller reactor size can result in a greater reduction in system output than the air Andrussow process.

The higher concentration of the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process also makes it easier for the reactor and associated equipment to accumulate impurities in the system, which can be more easily used in the air Andrussow process. The equipment is washed away. Larger byproduct aggregation rates can result in increased corrosion rates and more frequent shutdowns and maintenance of various parts of the process. Equipment that can be significantly affected by by-product agglomeration, corrosion, and related problems include, for example, reactors, ammonia recovery systems, and HCN recovery systems. For example, the catalyst in the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process must generally be replaced more frequently than the catalyst in the air Andrussow process.

The oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process can also corrode or decompose more quickly than other components in the reactor. For example, the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process can support the catalyst bed or other parts of the reactor (such as heat exchanger tubes) in a faster configuration than the air Andrussow process. Made of ceramic material that is corroded or decomposed.

In addition, due to the higher concentration of reagents in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process, the sensitivity of the reaction to changes in reagent concentration can be higher than the air Andrussow process. Compared to the air Andrussow process, local variations in reagent concentration as the reagent passes through the catalyst can cause temperature fluctuations in the catalyst bed, such as hot spots, which can shorten catalyst life. Enriched oxygen The Rousseau method or the oxygen Andrussow method is more sensitive to changes in the calorific value of the feed gas; therefore, small variations in the composition of the feed stream can cause temperature fluctuations in the reactor to be greater than for the air Andrussow method. The composition of the stream is observed. Variations in the concentration or flow rate of the reagents in the oxygen-enriched Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process may also result in greater differences in the overall efficiency of the process compared to the air Andrussow process.

The heat transfer from the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process effluent can be more difficult than in the air Andrussow process, in part due to the higher concentration of effluent than for the air Andrussow method Observing, and cooling this concentrated effluent to the condensation point may increase the likelihood of by-product formation, which may not be observed if the effluent is lean.

In the enriched oxygen-based Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process, additional engineering controls or care can be taken to avoid problems associated with the use of pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched oxygen sources, resulting in the need for air The security program that is not used or required in the design and operation of the Andrussow method.

The systems and methods described herein provide a solution to these problems. For example, the use of one or more supplemental reactors may allow the system to better respond to the need for the reactor or reactor catalyst to be off-line, as described above, which occurs more frequently in oxygen-rich Andrussow Method or oxygen Andrussow method. The availability of one or more supplemental reactors can reduce or eliminate operational downtime of the system due to the faster catalytic converter conversion of the oxygen-rich Andrussow process and the oxygen Andrussow process.

The use of one or more supplemental reactors also allows the operator to more flexibly adjust the rate of all reactors, including supplemental reactors, sub-optimal reactors, and normally operated reactors. In some instances, this flexibility may allow an operator to cope with or resolve some of the problems associated with the oxygen-rich Andrussow process or the oxygen Andrussow process. For example, the feed rate or composition of the reaction mixture fed to one or more reactors can be controlled to account for the agglomeration of such by-products or impurities. In addition, when combined with the feed only to the main reactor, when together with the main reactor When one or more make-up reactors are used together, the feed rate of the reactant feed can be reduced. Therefore, the reactor can be operated under more efficient conditions.

As further explained below, the use of one or more supplemental reactors may also provide a more consistent composition of the effluent stream from the HCN synthesis portion of the system, for example, using one or more supplemental reactors to reduce or eliminate effluent streams. The composition of the change. This in turn can reduce compositional changes from subsequent systems of the process, such as ammonia recovery systems. More uniform operation can also provide a more economical operation of downstream systems, such as ammonia recovery systems. Since a portion of the recovered ammonia can be recycled back to the reactor, the use of one or more supplemental reactors can provide a more consistent concentration of reactants fed to the reactor. As noted above, variations in reagent concentration in the reactor can cause temperature fluctuations in the catalyst bed, resulting in hot spots. Thus, the use of one or more supplemental reactors can extend catalyst life and provide better control over problems that can occur with sources of feed that use pure oxygen or oxygen enrichment. A more consistent reagent concentration can also improve the overall efficiency of the system. A more uniform operation also balances the steam productivity from the waste heat boiler on the reactor effluent stream and simplifies steam management of the equipment. In other words, since the HCN system produces steam at a given rate more reliably, it may be unnecessary or less likely to start and shut down the dedicated steam generating boiler.

1 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method 10 of generating hydrogen cyanide (HCN) via the Andrussow process. In the method described in Example 10, ammonia is supplied to the HCN synthesis system 12 (NH ₃₎ flow 2, methane (CH ₄₎ 4 and the oxygen-containing stream 6 flow (including oxygen gas (O _2)). The three feed streams 2, 4, 6 are mixed and reacted in a plurality of reactors (described in more detail below) in the presence of a suitable catalyst according to reaction 1 to convert to hydrogen cyanide and water: 2 NH ₃ +2 CH ₄ +3 O ₂ → 2 HCN+6 H ₂ O [1].

May be obtained from a HCN synthesis system 12 of product stream 14 is fed to ammonia recovery system 16, the ammonia recovery system is configured to recover the unreacted NH _3. Ammonia can be recovered by contacting NH ₃ in contact with an acid stream 18 which can absorb NH ₃ from product stream 14 , which comprises one of phosphoric acid (H ₃ PO ₄ ), sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₄ ) and ammonium phosphate solutions. Or more. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the acid stream 18 added to the ammonia recovery system 16 to absorb NH _3. In the case of the solution of H ₃ PO _4, you may use one or more of the NH ₃ stripping column with H ₃ PO ₄ solution was separated from the resulting ammonium removal of ammonia. 20 may be recycled back so that NH ₃ HCN synthesis system via recycle stream 12 NH _3. Ammonia solution is recovered and other wastes can be recycled as waste or purge stream 22, while the NH ₃ stripping of HCN stream 24 may be fed to the HCN recovery system 26.

The ammonia absorber can have any suitable design and is generally reversible. The acid-rich sorbent liquid can enter the absorber column near the top and can flow downward. The absorber column can contain internal components that promote liquid-vapor contact. Examples of suitable internal components are taught in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Edition, Vol. 1, pp. 53-96 (John Wiley & Sons, 1978), and may include trays, plates, rings, and saddles. Things and so on. The ammonia-containing gas can enter the column near the bottom and flow upward, and if the adsorbent liquid is introduced near the top of the column, the ammonia-containing gas is reversely contacted with the liquid. Regulates the flow of gas and liquid to the absorber column to provide effective contact while avoiding spillage of the column (due to excessive liquid loading), entrainment of liquid in the ammonia-rich gas (due to excessive gas flow) or flow to the absorption tower Low gas absorption caused by insufficient gas flow. Those skilled in the art can select the length, diameter, and type of internal components based on the throughput and purity requirements of the ammonia recycle stream.

The ammonia absorption system can be formed using any suitable column configuration, including, for example, one column configuration or multiple column configurations. While a single column can provide the necessary contact time between the aqueous solution and the feed stream to effectively remove the desired amount of ammonia, it can sometimes be more convenient to use multiple columns instead of one. For example, building, placing, and maintaining tall towers or towers can be very expensive. Any description herein for an ammonia absorber can include any suitable number of columns that together form an ammonia absorber. The ammonia absorber can include an absorber unit and a stripper unit, such as (in the example of separating ammonia from the Andrussow process reaction effluent) HCN stripper unit. In this example, the absorber unit can extract ammonia from the feed stream using an aqueous solution. The aqueous solution entering the absorber unit can be an aqueous recycle stream from the desorber. The absorber allows separation of the feed stream from the aqueous solution at least to some extent. The absorber unit can contain separation from most of the ammonia The top stream of HCN can then enter the HCN recovery system. An aqueous solution which may contain residual feed stream material comprising HCN may then be passed to a stripper unit which may heat the aqueous solution. The stripper unit may allow separation of the aqueous solution from other materials, such as residual feed stream material including residual HCN, which may be more completely separated from the aqueous solution in the stripper unit. Ammonia absorption can also occur in the stripper unit. The top stream of the stripper unit, which may include residual HCN or other material, may be returned to the absorber unit, for example, with the feed stream. The bottom stream of the stripper unit can then enter the ammonia desorber.

HCN recovery system 26 may include one or more unit operations configured to separate and purify HCN from HCN stream 24 . As a result of the HCN recovery system 26 , a purified HCN product stream 28 is produced. HCN recovery system 26 may also generate waste water and waste gas 30 stream 32, stream 32 optionally wastewater and wastewater from the ammonia recovery system 16 of the stream 22 are combined into the combined waste stream 34. The combined waste water 34 may be fed to the ammonia stripper 36, the ammonia stripper 36 recoverable additional NH ₃ 38, NH ₃ 38 additionally may be recycled back to the ammonia recovery system 16. The final wastewater 40 from the ammonia stripper 36 can be further processed in a wastewater treatment, storage or disposal system.

2 is a more detailed flow diagram of an exemplary HCN synthesis system 12 that can be used in method 10 of FIG. HCN synthesis system 12 includes a plurality of primary reactors 40A, 40B and 40C (collectively referred to herein as the "primary reactor 40 (primary reactor 40 or the primary reactors 40)"), each comprising a catalytic bed 42A, 42B, 42C ( collectively referred to herein as "catalyst bed 42 (catalyst bed 42 or catalyst beds 42)"); and one or more catalyst beds comprising supplemental reactor 46 of 44.

Each of the catalyst beds 42, 46 comprises a catalytic material capable of catalyzing reaction 1, such as a catalyst comprising platinum (Pt) or a platinum alloy. In an example, the catalyst beds 42, 46 each comprise platinum and rhodium (Rh) catalysts, for example, a catalyst comprising from about 85 wt% to about 95 wt% Pt and from about 5 wt% to about 15 wt% Rh. The catalyst of the catalyst beds 42 , 46 may also contain small amounts of metallic impurities such as iron (Fe), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and other metals. The impurity metal may be present in trace amounts (e.g., about 10 ppm or less).

Catalyst beds 42, 46 may be formed on a carrier structure (e.g., a woven or knitted mesh sheet), a waved catalyst structure, or a supporting catalyst structure using a catalyst (e.g., the Pt-Rh catalyst described above). In an example, the woven or knitted mesh sheet can be formed into a mesh structure having a mesh size of 20-80, for example, having an opening of about 0.18 mm to about 0.85 mm. The amount of catalyst present in each of the catalyst beds 42 , 46 may depend on the feed rate of the reaction mixture fed to each respective reactor 40 , 44 . In the example, the mass of catalyst in each of the catalyst beds 42 , 46 is from about 0.4 g to about 0.6 g per unit of feed to the reaction mixture of reactors 40 , 44 (pounds per hour).

The catalysts of the catalyst beds 42 , 46 may be commercially available catalysts such as Pt-Rh catalyst mesh available from Johnson Matthey Plc, London, UK or Pt from Heraeus Precious Metals GmbH & Co., Hanau, GERMANY. -Rh catalyst mesh.

The HCN synthesis system 12 can be configured such that if the percent yield of HCN in either of the main reactors 40 is determined to be at or below a desired yield threshold, the reaction feed can be fed to one or more The supplemental reactor 44 is substituted for the sub-primary main reactor 40 or as a supplement to the sub-primary main reactor 40 . In an example, each of the plurality of primary reactors 40 has substantially the same geometry (eg, substantially the same size and substantially the same shape). Similarly, each of the one or more supplemental reactors 44 can also have substantially the same geometry as each of the primary reactors 40 such that one or more of the supplemental reactors 44 can be used as sub-optimal The reactor of the main reactor 40 is operated as a substitute. The supplemental reactor 44 can then be used as a primary reactor, and the off-line secondary reactor 40 can now be used as a supplemental reactor.

HCN synthesis system 12 may include each of the feed stream to be prepared at the desired conditions (e.g., NH ₃ flow 2, CH ₄ flow 4 and an oxygen-containing stream 6) to react and produce an effect a reaction in accordance with the operation of the HCN. For example, as a liquid feed stream of NH ₃ feed 2 may be gasified by ammonia of 48, 48 may be of ammonia liquid stream 2 NH ₃ NH ₃ vaporized into vapor stream 50. The NH ₃ vapor stream 50 can be further heated in the NH ₃ superheater 52 to form superheated NH ₃ vapor 54 .

The CH ₄ stream 4 can be in the form of a natural gas feed 4 . The composition of natural gas feed 4 can be a majority of CH ₄ and a small percentage of other hydrocarbons. In an example, the natural gas feed may be from about 4 to about 90wt% 97wt% CH _4, from about 3wt% to about 10wt% ethane (C ₂ H _6), from about 0 wt% to about 5wt% propane (C ₃ H ₈₎ From about 0% by weight to about 1% by weight of butane (C ₄ H ₁₀ in the form of isobutane, n-butane or a combination thereof) and traces of higher hydrocarbons and other gases. Natural gas feed 4 can also be purified to include a more pure source of methane. In an example, the purified natural gas feed 4 may comprise from about 99.9% CH ₄ and other hydrocarbons, less than about 0.1wt% of (mainly ethane). The natural gas feed 4 can be heated by a gas heater 56 .

The oxygen containing stream 6 can be pressurized using, for example, a compressor 58 . As described above, in an example, the oxygen-containing stream 6 can comprise an oxygen-enriched stream having, for example, at least 21 mol% oxygen to about 26 mol% oxygen, 27 mol% oxygen, 28 mol% oxygen, 29 mol% oxygen, or to about An oxygen content of 30 mol% oxygen (eg, about 22 mol% oxygen, 23 mol% oxygen, 24 mol% oxygen, or about 25 mol% oxygen); or an oxygen stream, for example, having from about 26 mol% oxygen to about 100 mol% oxygen (eg, about 35 mol%) Oxygen, 40 mol% oxygen, 45 mol% oxygen, 50 mol% oxygen, 55 mol% oxygen, 60 mol% oxygen, 65 mol% oxygen, 70 mol% oxygen, 75 mol% oxygen, 80 mol% oxygen, 85 mol% oxygen, 90 mol% oxygen, 95 mol% oxygen or An oxygen content of about 100 mol% oxygen.

The three feed streams 2, 4, 6 can, for example, be combined with a gas mixture. In an example, a gas mixture of 60A, 60B, 60C (collectively referred to as "gas mixer 60 (gas mixer 60 or gas mixers 60)" herein) to the reaction mixture feed stream 64A, 64B, 64C (herein collectively referred to as "reaction mixture feed stream 64 (reaction mixture feed stream 64 or a reaction mixture feed streams 64)") fed to each of the main reactor 40 and the gas mixer 62 to provide a reaction mixture feed stream 66 is fed to Supplementary reactor 44 . Each gas mixer 60, 62 may be independently controlled to control present in each reaction mixture feed stream of each reaction was 64,66 (NH _3, CH ₄ and O ₂₎ of the ratio. Mixers 60, 62 may be equipped with a separate, as shown in Figure 2, or may be a mixer (e.g.) by 40 and 44 become part of the reactor into another piece of equipment in the.

During normal operation of the oxygen Andrussow process, is fed to the reaction mixture feed stream 64, 66 may have from about 25mol% to about 40mol% CH _4, from about 30mol% to about 45mol% NH ₃ and about 20mol% Composition to about 45 mol% O ₂ (eg, from about 28.7 mol% to about 37.1 mol% O ₂ , from about 34.3 mol% to about 43.8 mol% NH ₃ and from about 25.6 mol% to about 30.7 mol% O ₂ ). In an example, the reaction mixture feed stream having about 64, 66 33.3mol% CH _4, and about 38.9mol% NH ₃ to about 27.8mol% O ₂ of the composition. During normal operation of the air or oxygen-enriched Andrussow process of the Andrussow process, is fed to the reaction mixture feed stream 64, 66 may have about 15-40vol% CH _4, about 15-45vol% NH ₄ and the composition of about 15-70 vol% air or oxygen-enriched air. The reaction mixture feed streams 64, 66 may also include traces of other reactive or non-reactive compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) and nitrogen (N ₂ ). In the example in oxygen Andrussow process, the reaction mixture feed stream 64, 66 comprises 0mol% to about 3mol% CO ₂ and 0mol% to about 2mol% N _2.

The HCN synthesis system 12 can be configured to determine whether one or more of the main reactors 40 are operating in suboptimal yields such that the percent yield of HCN in one or more of the main reactors is at or below a predetermined threshold. . This underperforming reactor 40 is referred to herein as a "secondary reactor." For the sake of brevity, the remainder of this work will set forth an example in which it is found that the first main reactor 40A operates at a predetermined threshold and thus the first main reactor 40A is referred to as "sub-optimal reactor 40A ." However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that within the meaning of the present teachings, any of the primary reactors 40A, 40B, 40C can be operated in suboptimal yields such that the primary reactors 40A, 40B, 40C Either can be a "second best reactor".

Several parameters can be used to determine if a particular reactor 40 is operating in a sub-optimal yield. Examples of parameters that may indicate that reactor 40A is operating in suboptimal yield may include, but are not limited to, a pressure drop across cross-catalyst bed 42A (where a greater pressure drop indicates a lower performance of the catalyst), reactor product gas The composition (which can be determined using a gas chromatograph or other compositional analysis device), the temperature of the catalyst bed 42A (where lower temperature indicates that the catalyst is less efficient), and the feed rate after the feed rate has been adjusted to maintain the desired yield. The ratio of the feed rate of the reaction mixture to a particular reactor to the feed rate to other reactors and the time of use of the catalyst in the catalyst bed 42A compared to the expected lifetime of the catalyst (ie, the catalyst has been operated time). In an example, an increase in the concentration of methane in the effluent stream from reactor 40A can trigger the discovery that reactor 40A operates in a sub-optimal manner, which is also referred to herein as "methane breakthrough." Methane breakthrough can be determined to occur when the methane concentration in the effluent of reactor 40A is greater than or equal to the threshold. In an example, the methane breakthrough threshold can be from about 0.4 mol% to about 1 mol%, such as about 0.6 mol%.

A reduction in the overall yield of all reactors 40 can also be used to indicate that one main reactor 40A is potentially operating in sub-optimal yields. In an example, (e.g., NH ₃ from the second feed stream to the HCN synthesis system 12 of the conversion of ammonia to HCN molar percentage of) the reactor 40A is determined whether a sub-optimal manner may yield ammonia. As indicated by Reaction 1 above, ideally, each NH ₃ fed to reactor 40 is converted to a molar HCN. Thus, each of the NH ₃ reactor 40 may be defined as the yield of the number of moles of HCN produced in the reactor 40 is fed to the reactor divided by the number of moles of the NH ₃ of 40. As described above, the self-recovery systems NH ₃ 16 recirculating a portion of the feed to the reactor is recycled back to the NH ₃ HCN synthesis system 12, such that a portion of the feed to each reactor of NH ₃ NH ₃ is recirculated . In an example, may be fed to the reactor based on the new NH2 40. ₃ (e.g., not including the ₃ recirculation NH2) assay The NH2 each reactor 40 ₃ yield. The initial reduction in overall yield can sometimes be remedied by adjusting the feed ratio between reactors 40 . This is usually a short-term solution, and eventually, the yield will continue to decline, sometimes falling more quickly, and ultimately cannot be improved by adjusting the feed ratio.

In an example, a reduction or expected yield reduction of from about 5% to about 10% may indicate that one main reactor 40 is operated in a sub-optimal yield. After the overall yield has been found to have decreased by this amount, each individual main reactor 40 can be studied to separate the sub-optimal reactor 40A from the other reactors 40B, 40C that are operable. Various parameters may be measured or determined, such as one or more pressure drops across each of the catalyst beds 42 , the temperature of each of the catalyst beds 42 , and the input and output composition of each reactor 40 . If the amount of the measured parameters or the like of the measurement indicates a primary reactor 40 (e.g., a first main reactor 40A) yield sub-optimal operation, the reactor 44 can be used alternatively supplementary suboptimal reactor 40A (as described below ). If the measurements and measurements of the parameters indicate that all of the main reactors 40 are operated in suboptimal yields, it can be inferred that some other aspect of the process other than the reactor 40 may operate improperly, as a result of all The main reactor 40 is simultaneously operating in the same manner in a sub-optimal manner.

As indicated above, the HCN synthesis system 12 includes at least one supplemental reactor 44 that can be used if one or more of the main reactors 40 are determined to operate at a percent yield less than the minimum desired threshold. 44 to supplement the main reactor 40 . To facilitate application of one or more of the complementary reactor 44, HCN synthesis system 12 may include a plurality of main inlet valves 68A, 68B, 68C (collectively referred to as "primary inlet valve 68 herein (primary inlet valve 68 or the primary inlet valves 68 ")), if the corresponding main reactor 40 the yield was determined to be sub-optimal operation, each such primary inlet valve can be controlled to reduce or shut off the corresponding main feed to the reactor 40. the reaction mixture feed stream 64 . A supplemental inlet valve 70 may be included to open the supplemental reactor mixture feed stream 66 to the supplemental reactor 44 . HCN synthesis system 12 also includes a plurality of primary reactors each corresponding to a main outlet 40 of the valve 72A, 72B, 72C (collectively referred to herein as "main outlet valve 72 (primary outlet valve 72 or the primary outlet valves 72)") And a supplementary outlet valve 74 . The outlet valves 72, 74 can be operated such that off-line reactors 40 , 44 and product stream 14 can be separated.

HCN synthesis system 12 may include a control system 76, control system 76 may control each reaction mixture feed stream flow rate which corresponds to 64, 66 40 and 44 of the reactor. For example, if the first reactor 40A is determined to operate in a sub-optimal yield, the control system 76 can reduce or stop the reaction mixture feed stream 64A fed to the first main reactor 40A . Control system 76 may also initiate the feed of feed mixture feed stream 66 to supplemental reactor 44 . If desired, control system 76 can control mixers 60, 62 to control the composition of each of the reaction mixture feed streams 64 , 66 fed to each of the reactors 40 , 44 . In an example, the control system can control the mixer 60 , 62 , the main inlet valve 68 , the supplemental inlet valve 70 , the main outlet valve 72, and the supplemental outlet valve 74 to allow or prevent the desired combination of the reaction mixture entering the reactors 40 , 44 . in. Valve 68,70,72,74 may be controlled by the control system 76, via a control system 76 configured to by (e.g.) to open the inlet valve 70 Supplementary outlet valve 74 and complementary to the initial reaction mixture was added to reaction Feeding of the unit 44 and interrupting the feed of the reaction mixture to one or more sub-primary reactors 40 by, for example, closing a main inlet valve 68 and a corresponding main outlet valve 72 . The control system 76 and the valve 68,70,72,74 may be configured so that the valve 68,70,72,74 is movable between an open position and a closed position. Alternatively, control system 76 and each valve 68, 70, 72 , 74 can be configured to be movable between one or more intermediate positions other than the open and closed positions to cause one or more valves 68, 70 72, 74 may also control the flow rate through valves 68, 70 , 72, 74 to separate the flow of the reaction mixture between the particular primary reactor 40 and the supplemental reactor 44 .

The control system 76 may also be configured to determine by any one of the primary reactors 40 percent yield of HCN is below the threshold value or recognition seq main reactor operating good yield of 40 percent. Control system 76 may also maintain overall HCN productivity of remaining main reactor 40 and one or more supplemental reactors 44 within a desired overall HCN productivity range. Control system 76 is set forth in greater detail below.

For example, if the first primary reactor 40A is determined to operate at a sub-optimal level (e.g., because the catalyst bed 42A is operated at a suboptimal conversion rate) and it is desired to replace the suboptimal first primary reactor 40A with the supplemental reactor 44 , then the reaction The reaction mixture in mixture feed stream 64A can be diverted via first bypass line 66A by closing first main reactor inlet valve 68A and opening supplemental reactor inlet valve 70 . If it is desired to supplement the first main reactor 40A with the supplemental reactor 44 , a portion of the reaction mixture can be partially closed by first closing the first main reactor inlet valve 68A and partially opening the first supplementary reactor inlet valve 70A. Main reactor 40A is diverted to supplemental reactor 44 . In an example, the reaction mixture feed streams 64, 66 can be controlled for feeding to any combination of the main reactor 40 and one or more supplemental reactors 44 , and in some instances utilizing any combination of feed rates To completely replenish any suboptimal primary reactor 40 to provide overall HCN productivity over the desired overall HCN productivity range.

In an example, the sub-optimal reactor 40A can first shut off the oxygen fed to the reactor 40A from the air feed stream 6 (eg, by closing the valve from the air feed 6 to the mixer 60A or reactor 40A ). Come off. After stopping the flow of oxygen, turn off in the remaining reactant feed stream may be by other reactant (e.g., NH ₃ stream and the methane stream 4 2) The reactor was purged 40A 2 and 4 before the predetermined period of time. NH ₃ is stopped and the feed stream 2 feed stream the methane or any reaction product was discharged after 4, effluent from the reactor may be of 40A was delivered to the combustor (FLARE) to burn off undesirable. The reactor 40A can then be flushed with an inert gas stream, such as nitrogen.

After determining that one or more of the primary reactors are sub-optimal reactors 40A , a conversion procedure can be initiated to initiate operation of the supplemental reactors 44 and shut down the operation of the sub-optimal reactors 40A . The initial step in the conversion procedure can be to initiate the supplemental reactor 44, for example, by opening the supplemental inlet valve 70 and/or the supplemental outlet valve 74 . The flow rate of the reaction mixture to the supplemental reactor 44 can be controlled during startup and initial operation of the supplemental reactor.

In an example, before starting the supplemental reactor 44 does not activate the catalyst in the catalytic reactor 46 complementary of the bed 44. Thus, in an example, the catalyst bed 46 can be activated immediately prior to initiation of the supplemental reactor 44 . Activation of the catalyst bed 46 can include first starting the reactor, which can take from 0 hours to about 6 hours or more, after which a supplemental reactor 44 having a different reaction mixture than the final reaction mixture is run. In an example, the activation of the reaction mixture was compared with the final reaction mixture may have a low amount of CH _4. When the reaction mixture with a low -CH ₄ feeder reactor 44, after the catalyst bed 46 is activated, the reactor 44 may be operated with respect to the normal 44 of the reactor is operated at elevated temperatures. The supplemental reactor 44 can be operated at this elevated temperature for about 8 hours to about 10 days to fully activate the catalyst bed 46 and allow the reactor 44 to operate at full capacity. After activation of the catalyst bed 46 , the ratio of the reaction mixture can be changed to the normal reactant ratio, and the feed rate to the supplemental reactor 44 can be over a period of time (eg, from about 12 hours to about 4 days). gradually increase.

After the supplementary reactor 44 is activated, the flow rate of the reaction mixture to the sub-optimal reactor 40A can be lowered or turned off. The output rates of all reactors (e.g., all primary reactors 40 (including sub-optimal reactors 40A ) and supplemental reactors 44 ) can be monitored and the reaction mixture can be adjusted to feed to sub-optimal reactor 40A and supplemental reactor 44. The flow rate is maintained to maintain the desired output of the overall method 10 . For example, the flow rate to the replenishing reactor 44 can be maintained at a minimum rate for a predetermined period to minimize the effects on downstream operations in the ammonia recovery system 16 and the HCN recovery system 26 . Depending on the overall yield, both the sub-optimal reactor 40A and the supplemental reactor 44 can be operated with the reaction mixture for a period of time prior to completely shutting down the sub-reactor 40A .

In some examples, the supplemental reactor 44 can only be used to expand the sub-optimal reactor 40A such that all of the main reactor 40 (including the sub-optimal reactor 40A) and the supplemental reactor 44 can be operated indefinitely until ( For example) a planned shutdown can be initiated. In an example, sub-optimal reactor 40A and supplemental reactor 44 can be operated simultaneously for several days up to several weeks. The length of time during which the sub-optimal reactor 40A and the supplemental reactor 44 are operated simultaneously can depend primarily on the particular circumstances and conditions.

During the transition from sub-optimal reactor 40A to supplemental reactor 44 , there may be a period of time during which the overall productivity of HCN from process 10 may vary. For example, when starting the supplemental reactor 44 and reducing or shutting down the reaction mixture to the feed rate of the sub-reactor 40A , the overall productivity of HCN from all of the main reactor 40 and the supplemental reactor 44 can be about 10%. Up to about 20% change, where productivity increases or decreases. This change can continue to occur when adjusting the feed rate to each of the primary reactor 40 and the supplemental reactor 44 and, if desired, when shutting down the sub-reactor 40A . In an example, the change in productivity during the conversion can last for a fraction (eg, 5-10 minutes) to about 6 hours or more until the feed rate and other operating parameters are adjusted and the overall productivity can be stabilized.

After the sub-reactor 40A has been shut down, the spent catalyst bed 42A can be replaced and the new catalyst bed 42A can be activated to make the sub-optimal reactor 40A ready for use as a new supplemental reactor. In other words, the normal operative main reactors 40B and 40C and the newly operated supplemental reactor 44 can be used as the main reactor, and the sub-optimal reactor 40A with the newly activated catalyst bed 42A can be used as a supplementary reaction. The device is replaced when one of the operative main reactors 40B, 40C, 44 begins to operate in sub-optimal yields.

Suboptimal catalyst bed reactor of 40A 42A may be separated by first reactor 40A and the second best system (e.g. by closing the first inlet valve 68A and / or the first outlet valve 72A) is removed. After division suboptimal reactor 40A, the reaction stream may be fed to continue the suboptimal reactor 40A, after cutting off oxygen (air), while NH ₃ and CH ₄ flow to maintain a predetermined period, for example from about 10 minutes to about 15 minute. It may then be stopped and CH ₄ NH ₃ stream and can be non-reactive gas (e.g. nitrogen (N ₂₎₎ the suboptimal reactor 40A rinse predetermined period, for example about 15 minutes. The sub-reactor 40A can be cooled, if desired, the reactor 40A can be opened and the spent catalyst bed 42A can be removed. A new catalyst bed 42A can be installed in reactor 40A such that it can be prepared for use as a supplemental reactor, as described above.

Instance

This creation is better understood by reference to the following examples which are provided by way of example. This creation is not limited to the examples given herein.

Comparison example 1 - normal operation

Pilot scale testing was conducted using a 4 inch inner diameter stainless steel reactor with a ceramic thermal insulation lining. A 40 wt% Pt/10 wt% Rh 40 mesh screen from Johnson Matthey (USA) was loaded as a catalyst bed. The catalyst sheets were supported using perforated alumina tiles. Set the total flow rate to 2532 SCFH (standard cubic per hour). In a simulated manufacturing sequence, three reactors were used in the Andrussow reaction facility to form hydrogen cyanide from a reaction mixture of about 34 mol% methane, about 37 mol% ammonia, and about 27 mol% oxygen in the presence of platinum or platinum alloy catalyst. . The gaseous product stream from the reactor contains about 17mol% hydrogen cyanide, about 6mol% of unreacted ammonia, hydrogen about 35mol%, about 6mol% CO and about 34mol% H ₂ O, wherein an overall yield based on the reaction of hydrogen cyanide The NH ₃ is about 82% (in moles).

The performance of the reactor was monitored by measuring the overall yield of hydrogen cyanide. When reducing the overall yield of about 3% (e.g., reduced to about 79% based on the reaction of NH ₃ (in molar terms)), can be assumed by one of the three reactors yield sub-optimal operation. The reactor operating in suboptimal yield can be determined by measuring at least one of: the pressure drop across the catalyst bed of each reactor, the temperature of each reactor bed, and the inlet to each reactor and Export composition. The sub-reactor can be shut down until the catalyst bed can be replaced and the new catalyst bed can be activated. During this time, facility will continue to operate with only two reactors so that the facility of about 2/3 (67%) of the desired capacity and overall yield of the operation based on the reaction of NH ₃ was about 82% (by mole basis).

Example 2 - Supplementary Reactor Replacement Suboptimal Primary Reactor

Pilot scale testing was conducted using a 4 inch inner diameter stainless steel reactor with a ceramic thermal insulation lining. A 40 wt% Pt/10 wt% Rh 40 mesh screen from Johnson Matthey (USA) was loaded as a catalyst bed. The catalyst sheets were supported using perforated alumina tiles. Set the total flow rate to 2532 SCFH (standard cubic per hour). Hydrogen cyanide was produced in a manufacturing sequence from three main reactors similar to those described in Comparative Example 1. The facility of Example 2 also included a supplemental reactor. The performance of the main reactor was monitored by measuring the overall yield of hydrogen cyanide. In this example the lower limit of the optimum yield based on NH ₃ 3% below normal. One of the three main reactors was tested to have a sub-optimal gaseous product stream comprising greater than 0.6 mol% unreacted methane. The gaseous product stream from the sub-optimal reactor can result in a 10% reduction in hydrogen cyanide and a 10% reduction in unreacted ammonia, resulting in a reduction in the yield of that particular reactor by about 10% based on the NH ₃ of the reaction (in moles). . The suboptimal reactor reduced the overall yield of the three reactors by about 3%. Determining the suboptimal performance of one reactor by measuring at least one of the following: not the other aspect of the facility: pressure drop across the catalyst bed of each main reactor, touch of each main reactor The temperature of the media bed and the inlet and outlet of each main reactor.

The supplemental reactor is initiated by feeding the reaction mixture feed to a supplemental reactor at a minimum feed rate to activate the catalyst of the supplemental reactor. During the initial period (e.g., from about 6 hours to about 24 hours, such as about 8 hours), the reaction mixture fed to the make-up reactor may have a different composition than the reaction mixture fed to the main reactor. For example, in Kai The reaction mixture fed to the make-up reactor during the activation of the catalyst and the catalyst may be about 4% or more of methane, about 3% or less of ammonia, and about 1% or less of oxygen. Even after this initial period, when the same feed composition as the main reactor can be fed to the replenishing reactor, the feed rate and composition fed to the replenishing reactor can be adjusted for about 2 days to about After 10 days, the supplemental reactor can then be operated at full load.

After activation of the make-up reactor catalyst, the sub-primary reactor is shut down by stopping the feed to the reaction mixture fed to the sub-primary reactor. During the initiation of the supplemental reactor and the shutdown of the supplemental reactor, the feed rates of both the fed and sub-reactors of the feed can be adjusted to minimize downstream effects on the remainder of the facility. After shutting down, the catalyst in the sub-reactor can be changed. The overall productivity of the HCN can be maintained within about 10% of the expected overall productivity during the transition to the supplemental reactor while the supplemental reactor is online and the sub-reactor is off-line, and can be compared after conversion. The overall productivity can be restored to a desired capacity of up to 100% in Example 1 compared to the 67% expected capacity achieved during the shutdown of the sub-optimal reactor. After the conversion, the overall yield of the reactor based on the supplemental reaction of NH ₃ smaller than the optimum main reactor to about 5%.

Example 3 - Complementary reactor and sub-primary main reactor operate simultaneously

Pilot scale testing was conducted using a 4 inch inner diameter stainless steel reactor with a ceramic thermal insulation lining. A 40 wt% Pt/10 wt% Rh 40 mesh screen from Johnson Matthey (USA) was loaded as a catalyst bed. The catalyst sheets were supported using perforated alumina tiles. Set the total flow rate to 2532 SCFH (standard cubic per hour). In a manufacturing sequence, similar to the configuration described in Example 2, the hydrogen cyanide production facility includes three main reactors and one supplementary reactor. The performance of the main reactor was monitored by measuring the overall yield of hydrogen cyanide. In this example the lower limit of the optimum yield based on NH ₃ 3% below normal. One of the three main reactors was tested to have a sub-optimal gaseous product stream comprising greater than 0.6 mol% unreacted methane. The gaseous product stream from the reactor may be sub-optimal results in reduced hydrogen cyanide and unreacted ammonia 10% reduction of 10%, resulting in a yield based on the particular reactor NH ₃ reduction of about 10%. The suboptimal reactor reduced the overall yield of the three reactors by about 3%. Confirming one of the reactors against the facility by measuring the pressure drop across the catalyst bed of each primary reactor, the temperature of the catalyst bed of each primary reactor, and the inlet and outlet composition of each primary reactor The second best performance of other aspects. For example, a pressure drop across the main reactor that is equal to or greater than 110% across the normal operating primary reactor may indicate that the higher pressure drop reactor is operated in a sub-optimal manner.

The supplemental reactor is initiated by feeding the reaction mixture feed to a supplemental reactor at a minimum feed rate to activate the catalyst of the supplemental reactor. During the initial period (e.g., from about 6 hours to about 24 hours, such as about 8 hours), the reaction mixture fed to the make-up reactor may have a different composition than the reaction mixture fed to the main reactor. For example, the reaction mixture fed to the make-up reactor during startup and catalyst activation can be about 4% or more methane, about 3% or less ammonia, and about 1% or less oxygen. Even after this initial period, when the same feed composition as the main reactor can be fed to the replenishing reactor, the feed rate and composition fed to the replenishing reactor can be adjusted for about 2 days to about After 10 days, the supplemental reactor can then be operated at full load. The feed rate to the sub-optimal reactor is also reduced to the lowest feed rate. After activation of the supplemental reactor catalyst, the feed rate to the supplemental reactor, the sub-primary primary reactor, and the normal operating main reactor is adjusted to optimize overall HCN productivity and overall yield of HCN. The composition of the reaction mixture fed to each type of reactor can also be adjusted.

While the supplemental reactor and the sub-optimal reactor are operating simultaneously, the overall productivity of the HCN can be maintained within about 10% of the desired overall productivity during the activation of the supplemental reactor and activation of the catalyst in the supplemental reactor. After conversion, the overall productivity can be about 100% of the desired capacity compared to the 67% expected capacity that can be achieved during the shut down sub-reactor in Comparative Example 1.

When suboptimal reactor produces sustained reduction of the yield of HCN slowly to the reaction mixture to increase the feed rate of the supplemental reactor to maintain the overall yield based on the reaction of NH ₃ in the normal yield of about 3%. After the reaction was increased to NH ₃ of the best primary reactor within about 5% based on the sub-optimal reactor offline for catalyst replacement or other maintenance of the yield of the complementary reactor.

The above embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more of the elements thereof) can be used in combination with each other. For example, those skilled in the art can use other embodiments after reviewing the above description. In addition, various features or elements may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be construed as an undisclosed feature that is not essential to any technical solution. Rather, the inventive subject matter may be less than all features of the particular disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the following claims is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety herein The scope of the present invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the scope of the claims.

In the event of any inconsistency between this document and any document incorporated by reference, the use of this document will prevail.

In this document, as commonly found in patent documents, the term "a" or "an" is used to include one or more, and is independent of any of the "at least one" or "one or more". Or use. In this document, the term "or" is used to indicate non-exclusiveness, or "A or B" includes "A but not B", "B but not A" and "A and B" unless otherwise indicated. In this document, the terms "including" and "in which" are used in the plain English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein". Also, in the scope of the claims below, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, include elements other than those listed after the term in the technical solution. Systems, devices, articles, compositions, formulations or methods are still considered to fall within the scope of the technical solution. Moreover, in the scope of the following claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," and the like are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on the subject.

Examples of methods described herein can be implemented at least in part for a machine or computer. Some examples may include a computer readable medium or machine readable medium encoded with instructions, which may be The operation is to configure the electronic device to implement the method or method steps as described in the above examples. Implementations of such methods or method steps can include code, such as microcode, combined language code, higher order language code, or the like. This code can include computer readable instructions for implementing various methods. This code forms part of a computer program product. Moreover, in an example, such as during execution or at other times, the code may be tangibly stored on one or more volatile, non-transitory or non-volatile tangible computer readable media. Examples of such tangible computer readable media may include, but are not limited to, hard disks, removable disks, removable optical disks (eg, compressed disks and digital video disks), magnetic tape cartridges, memory cards, or memories. Bars, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and the like.

This abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b), allowing the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the present disclosure. The Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it is not intended to limit or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The exemplifications set forth below are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. These recited statements encompass all combinations, sub-combinations, and multi-layered (e.g., multi-layered) combinations described therein.

statement

Statement 1 provides a method of producing hydrogen cyanide, the method comprising: feeding a reaction mixture to a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy, the reaction mixture comprising gaseous ammonia, methane And oxygen; determining whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors is at or below a threshold; Identifying one or more sub-optimal reactors of the plurality of primary reactors when the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors is at or below the threshold; When the one or more sub-optimal reactors are identified, the reaction mixture feed is replenished to one or more supplemental reactors, wherein each of the one or more complementary reactors Each comprising a catalyst bed containing platinum or a platinum alloy; after initiating the supplementary feed, interrupting the feed of the reaction mixture fed to the one or more sub-reactors; wherein the determination, the supplemental advancement Giving the interruption sufficient to maintain the overall amount of cyanide in the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in the one or more supplementary reactors and the main reactors other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors Hydrogen production rate.

Statement 2 provides the method of claim 1, wherein the determining, the supplemental feeding, and the interrupting are sufficient for the primary reaction in the one or more complementary reactors and in addition to the one or more sub-optimal reactors The overall measurement of the percent hydrogen cyanide yield is maintained in the desired overall percent hydrogen cyanide yield range.

The method of any one of statements 1 or 2, wherein the identifying the one or more sub-optimal reactors comprises at least one of: determining an outflow from each of the plurality of main reactors a composition of the substance, determining an ammonia yield of each of the plurality of main reactors, determining a yield of hydrogen cyanide of each of the plurality of main reactors, and measuring across the plurality of main reactors The pressure drop of each of them.

Statement 4 provides the method of claim 3, wherein determining the composition of the effluent comprises determining a methane concentration of the effluent of each of the plurality of primary reactors, wherein the identifying the one or more primary reactors comprises The methane concentration of the effluent is determined to be equal to or greater than the methane breakthrough threshold.

Statement 5 provides the method of claim 4, wherein the methane breakthrough threshold is from 0.4 mol% to 1 mol% methane.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising monitoring the complex The percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in each of the plurality of primary reactors, each of the one or more complementary reactors, or a combination thereof.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 6, wherein the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors or any of the complementary reactors is determined. Whether at or below the threshold comprises comparing the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide of each of the primary reactors or the supplemental reactors to the threshold.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 7, wherein the main reactor is capable of operating at a percent yield of hydrogen cyanide greater than or equal to the threshold, each of the main reactors Provide the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity.

Statement 9 provides the method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of primary reactors, when combined with the one or more supplementary reactors, are capable of interrupting the reaction mixture fed to the one or more sub-optimal reactors At least the desired hydrogen cyanide productivity is provided after the feed.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 9, further comprising maintaining the feed to the one or more after interrupting the feed of the reaction mixture fed to the one or more sub-optimal reactors The reaction mixture of the main reactors other than the sub-optimal reactor is fed.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 10, further comprising activating the one or more complementary reactors after identifying the one or more sub-optimal reactors in the plurality of main reactors Each of them is a catalyst bed.

Statement 12 provides the method of claim 11, wherein the feeding of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors occurs after activation of the catalyst bed of the one or more supplementary reactors.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: replacing the one or the replacement of the reaction mixture with the replacement catalyst bed after the feed of the reaction mixture to the one or more sub-reactors is interrupted The catalyst bed of each of the plurality of sub-reactors to produce one or more reconditioned reactors; and feeding the reaction mixture feed to the one or more reconditioned reactors.

Statement 14 provides the method of claim 13, further comprising activating each of the one or more reconditioned reactors prior to feeding the one portion of the reaction mixture feed to the one or more reformed reactors The replacement of the catalyst bed.

The method of any one of statements 13 to 14, wherein the feed of the reaction mixture fed to the one or more reformed reactors comprises the reaction of feeding to the one or more supplementary reactors Feeding.

The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of interrupting the reaction to the one or more supplementary reactors after the feed of the reaction mixture is initially fed to the one or more reformed reactors. The mixture is fed.

The method of any one of claims 13 to 16, further comprising maintaining the feed to the one or more refurbished after the feed of the reaction mixture is fed to the one or more reformed reactors The reaction mixture of the reactor and the one or more supplementary reactors is fed.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 17, further comprising controlling the primary reactor and the one or more supplementary reactors other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors at the one The overall measured hydrogen cyanide production rate is maintained within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range of the plurality of supplemental reactors and the primary reactors other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein feeding the reaction mixture to a plurality of main reactors comprises feeding the reaction mixture and advancing to the plurality of main reactors Each.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the feeding of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors comprises feeding in parallel to the plurality of main reactors The reaction mixture of the main reactors other than the first main reactor is fed to feed the reaction mixture.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the reaction mixture is The material contains oxygen-enriched air.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 21, further comprising recovering hydrogen from one or more of the primary reactors and the effluent of the one or more supplementary reactors.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the primary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

The method of any one of statements 1 to 23, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the one or more complementary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

Statement 25 provides a system for producing hydrogen cyanide, the system comprising: a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are capable of providing a first hydrogen cyanide production rate; a plurality of supplemental reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy; a feed system for feeding the reaction mixture feed to one or more at a rate sufficient to provide the first hydrogen cyanide productivity a reactor, the reaction mixture feed comprising gaseous ammonia, methane and oxygen; a control system configured to: determine whether a percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors is lower than a limit, identifying one or more sub-optimal reactors having a percent hydrogen cyanide yield below a threshold, initiating a supplementary feed of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors Reversing the feed of the reaction mixture to the one or more sub-reactors, and the one or more replenishing reactors and the main reactors other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors Maintaining the expected overall hydrogen cyanide productivity The overall amount of measured hydrogen cyanide production.

Statement 26 provides the system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are associated with the one or The plurality of supplemental reactors, when combined, are capable of providing a second hydrogen cyanide production rate greater than the first hydrogen cyanide production rate.

The system of any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein the control system is further configured to, after interrupting feeding the reaction mixture to the first main reactor of the plurality of main reactors, The feed of the reaction mixture fed to the main reactors other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors is maintained.

The system of any one of statements 25 to 27, wherein the control system is further configured to determine whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide of the one or more sub-optimal reactors is at or below After the threshold, activation of the catalyst bed for the one or more supplemental reactors is initiated.

The system of any one of statements 25 to 28, wherein the control system is further configured to monitor each of the plurality of primary reactors, each of the one or more complementary reactors Percentage of hydrogen cyanide in the combination or combination thereof.

The system of any one of statements 25 to 29, wherein the control system is further configured to compare each of the plurality of primary reactors or each of the one or more complementary reactors The percent yield of hydrogen cyanide is the same as the threshold.

The invention provides a system according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein the reaction mixture feed comprises oxygen-enriched air.

The invention provides the system of any one of statements 25 to 31, further comprising a hydrogen recovery system for one or more of the primary reactors and the one or more complementary reactors The effluent recovers hydrogen.

The system of any one of claims 25 to 32, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the primary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

The system of any one of claims 25 to 33, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the one or more complementary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

Statement 35 provides a method of producing hydrogen cyanide, the method comprising: Feeding the reaction mixture to a plurality of main reactors each containing a catalyst bed containing platinum or a platinum alloy, the reaction mixture feed comprising gaseous ammonia, methane and oxygen; determining any one of the plurality of main reactors Whether the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide is at or below a threshold; when the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any of the plurality of primary reactors is at or below the threshold Identifying one or more sub-optimal reactors of the plurality of primary reactors; feeding the reaction mixture to one or more supplementary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy; The supplemental feed is sufficient to maintain an overall measured hydrogen cyanide production rate within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in the one or more complementary reactors and the plurality of primary reactors.

Statement 36 provides the method of claim 35, wherein the supplemental feed is sufficient to maintain a total of the desired overall hydrogen cyanide percent yield in the one or more complementary reactors and the plurality of primary reactors The percent yield of hydrogen cyanide was measured.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 36, wherein the one or more supplementary reactors supplement the conversion of the reaction mixture fed to the hydrogen cyanide achieved by the plurality of main reactors such that The overall measured hydrogen cyanide production rate in the one or more complementary reactors and the plurality of primary reactors is within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide production rate.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 37, further comprising maintaining the feed of the reaction mixture fed to the one or more sub-optimal reactors or reducing the feed to the one or more sub-optimal reactions The reaction mixture was fed.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 38, further comprising maintaining the feed to the one or more while feeding the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors The reaction mixture of the main reactors other than the sub-optimal reactor is fed.

The method of claim 40, wherein the method of any one of statements 35 to 39 is further provided The catalyst bed replaces the catalyst bed of each of the one or more sub-optimal reactors to produce one or more reformed reactors.

Statement 41 provides the method of claim 40, further comprising activating the replacement catalyst bed.

The method of any one of claims 40 to 41, further comprising feeding the reaction mixture feed to the one or more reformed reactors.

The method of any one of statements 40 to 42, further comprising interrupting the feeding to the one or more after initially feeding a portion of the reaction mixture feed to the one or more reformed reactors The feed portion of the reaction mixture of the supplementary reactor.

The method of any one of statements 40 to 43 further comprising maintaining the feed to the one or more refurbished after the feed of the reaction mixture is fed to the one or more reformed reactors The reaction mixture of the reactor and the one or more supplementary reactors is fed.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 44, wherein the primary reactor is capable of operating at a percent yield of hydrogen cyanide greater than or equal to the threshold, each of the primary reactors Provide the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 45, wherein the plurality of primary reactors, when combined with the one or more supplementary reactors, are capable of providing at least the desired hydrogen cyanide production rate.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 56, further comprising activating the one or more complementary reactors after identifying the one or more sub-optimal reactors in the plurality of main reactors Each of them is a catalyst bed.

The method of claim 47, wherein the feeding of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors occurs in the catalyst that activates each of the one or more complementary reactors After the bed.

The statement 49 provides the method of any one of statements 35 to 48, which further comprises controlling The plurality of primary reactors and the one or more supplementary reactors to maintain the overall within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in the one or more complementary reactors and the plurality of primary reactors The hydrogen cyanide production rate was measured.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 49, further comprising monitoring cyanide in each of the plurality of primary reactors, each of the one or more complementary reactors, or a combination thereof The percent yield of hydrogen.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 50, wherein the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors or any of the complementary reactors is determined. Whether at or below the threshold comprises comparing the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide of each of the plurality of primary reactors or the supplemental reactors to the threshold.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 51, wherein feeding the reaction mixture to a plurality of main reactors comprises feeding the reaction mixture and advancing to the plurality of main reactors Each.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 52, wherein the feeding of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors comprises the reaction being fed to the plurality of main reactors in parallel The mixture feed is fed to the reaction mixture feed.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 53, wherein the reaction mixture feed comprises oxygen-enriched air.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 54, further comprising recovering hydrogen from one or more of the primary reactors and the effluent of the one or more supplementary reactors.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 55, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the primary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

The method of any one of statements 35 to 56, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the one or more complementary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

Statement 58 provides a system for producing hydrogen cyanide, the system comprising: a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are capable of providing a first hydrogen cyanide production rate; and one or more of each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy a supplemental reactor; a feed system for feeding a reaction mixture to one or more reactors at a rate sufficient to provide the first hydrogen cyanide production rate, the reaction mixture feed comprising gaseous ammonia, methane, and An oxygen; a control system configured to: determine whether a percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors is below a threshold, identifying one or more of the plurality of primary reactors a sub-optimal reactor having a percent hydrogen cyanide yield below a threshold, initiating a feed of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplemental reactors, and at the plurality of hosts The overall measured hydrogen cyanide productivity in the reactor and the one or more supplementary reactors maintained within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range.

Statement 59 provides the system of claim 58, wherein the plurality of primary reactors, when combined with the one or more supplementary reactors, are capable of providing a second hydrogen cyanide production rate greater than the first productivity.

The statement 60 provides the system of any one of statements 58 to 59, wherein the control system is further configured to initiate activation of the catalyst bed of the one or more complementary reactors.

The statement 61 provides the system of any one of statements 58 to 60, wherein the control system is further configured to maintain feed or reduce feed to the one or more sub-optimal reactors to the one The reaction mixture of the plurality of sub-reactors is fed.

The statement 62 provides the system of any one of statements 58 to 61, wherein the control system is further configured to maintain feed to the feed mixture while feeding the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors The main reactors other than the one or more sub-optimal reactors The reaction mixture was fed.

The system of any one of statements 58 to 62, wherein the control system is further configured to monitor each of the plurality of primary reactors, each of the one or more complementary reactors The percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in the combination or combination thereof.

The statement 64 provides the system of any one of statements 58 to 63, wherein the control system is further configured to compare each of the plurality of primary reactors or each of the one or more complementary reactors The percent yield of hydrogen cyanide is the same as the threshold.

The invention provides the system of any one of statements 58 to 64, wherein the reaction mixture feed comprises oxygen-enriched air.

The invention provides the system of any one of statements 58 to 65, further comprising a hydrogen recovery system for one or more of the primary reactors and the one or more complementary reactors The effluent recovers hydrogen.

The system of any one of statements 58 to 66, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the primary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

The system of any one of statements 58 to 67, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the one or more complementary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

The statement 69 provides a system or method as in any one or combination of claims 1 to 68, which is optionally configured such that all of the elements or options recited are available for use or may be selected therefrom.

2‧‧‧NH ₃ flow / liquid NH ₃ flow / NH ₃ feed flow

4‧‧‧CH ₄ stream / natural gas feed

6‧‧‧Oxygen-containing flow

12‧‧‧HCN Synthesis System

14‧‧‧Product stream

40A‧‧‧First Primary Reactor/Secondary Reactor

40B‧‧‧Normal Operational Primary Reactor

40C‧‧‧Normal Operational Primary Reactor

42A‧‧‧Tactile bed

42B‧‧‧Tactile bed

42C‧‧‧Tactile bed

44‧‧‧Complementary Reactor/Offline Reactor/Operative Primary Reactor

46‧‧‧Tactile bed

48‧‧‧Ammonia gasifier

50‧‧‧NH ₃ vapor stream

52‧‧‧NH ₃ superheater

54‧‧‧Overheated NH ₃ vapour

56‧‧‧ gas heater

58‧‧‧Compressor

60A‧‧ gas mixer

60B‧‧ gas mixer

60C‧‧‧ gas mixer

62‧‧‧ gas mixer

64A‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream

64B‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream

64C‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream

66‧‧‧Reaction mixture feed stream/supplementary reactor mixture feed stream

68A‧‧‧First main reactor inlet valve

68B‧‧‧Main inlet valve

68C‧‧‧Main inlet valve

70‧‧‧First Supplementary Reactor Inlet Valve

72A‧‧‧Main outlet valve / first outlet valve

72B‧‧‧Main outlet valve

72C‧‧‧Main outlet valve

74‧‧‧Complementary export valve

Claims (21)

A system for producing hydrogen cyanide, the system comprising: a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are capable of providing a first hydrogen cyanide production rate; a plurality of supplemental reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy; a feed system for feeding the reaction mixture feed to one or more at a rate sufficient to provide the first hydrogen cyanide productivity a reactor, the reaction mixture feed comprising gaseous ammonia, methane and oxygen; a control system configured to: determine whether a percent yield of hydrogen cyanide in any one of the plurality of primary reactors is lower than a limit value identifying one or more sub-optimal reactors having a percent hydrogen cyanide yield below the threshold, initiating the addition of the reaction mixture to the one or more supplementary reactors Feeding the reaction mixture to the one or more sub-optimal reactors, and the main reactions in the one or more supplementary reactors and in addition to the one or more sub-optimal reactors Maintaining the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range The overall amount of measured hydrogen cyanide production. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of primary reactors, when combined with the one or more supplementary reactors, are capable of providing a second hydrogen cyanide production rate greater than the first hydrogen cyanide production rate. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to interrupt feed Feeding the reaction mixture to the main reactors other than the one or more sub-reactors after the reaction mixture is fed to the first main reactor of the plurality of main reactors . The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to initiate a pair after determining that the percent yield of hydrogen cyanide of the one or more sub-optimal reactors is at or below the threshold Activation of the catalyst bed of the one or more complementary reactors. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to monitor hydrogen cyanide in each of the plurality of primary reactors, each of the one or more complementary reactors, or a combination thereof Percentage of yield. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to compare the hundred hydrogen cyanide of each of the plurality of primary reactors or each of the one or more complementary reactors The yield is the same as the threshold. The system of claim 1 wherein the reaction mixture feed comprises oxygen enriched air. The system of claim 1 further comprising a hydrogen recovery system for recovering hydrogen from one or more of the primary reactors and the effluent of the one or more supplementary reactors. The system of claim 1 wherein the catalyst bed of each of the primary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy. The system of claim 1 wherein the catalyst bed of each of the one or more complementary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy. A system for producing hydrogen cyanide, the system comprising: a plurality of primary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy, wherein the plurality of primary reactors are capable of providing a first hydrogen cyanide production rate; a plurality of complementary reactors each comprising a catalyst bed comprising platinum or a platinum alloy; a feed system for use at a rate sufficient to provide the first hydrogen cyanide productivity The reaction mixture feed is fed to one or more reactors, the reaction mixture feed comprising gaseous ammonia, methane and oxygen; a control system configured to: determine cyanide in any of the plurality of main reactors Whether the percent yield of hydrogen is below a threshold, identifying one or more sub-optimal reactors having a percent hydrogen cyanide yield below the threshold in the plurality of primary reactors, starting the The reaction mixture is fed to the supplementary feed of the one or more supplementary reactors and maintained within the desired overall hydrogen cyanide productivity range in the plurality of primary reactors and the one or more supplementary reactors The overall measurement of hydrogen cyanide productivity. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of primary reactors, when combined with the one or more supplementary reactors, are capable of providing a second hydrogen cyanide production rate greater than the first productivity. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to initiate activation of the catalyst bed of the one or more complementary reactors. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to maintain feed of the reaction mixture fed to the one or more sub-reactors or to reduce feed to the one or more sub-optimal reactors The reaction mixture was fed. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to maintain feed to one or more sub-optimals while feeding the reaction mixture to the one or more replenishing reactors The reaction mixture of the main reactors other than the reactor is fed. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to monitor hydrogen cyanide in each of the plurality of primary reactors, each of the one or more complementary reactors, or a combination thereof The percent yield. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to compare the hundred hydrogen cyanide of each of the plurality of primary reactors or each of the one or more complementary reactors The yield is the same as the threshold. The system of claim 11, wherein the reaction mixture feed comprises oxygen-enriched air. The system of claim 11, further comprising a hydrogen recovery system for recovering hydrogen from one or more of the primary reactors and the effluent of the one or more supplementary reactors. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the primary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst bed of each of the one or more complementary reactors comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.