Method for processing Fischer-Tropsch off-gas

1. A method for producing a gas comprising at least 80 vol % carbon monoxide, calculated on the total volume of the gas, from a gas mixture comprising 5-50 vol % methane, 10-50 vol % carbon dioxide, 20-65 vol % carbon monoxide, 10-40 vol % hydrogen and 10-55 vol % nitrogen, calculated on the total volume of the gas mixture, said method comprising, in sequence, the following steps:

(1) feeding a gas mixture through a column comprising an adsorbent bed, said gas mixture comprising 5-50 vol % methane, 10-50 vol % carbon dioxide, 20-65 vol % carbon monoxide, 10-40 vol % hydrogen and 10-55 vol % nitrogen, calculated on the total volume of the gas mixture,

with upon commencement of said feeding, the bed and column being pre-saturated and pre-pressurized to a pressure in the range of 20 to 80 bar absolute (bar a) with pure hydrogen, or with a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen, and

discharging effluent from the other end of said bed, and

continuing said feeding and said discharging until a carbon monoxide comprising gas has reached at least 45% of the length of the bed and has reached at most 80% of the length of the bed, calculated from the end of the bed at which the gas mixture is being fed; and

(2) ceasing the feeding of the gas mixture comprising methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and reducing the pressure in the column and the bed to about 5 to 10 bar a; and

(3) rinsing the column and the adsorbent bed by feeding a gas comprising at least 95 vol % methane, or a gas comprising at least 95 vol % carbon dioxide, through the column and adsorbent bed,

the column and bed being at a pressure in the range of 15 to 75 bar a, and

discharging effluent from the other end of said bed, and

continuing said feeding and said discharging until at least 60% of the carbon monoxide that was present in the bed at the commencement of this rinsing step is discharged from the other end of said bed; and

(4) rinsing the column and the adsorbent bed by feeding a gas comprising at least 95 vol % carbon dioxide through the column and adsorbent bed,

the column and bed being at a pressure in the range of 15 to 75 bar a, and

discharging effluent from the other end of said bed, and

continuing said feeding and said discharging until at least 60% of the methane that was present in the bed at the commencement of this rinsing step is discharged from the other end of said bed; and

(5) ceasing the feeding of a gas comprising at least 95 vol % carbon dioxide, and reducing the pressure of the column and adsorbent bed to a pressure in the range of 1 to 5 bar a; and

(6) rinsing the column and adsorbent bed by feeding a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen through the column and adsorbent bed

the column and bed being at a pressure in the range of 1 to 5 bar a, and

(7) pressurizing the column and adsorbent bed to a pressure in the range of 15 to 75 bar a by feeding a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said method further comprises, in sequence, the following steps:

(A) feeding the effluent of step (1) through a column comprising an adsorbent bed,

with upon commencement of said feeding, the bed and column being pre-saturated and pre-pressurized to a pressure in the range of 20 to 80 bar absolute (bar a) with pure hydrogen and

discharging effluent from the other end of said bed, and

continuing said feeding and said discharging until a nitrogen comprising gas has reached at least 45% of the length of the bed and has reached at most 80% of the length of the bed, calculated from the end of the bed at which the gas mixture is being fed; and

(B) ceasing the feeding of the effluent of step (1), and reducing the pressure in the column and the bed to about 2 to 5 bar a; and

(C) further reducing the pressure in the column and the bed to about 2 to 5 bar a; and

(D) reducing the pressure of the column and adsorbent bed to a pressure in the range of 1 to 5 bar a; and

(E) rinsing the column and adsorbent bed by feeding pure hydrogen through the column and adsorbent bed

the column and bed being at a pressure in the range of 1 to 5 bar a, and

(F) pressurizing the column and adsorbent bed to a pressure in the range of 5 to 50 bar a by feeding hydrogen, and

(G) further pressurizing the column and adsorbent bed to a pressure in the range of 15 to 75 bar a by feeding hydrogen.

3. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising in sequence, the following steps:

(I) sending at least a part of the discharged effluent of step (1) as feed to a membrane unit,

(II) sending at least a part of the discharged effluent of step (3) as sweep gas to the membrane unit,

(III) sending at least a part of the retentate of the membrane unit as feed to step (6),

(IV) sending at least a part of the permeate of the membrane unit as feed to a Fischer-Tropsch reaction.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein repeated cycles of steps (1) to (7) are performed.

5. A method according to claim 2 wherein repeated cycles of steps (1) to (7) are performed and repeated cycles of steps (A) to (G) are performed.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two columns that comprise an adsorbent bed are used for steps (1) to (7).

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein at least two columns that comprise an adsorbent bed are used for steps (1) to (7) and at least two columns that comprise an adsorbent bed are used for steps (A) to (G).

8. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the columns for steps (1) to (7) are connected in parallel.

9. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the columns for steps (1) to (7) are connected in parallel, and the columns for steps (A) to (G) are connected in parallel.

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas mixture comprising methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen is Fischer-Tropsch off-gas.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the discharged effluent of step (3) is sent as feed to a Fischer-Tropsch reaction.

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the column and adsorbent bed are rinsed in step (6)

by feeding a gas comprising at least 95 vol % nitrogen through the column and adsorbent bed,

followed by feeding a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen through the column and adsorbent bed,

the column and bed being at a pressure in the range of 1 to 5 bar a.

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a part of the effluent of step (2) is used as feeding gas in step (6).

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein additionally a part of the effluent of step (1) is used as feeding gas in step (6).

15. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a part of the effluent of step (2) is used as feeding gas in step (7).

16. A method according to claim 15 , wherein additionally a part of the effluent of step (1) is used as feeding gas in step (7).

17. A method according to claim 1 , wherein repeated cycles of steps (1) to (7) are performed and a part of the effluent of step (5) is pressurized and used as feeding gas in step (3) and/or step (4) of a next cycle.

18. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a scrubbed Fischer-Tropsch off-gas from a Fischer-Tropsch reactor is fed to the column and adsorbent bed in step (1), and a part of the effluent of step (3) is sent as a recycle stream to the Fischer-Tropsch reactor that produced the off-gas.

19. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a scrubbed Fischer-Tropsch off-gas from a first Fischer-Tropsch reactor is used in step (1), and a part of the effluent of step (3) is sent as a feed stream to a second Fischer-Tropsch reactor.