ABSTRACT

A wide range of hydrocarbon feedstocks is used for the production of synthesis gas by steam reforming. The most common feedstock now is natural gas. This occurs widely throughout the world, and is the easiest feedstock to process. Naphthas are the most difficult feedstocks to purify because they often contain significant quantities of organic sulphur compounds such as thiophenes and benzothiophenes, which are difficult to break down. Many small hydrogen plants use naphtha as their only feed, and because of their small size they have difficulty in obtaining sufficient heat for the purification stage and may not be able to desulphurize certain naphtha feedstocks fully. The composition of the feedstock also affects the sulphur absorption profile. Many crude oils contain organometallic compounds, some of which are volatile and may pass through the refinery to be present in the derived naphtha and gaseous feedstocks.