Hydrogen production converter tube

The damages to the heating furnace tubes mainly include material cracking and high-temperature creep cracking. It usually manifests as microcracks and macrocracks. Controlling the high-temperature areas and hotspot temperatures in the converter tubes, as well as maintaining proper system pressure, helps to extend the lifespan of the tubes.

For the converter tubes, it is necessary to control the temperature properly; the load must not be lower than the minimum design value. The catalyst should be installed properly, and overheating must be avoided

In 2005, I was involved in setting up a natural gas hydrogen production plant with a capacity of 600 cubic meters per hour. The reactor tubes had to withstand the thermal radiation from the outer flame of the furnace burner during the reaction process, convey the heat required for the reaction, and endure the pressure of the reaction medium, among other things. Once these conditions are understood, the issue of corrosion can be addressed more specifically, with focus being placed on the material of the furnace tubes for preventing corrosion: 1. The flame at high temperatures can cause localized hot spots, leading to the migration of impurity metals within the catalyst to the walls of the furnace tubes, which in turn reduces the melting point of those materials. Over time, this area will perforate, leading to accidents. 2. Using low-melting-point materials such as iron to strike the furnace tubes during installation poses safety risks for subsequent operation. (Intergranular corrosion) 3. Low-melting-point metal impurities are introduced during the filling of the catalyst. 4. Catalyst failure, resulting in localized high temperatures and hot spots. 5. During the maintenance and welding of furnace tubes, the use of inappropriate welding electrodes or the lack of inert gas protection not only affects the quality of the welds and their lifespan but also poses safety risks. 6. Ions carried in raw materials such as steam and natural gas, especially those in steam, often cause the quality of deionized water to exceed specified standards; this facilitates the accumulation of ions in the waste tank, preventing them from being carried by steam into the conversion furnace tubes. Specific measures to take: Conduct inspections on schedule, and report any abnormalities as soon as they are detected while taking appropriate actions. Pay attention to the details during installation. Deionized water must be of qualified quality. ——Experts are requested to fill in any gaps.

Study carefully*, and Haiyou should share more materials related to dry gas and hydrogen production from natural gas

Reply to 4# tfx511024: Do you have any experience with hydrogen production systems that use dried coke as the feed gas and dried gas as the fuel gas? The fuel gas contains a high level of sulfur, and some of it is converted to SO3 upon combustion. Is this corrosive to the conversion furnace tubes?

Keeping the flue gas emission temperature above the dew point temperature should not cause any problems.

Reply to 7# datangwei: Go and check the conversion furnace tubes, then check the smoke exhaust ducts before speaking again.