Abstract: An improved furnace design for carrying out the catalytic steam reforming of hydrocarbons, including an air delivery and burner system which extends across the top of the furnace. The air delivery system includes a plurality of air ducts each forming a plenum arch, with the arches being suspended between their respective ends as they span the top of the furnace. Burners, for providing heat to the radiant section of the furnace, are spaced within each of such arches and extend into the furnace. Further, the plenum arches provide a supporing structure for the insulation forming the top the radiant section of the furnace.

Abstract: A low energy process for the production of hydrogen-rich gas which involves the process sequence of primary reforming and secondary reforming includes parallel steam reformers for the primary reforming of the hydrocarbon feed, one portion of the hydrocarbon feed being heated using radiant heat, i.e., a steam reforming furnace, and another portion of the hydrocarbon feed being heated using indirect heat exchange with the effluent from the secondary reforming, i.e., an exchanger-reactor.

Abstract: In the process of producing phenol from cumene, aqueous waste streams result which are contaminated with organic materials, particularly phenol, which are made innocuous to the environment only with substantial difficulty. A process is described to reduce the biological oxygen demand of these aqueous wastes, particularly the phenol content, by a liquid extraction step whereby a highly aromatic fraction of an organic waste stream in the phenol process is used as the solvent. The process includes provision for simultaneous preparation and recovery of the solvent as well as recovery of the phenol.

Abstract: Chlorine or bromine are produced from the respective hydrogen halide in a reaction system, wherein a stoichiometric excess of active nitrogen is maintained within the reaction system over the amount of hydrogen halide in the system. Preferably the reaction system is a single tower wherein sulfuric acid is introduced to the top of the tower where it absorbs the active nitrogen while conditions are so set that at the bottom of the tower the gases, introduced there, strip the active nitrogen away from the acid. It is a further characteristic of the process, that the nitrogen compounds stripped at the bottom, are mainly stripped as a mixture of nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. A major portion of the nitrogen monoxide stripped, is oxidized with the oxygen, present in the gases fed in the bottom, to form nitrogen dioxide. If hydrogen halide is fed in the bottom, it will also strip nitrogen compounds, but mostly in the form of nitrosyl-halide.

Abstract: A catalyst composition consisting of elemental nickel, nickel oxide or mixtures thereof on a zirconia carrier and promoted with elemental cobalt, a cobalt oxide or mixtures thereof in which the total content of nickel and cobalt, expressed as oxide, is desirably at least 1 weight percent of the total weight of the composition and the weight ratio of nickel to cobalt in the catalyst is preferably between 1:10 and 6:1. This invention also concerns the method of reforming hydrocarbons in the presence of said catalyst to selectively produce hydrogen, hydrogen containing products, such as Town's gas, or an oxide of carbon or mixtures thereof, while avoiding substantial carbon accumulation on the catalyst at relatively low steam to carbon ratios.