Abstract: A method of operating a mass spectrometer vacuum interface, the vacuum interface comprising an evacuated expansion chamber downstream of a plasma ion source at atmospheric or relatively high pressure, the expansion chamber having a first aperture that interfaces with the plasma ion source to form an expanding plasma downstream of the first aperture and a second aperture downstream of the first aperture from the plasma for skimming the expanding plasma to form a skimmed expanding plasma; wherein the expansion chamber is pumped by an interface vacuum pump to provide an interface pressure in the chamber; the method comprising using a controller to automatically, or according to user input, control the throughput of the interface vacuum pump to control the interface pressure dependent on one or more operating modes of the spectrometer. A pressure gauge can be located in the expansion chamber and a feedback loop provided between the pressure gauge and controller.

Abstract: A catalyst system, which is active in pyrolyzing methane at reaction temperatures above 700° C., comprising a molten salt selected from the group consisting of the halides of alkali metals; the halides of alkaline earth metals; the halides of zinc, copper, manganese, cadmium, tin and iron; and mixtures thereof, the molten salt having dispersed therein one or more catalytically active forms of iron, molybdenum, manganese, nickel, cobalt, zinc, titanium, and copper in the form of finely divided elemental metals, metal oxides, metal carbides or mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A process comprising passing methane through a reaction zone comprising a molten salt/metal bed under reaction conditions to produce a gas stream comprising hydrogen and a solid carbon product wherein the reaction zone comprises a hydrogen acceptor.

Abstract: A method of operating a mass spectrometer vacuum interface, the vacuum interface comprising an evacuated expansion chamber downstream of a plasma ion source at atmospheric or relatively high pressure, the expansion chamber having a first aperture that interfaces with the plasma ion source to form an expanding plasma downstream of the first aperture and a second aperture downstream of the first aperture from the plasma for skimming the expanding plasma to form a skimmed expanding plasma; wherein the expansion chamber is pumped by an interface vacuum pump to provide an interface pressure in the chamber; the method comprising using a controller to automatically, or according to user input, control the throughput of the interface vacuum pump to control the interface pressure dependent on one or more operating modes of the spectrometer. A pressure gauge can be located in the expansion chamber and a feedback loop provided between the pressure gauge and controller.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the oxidative coupling of methane comprising converting methane to one or more C2+ hydrocarbons in a reactor, wherein said process comprises contacting a reactor feed comprising methane and oxygen with a catalyst composition and wherein the linear gas velocity of said reactor feed in the region above the catalyst bed is at least 0.6 m/s, the linear gas velocity through the catalyst bed is at least 0.6 m/s and the partial pressure of oxygen in the reactor is greater than 0.08 MPa.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for start-up and operation of a Fischer-Tropsch reactor comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reactor with a fixed bed of reduced Fischer-Tropsch catalyst that comprises cobalt as catalytically active metal; (b) supplying a gaseous feed stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to the reactor, wherein the gaseous feed stream initially comprises a nitrogen-containing compound other than molecular nitrogen in an initial concentration in the range of from 0.1 to 50 ppmv based on the volume of the gaseous feed stream; (c) converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen supplied with the gaseous feed stream to the reactor into hydrocarbons at an initial reaction temperature, wherein the initial reaction temperature is set at a value of at least 200° C.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for start-up and operation of a Fischer-Tropsch reactor comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reactor with a fixed bed of reduced Fischer-Tropsch catalyst that comprises cobalt as catalytically active metal; (b) supplying a gaseous feed stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to the reactor, wherein the gaseous feed stream initially comprises a nitrogen-containing compound other than molecular nitrogen in an initial concentration in the range of from 0.1 to 50 ppmv based on the volume of the gaseous feed stream; (c) converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen supplied with the gaseous feed stream to the reactor into hydrocarbons at an initial reaction temperature, wherein the initial reaction temperature is set at a value of at least 200° C.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a process for carrying out a high-speed stop in a Fischer-Tropsch process which comprises providing a feed to a fixed bed reactor comprising a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, the reactor being at reaction temperature and pressure, and withdrawing an effluent from the reactor, wherein the high-speed stop is effected by blocking provision of feed to the reactor and simultaneously blocking the withdrawal of effluent from the reactor.

Abstract: Toluene-insoluble hydrocarbon-containing compounds are selectively separated from a hydrocarbon-containing feedstock containing at least 5 wt. % n-heptane insoluble hydrocarbon-containing materials, wherein at least 10 wt. % of the n-heptane insoluble hydrocarbon-containing materials are toluene insoluble hydrocarbon-containing materials, by contacting the hydrocarbon-containing feedstock with a porous silica adsorbent having a median pore size diameter of less than 180 ? at a temperature of from 120° C. to 300° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for purifying natural gas, comprising removing mercaptans from a natural gas stream by a combination of an amine-based separation unit and a selective oxidation unit to obtain a purified natural gas stream, wherein at least part of the mercaptans are converted into at least elemental sulphur in the selective oxidation unit by selective catalytic oxidation.

Abstract: A process for converting a biomass material comprising a) pyrolyzing a biomass material to produce a biomass-derived pyrolysis product; b) providing a petroleum-derived hydrocarbon composition having a C7-asphaltenes content of equal to or more than 0.2 wt %, based on the total weight of the petroleum-derived hydrocarbon composition, which petroleum-derived hydrocarbon composition has a total acid number of equal to or more than 0.5 mg KOH/g and/or a density at 15.5° C. of equal to or more than 0.8 grams/ml and/or a viscosity at 37.8° C. of equal to or more than 500 centiStokes (cSt); c) mixing at least part of the biomass-derived pyrolysis product and at least part of the petroleum-derived hydrocarbon composition to produce a hydrocarbon-containing mixture; and d) dewatering the hydrocarbon-containing mixture to produce a dewatered hydrocarbon-containing mixture.

Abstract: A system for producing oil and/or gas from an underground formation comprising a first array of wells dispersed above the formation; a second array of wells dispersed above the formation; wherein the first array of wells comprises a mechanism to inject a miscible enhanced oil recovery formulation into the formation while the second array of wells comprises a mechanism to produce oil and/or gas from the formation for a first time period; and a means to convert at least a portion of the miscible enhanced oil recovery formulation within the formation into another compound during a second time period.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for the manufacture of carbon disulphide comprising supplying a molecular oxygen-containing gas and a feedstock comprising a hydrocarbonaceous compound to a reaction zone containing a liquid elemental sulphur phase and reacting, in the liquid sulphur phase, at a temperature in the range of from 300 to 750° C., the hydrocarbonaceous compound with elemental sulphur to form carbon disulphide and hydrogen sulphide and oxidizing at least part of the hydrogen sulphide formed to elemental sulphur and water. The invention further provides the use of a liquid stream comprising carbon disulphide, hydrogen sulphide and carbonyl sulphide obtainable such process for enhanced oil recovery.

Abstract: A system for producing oil and/or gas comprising a mechanism for releasing at least a portion of a sulfur containing compound into a formation; a first mechanism for converting at least a portion of the sulfur containing compound into a carbon disulfide formulation and/or a carbon oxysulfide formulation, the first mechanism for converting within the formation; and a second mechanism for converting at least a portion of the carbon disulfide formulation and/or a carbon oxysulfide formulation into another compound, the second mechanism for converting within the formation.

Abstract: A system including a mechanism for releasing at least a portion of a sulfur containing compound into a formation; and a mechanism for converting at least a portion of the sulfur containing compound into a carbon disulfide formulation and/or a carbon oxysulfide formulation, the mechanism within the formation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for the selective oxidation of hydrogen sulphide contained in a hydrogen sulphide-containing hydrocarbon feed gas to elemental sulphur. The hydrogen sulphide-containing hydrocarbon feed gas and a sulphur dioxide-containing gas are supplied to a reaction zone containing a TiO2-comprising catalyst, wherein elemental sulphur and a gaseous stream depleted in hydrogen sulphide are formed. The gas feeds are contacted with the TiO2 containing catalyst at elevated pressure and at a temperature in the range of from 120 and below 160 ° C., under such conditions that the elemental sulphur formed is essentially in liquid form. At least part of the sulphur dioxide-containing gas is obtained by combusting elemental sulphur to obtain a gaseous mixture of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen and then concentrating the gaseous mixture to provide the sulphur dioxide-containing gas.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of a packed bed comprising an iron enriched cobalt catalyst for use in a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, the process comprising the steps of: (a) providing a packed bed with one or more catalyst particles comprising metallic cobalt; (b) contacting a part of the catalyst particle(s) in the packed bed with an iron containing compound. The process is preferably conducted in situ which conveniently results in an iron containing cobalt catalyst with a higher C5+ selectivity. In certain preferred embodiments the concentration of iron increases towards the surface of the resulting catalyst particles whereas the cobalt concentration is constant which further increases the selectivity of the catalyst to producing C5+ hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A process for the manufacture of carbon disulphide comprising the following steps reacting carbon dioxide with hydrogen sulphide to form carbonyl sulphide and water; and absorbing at least a portion of the water with a sorbent, leaving a mixture comprising carbonyl sulphide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide.

Abstract: A catalyst is provided comprising nickel in a reduced valence state on a carrier comprising zinc oxide and alumina, wherein the Zn:Ni atomic ratio is at least 12, and the catalyst particles are prepared by: mixing zinc oxide in the form of a powder and alumina or an alumina precursor in the form of a powder; peptizing the powder mixture and forming an extrudable dough by adding acid and water to the powder mixture in such amounts that the dough contains 0.8-1.2 moles acid equivalents per kg powder; extruding the extrudable dough to form extrudates; drying and calcining the extrudates; impregnating the extrudates with an aqueous solution of a nickel compound; drying, calcining and reducing the impregnated extrudates. Further provided is a process for desulphurization of a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock using such catalyst.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for the manufacture of carbon disulphide by reacting carbon monoxide with elemental sulphur to form carbonyl sulphide and disproportionating the carbonyl sulphide formed into carbon disulphide and carbon dioxide, the process comprising contacting a gaseous stream comprising carbon monoxide with a liquid elemental sulphur phase containing a solid catalyst at a temperature in the range of from 250 to 700° C. to obtain a gaseous phase comprising carbonyl sulphide, carbon disulphide and carbon dioxide. The invention further provides the use of a liquid stream comprising carbon disulphide, carbonyl sulphide and carbon dioxide obtainable by such process for enhanced oil recovery.