2799.     REID, J. B.  Recovery of Byproducts in High-Temperature Coking.  British Coal Utilisation Research Assoc., Monthly Bull., vol. 9, No. 8, 1945, pp. 225-234.

        Review with 46 refs.  Reformation of coke-oven gas is directed principally to producing mixtures for hydrocarbon synthesis.  The various reactions by which CH₄ can be converted are:

        (1)  CH₄=C+2H₂-18 kcal.

        (2)  CH₄+H₂O (vapor) = CO+3H₂-49.5 kcal.

        (3)  CH₄+CO₂=2CO+2H₂-59.5 kcal.

        (4)  CH₄+½O₂=CO+2H₂+8.5 kcal.

        All the reactions require temperatures of about 1,200° C; at a lower temperature reaction (2) merges into the exothermic reaction:  CH₄+2H₂O=CO₂+4H₂.  5 reformation processes, based on the above reactions and directed principally to producing gas mixtures of composition CO:H₂=1:2, have been developed:  The Fischer process in which the CH₄-containing gas is passed with steam through coke in a water-gas generator, producing mixtures of H₂ and CO in the ratio of 2:1 when suitable adjustment is made of the gas; steam ratio and the lengths of gas and blow periods; the Linde process makes use of reaction (4) by which it is claimed that 90-95% of the CH₄ is converted giving a final gas mixture very near to 2H₂+CO; the Kuhlmann process operates reaction (2) at hot inert surfaces, the gas and steam being the sole reactants, the resulting gas mixture being mainly H₂ and CO in the ratio of 4:1, the Koppers process, which is similar to Kuhlmann, in that it makes use of thermal reformation at hot surfaces with an efficiency of 90-95% as against 75% for the Kuhlmann process; the I. G. Farbenindustrie process is catalytic and is conducted at about 800° C. on a Ni catalyst, it depends on reactions (2) and (3) so that both CO₂ and steam are added to the gas mixture, and the product is H₂ and CO in a ratio of almost exactly 2:1.