Return to Japanese Patent Table of Contents JP59092901 Abstract PURPOSE: To prepare the titled gas smoothly, by the reforming reaction of hydrocarbons controlling the ratio of the flow rate of the steam (and the oxygen- containing gas) to the flow rate of the raw material corresponding to the variation of the number-average carbon number of the main component molecule of the hydrocarbons. CONSTITUTION: A flow of raw material composed mainly of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons or a mixture of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen and having varying composition of the main raw material with time, is added with steam or a mixture of steam and an oxygen-containing gas, and made to contact with a high-temperature catalyst to obtain a product gas rich in hydrogen and carbon oxide. In the above process, the ratio of the flow rate of steam to the flow rate of the raw material, or the ratio of the flow rate of steam and oxygen-containing gas to the flow rate of the raw material is controlled corresponding to the variation of the number-average carbon number m of the molecule of the main component. The molar ratio can be maintained to the optimum level, and the reforming reaction can be carried out smoothly independent of the composition variation in the raw material flow. |