US 11286168

US Patent 11286168, titled "Process for the synthesis of ammonia with low emissions of CO2IN atmosphere," was assigned to Casale SA. The inventors are Francesco Baratto and Raffaele Ostuni. The patent was filed on January 31, 2018, and issued on March 29, 2022.

Abstract:
The patent describes a process for synthesizing ammonia from natural gas. This process involves converting desulphurized natural gas and steam, using oxygen-enriched air or oxygen, into a synthesis gas containing hydrogen, CO, and CO2. This synthesis gas then undergoes a shift reaction to convert carbon monoxide (CO) into CO2, followed by the separation of CO2, resulting in a CO2-depleted synthesis gas and a CO2-rich gaseous flow. A key feature is that a portion of this CO2-depleted synthesis gas is separated and used as fuel for one or more furnaces within the conversion section, while the remaining portion is used for ammonia production.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a process for making ammonia from natural gas. It involves converting a mixture of desulphurized natural gas and steam into a synthesis gas (containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide) using oxygen-enriched air or pure oxygen. The synthesis gas then goes through a step where carbon monoxide is converted into carbon dioxide, followed by a process to remove the carbon dioxide, leaving a gas with less CO2 and a separate stream of CO2. A crucial part of this invention is that a portion of this CO2-depleted gas is split off to be used as fuel for furnaces in the conversion section. The remaining portion of the gas is then used to produce ammonia. Both the fuel portion and the ammonia production portion initially have the same composition.

• Independent Claim 11: This claim outlines a method for upgrading an existing ammonia plant. The original plant includes a section for converting natural gas that has a primary steam reformer and a secondary reformer that uses air. It also has a system to treat the synthesis gas, which includes converting carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide, removing carbon dioxide, and optionally methanation. The upgrade involves several key steps:

  1. Introducing a flow of oxygen-enriched air or pure oxygen and using it as the oxidant for the secondary reformer instead of regular air.
  2. Separating a portion of the synthesis gas after the carbon dioxide removal step.
  3. Feeding this separated portion of synthesis gas, which has a reduced CO2 content, as fuel to at least one furnace within the plant.

• Independent Claim 17: This claim describes a process for producing ammonia with an emphasis on low CO2 emissions. It starts by converting natural gas into a synthesis gas using a catalytic autothermal reformer (ATR), which may or may not be preceded by a pre-reformer. This conversion uses oxygen-enriched air or pure oxygen. The synthesis gas then goes through a shift reaction to convert CO into CO2, followed by CO2 removal, resulting in a CO2-depleted synthesis gas and a CO2-rich flow. A portion of this CO2-depleted gas is then separated and used as fuel for at least one furnace that pre-heats the gas before it enters the autothermal reformer. The remaining CO2-depleted gas is used for ammonia synthesis.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for patent number 11286168 did not yield any specific results for this patent. The search results provided general information about CAFC cases in 2026 and examples of patent litigation for other patents but no direct mention of US11286168. Therefore, there is no authoritative information about litigation for US11286168 in CAFC dockets for 2026 at this time.