An industrial process for producing fuel gas from naphtha and other hydrocarbon sources. It involves a nickel-based catalyst, pressures of up to 70 bar, and temperatures between 250°C and 650°C depending on the feedstock. The reactions are:
The result is a mixture of methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of ethane and other hydrocarbons. With partial carbon dioxide removal it is possible to produce town gas with medium calorific value containing about 30% CH4, 30% H2, and 2% CO. The process can be used to produce SNG. In this case there are multiple methanation stages and complete removal of CO2 to give a product containing about 98.5% CH4, 0.9% H2, and 0.1% CO.