Methanol Manufacturing Process

Lurgi Methanol Process

http://www.lurgi.com/website/fileadmin/user_upload/1_PDF/1_Broshures_Flyer/englisch/0312e_MegaMethanol.pdf
- Isothermal Reactor
- Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, and Hydrogen are converted to Methanol at temperatures at about 500 F
and pressures around 1000 psig in the presence of a copper based catalyst according to:

o Oxygen blown synthesis gas production combination with steam reforming or as pure autothermal
reforming
Autothermal reforming is used when light natural gas is used as feedstock
o Two step methanol synthesis in water and gas cooled reactors
o Hydrogen recovery
- Synthesis gas production
o To generate optimum synthesis gas:

- Vertical shell and tube heat exchanger
- Catalyst is in tubes and rests on a bed of inert material
- Steam pressure control permits exact control of reaction temperature
- Achieves high yields at low recycle ratios and minimizes by product production
- The water cooled reactor prolongs the catalyst life
- Crude MeOH is purified in a distillation column
o 3 Column arrangement, 1
st
operates at an elevated pressure, 2
nd
operates at atmospheric pressure.
- End of 2009 Lurgi, received 10 contracts for the MegaMethanol plant with capacities of 0.67 to 2.3 million tons/
year.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Qdnc7uK-
aH8C&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=ICI+low+pressure+methanol+process&source=bl&ots=tTNAgCknvt&sig=PW_lNWSq4Izfe
voR2UDMSBfoI9A&hl=en&ei=NT5OTZvvG4n2gAfyqtFC&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEMQ6AEw
BQ#v=onepage&q=ICI%20low%20pressure%20methanol%20process&f=false Google Book: Methanol Synthesis
Technology
- Synthesis reactor operates at temperatures of 250F to 260F and pressure of 50 to 60 bar.
- Shell and tube reactor where tubes are packed with a catalyst and heat of reaction is removed by circulating
water on the shell side.
- The reactor is also a high pressure steam generator
- Feedstock is naphtha, hydrocarbons, methane, gaseous hydrocarbons
- Synthesis gas is generated by steam reforming or partial oxidation
o Steam reformer: 850-860C, where desulfurized naphtha and steam produce Hydrogen and Carbon
Oxides. The syngas is compressed at 50-80 bar and fed to reactor
Atlas Methanol Production Plant, Point Lisa, Trinidad and Tobago
http://www.chemicals-technology.com/projects/atlas_methanol/
- Project cost $400million
- MegaMethanol from Lurgi, Built next to an existing plant
- Methanol production process: oxygen synthesis gas reforming, 2 step Lugi methanol synthesis and hydrogen
recycle
- Allows for the production of 5000 ton/day.
- Stainless steel pipes, electrical installation



ICI ( Imperial Chemical Industries) Low Pressure Methanol Synthesis Process
http://books.google.com/books?id=Qdnc7uK-
aH8C&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=ICI+low+pressure+methanol+process&source=bl&ots=tTNAgCknvt&sig=PW_lNWSq4Izfe
voR2UDMSBfoI9A&hl=en&ei=NT5OTZvvG4n2gAfyqtFC&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEMQ6AEw
BQ#v=onepage&q=ICI%20low%20pressure%20methanol%20process&f=false Google Book: Methanol Synthesis
Technology
- Low pressure methanol was developed by ICI in the late 1960s
- A widely used catalyst is a mixture of Copper, Zinc Oxide, and Alumina used by ICI in 1966
- 1
st
ICI unit produced 300 tons of refined methanol per day
o Had a syngas feed containing H
2
, CO, CO
2
, CH
4

o Shaft converter adjusted the CO to CO
2
ratio
o Feed compressed to 50 atm in centrifugal compressor and fed to quench type converter at 270F
o Product was cooled and methanol was condensed out
o Purge gas stream was recycled to a reformer to convert accumulated methanol into synthesis gas
o Low pressure operation meant lower methanol concentration therefore higher recycle rates
o The crude methanol that was produced by the low pressure process contained water, dimethyl ether,
esters, ketones, iron carbonyls, and higher alcohols.

Linde Isothermal Reactor
http://www.linde-
engineering.com/en/process_plants/hydrogen_and_synthesis_gas_plants/gas_products/methanol/index.html#
- Fixed bed reactor cooled by coiled pipes and catalyst is cooled and maintained at Optimum Temp. by steam
production
- Uses the ICI methanol technology

Process for the synthesis of a Methanol and DME Mixture from Synthesis Gas
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6191175.pdf