Synthesis of Methanol from Oil- and Gas-Field Flare Gases at the Same Pressure of the Syngas Generation and Methanol Synthesis Steps

Abstract

A combination of the syngas generation and methanol synthesis steps by pressure is considered to obtain methanol from oil- and gas-fields flare gases. The combined process is thermodynamically analyzed within 700–1100°C and 2–10 MPa for flare gas conversion into syngas. The features of the synthesis of syngas by steam, steam–oxygen, and steam–air conversion are considered. The combined steam conversion of flare gas at 900–950°C and the synthesis of methanol at 230°C together with a total pressure of 3.5–5 MPa make it possible to produce methanol with a yield of up to 1.1 tmethanol/traw and may be recommended for the qualified processing of flare gas into methanol directly on the fields. The synthesis of methanol from syngas with a high amount of CO2 is experimentally verified on copper–zinc catalysts at 230–270°C and 5–8 MPa.