Methanol Production Capacity Research Articles

Direct Oxidation of Methane to Methanol over Transition-Metal-Free Ferrierite Zeolite Catalysts.

Direct oxidation of methane to methanol was reported to be highly dependent on the transition- or noble-metal-loading catalysts in the past decades. Here, we show that the transition-metal-free aluminosilicate ferrierite (FER) zeolite effectively catalyzed methane and N2O to methanol for the first time. The distorted tetracoordinated Al in the framework and pentacoordinated Al on the extra framework formed during calcination, activation, and reaction processes were confirmed as the potential active centers. The possible reaction pathway similar to the Fe-containing zeolites was advocated based on the reaction results using different oxidants, N2O adsorption FTIR spectra, and 27Al MAS NMR spectra. The stable and efficient methanol production capacity of FER zeolite was ascribed to the two-dimensional straight channels and its distinctive Al distribution of FER zeolite (CP914C) from Zeolyst. The transition-metal-free FER zeolite performed better than the record in the literature and our recent results using transition-metal-containing catalysts in terms of selectivity and formation rate of methanol and stability. This work has great significance and prospects for utilizing CH4 and N2O as resources and will open new avenues for methane oxidation.

Unlocking the potential of date palm waste for syngas and methanol production: Process simulation and optimization

This study investigates the potential of utilizing date palm waste as a sustainable feedstock for gasification and methanol production while aiming to optimize the process parameters for enhanced efficiency. The approach employed in this research involves the utilization of Aspen Plus simulation software to model both the gasification and methanol synthesis processes. The model accounts for various operating parameters, including the steam to biomass ratio and gasification temperature, to comprehensively assess their impact on the product gas composition. Furthermore, the Aspen Plus model's accuracy is validated through the comparison of its predictions with experimental data obtained from literature sources. Key findings from this study indicate that the optimal conditions for steam gasification of date palm waste are achieved at a steam to biomass ratio of 0.9 and a gasification temperature of 800 °C. Under these conditions, the resulting syngas composition comprises 58.38% hydrogen (H2) and 24.21% carbon monoxide (CO). Additionally, the study reveals that the ideal conditions for methanol synthesis involve operating at a pressure of 50 bar and a temperature of 220 °C, resulting in a methanol Production capacity of 368.98 kg/h. The findings of this study hold significant promise and satisfaction for real-world applications, particularly in the context of the three demonstrators currently under construction as part of the “REFFECT AFRICA” project.

Performance and ANN-based optimization of an advanced process for wet CO2-to-Methanol using a catalytic fluidized bed reactor integrated with separators

Large-scale green processes to produce methanol from massive industrial sources of CO2 with a certain amount of water are increasingly attractive for carbon neutralization. In this study, an advanced CO2-to-Methanol (CTM) process, consisting of a turbulent fluidized bed (TFB) reactor, separators, and other units, was developed, analyzed from start-up to steady state, and optimized for high-purity methanol production (98.5–99.9 wt%) from a wet CO2 source (1.3 MtCO2/year with 1.35 mol% H2O). A two-stage flash drum with direct feeding of wet CO2 into a flash drum was applied to the developed CTM process to remove water and enhance unconverted gas recovery. At a methanol purity of 99.9 wt%, the advanced CTM process increased the methanol yield (0.15–0.31%), production capacity (5700–10100 tMeOH/year), and net CO2 reduction (0.0009–0.0033 kgCO2/kgMeOH) but decreased production cost (3.7–7.4 $/tMeOH) compared to the conventional CTM process under various of reactor temperatures (478–538 K) and pressures (40–90 bar). During the start-up process, the CTM process indicated the peaks in the methanol molar fraction and flow rate as the TFB reactor performed the stable profile of solid temperature (548–553.75 K) and volume fraction (∼0.249). In the performance assessment, the main units (compressor, TFB reactor, and distillation column) accounted for 96, 95, and 82.5% of capital expenditure (CAPEX), operating expenditure (OPEX), and energy consumption, respectively. Meanwhile, lowering the price of the annual CO2 and H2 increased CAPEX and OPEX contributions from 10.92 (present) to 28.64% (in 2050). To optimize the process using an artificial neural network (ANN) model, three main objectives and four main operating variables were selected as features through data analysis. The ANN model precisely predicted process performances (>99% accuracy) could reduce the computational cost by 900-fold compared to the process simulation. For methanol purity of 98.5–99.9 wt%, the CTM process should be operated in the optimum domain with a reactor pressure of 57.18–75.74 bar, reactor temperature of 493.62–506.32 K, reflux ratio of 1.02–1.08, and reboiler ratio of 1.32–1.38. The results are useful for designing, operating, and decision-making processes for producing various grades of green methanol from wet CO2 sources.

Carbon-neutral methanol synthesis as carbon dioxide utilization at different scales: Economic and environmental perspectives

Methanol is emerging as the carbon dioxide utilization technology and hydrogen carrier that can produce methanol using captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen. In this study, four cases were classified as methanol production according to which pathway was used to produce hydrogen: case 1 (steam methane reforming), case 2 (coal gasification), case 3 (water electrolysis), and case 4 (direct methanol production by carbon dioxide electrolysis). To figure out the best pathway in terms of economic and environmental perspectives, itemized cost estimation, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis, and carbon footprint analysis were performed for four cases of methanol production with methanol production capacities of 1, 10, 20, and 50 ton d−1. From itemized cost estimation reflecting carbon footprint analysis results, respective unit methanol production costs of 3.66, 2.99, 3.69, and 0.55 $ kg−1 were obtained for methanol production capacity of 50 ton d−1. Compared to the unit methanol production cost (0.396 $ kg−1) from fossil fuel-based production, direct methanol production has become feasible than other cases. And, from sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, the cost of reactant and electricity were major economic parameters for cases 1–3 and case 4, respectively, and the possible unit methanol production cost ranges due to the cost fluctuations in future were investigated.

Techno-economic assessment of the FReSMe technology for CO2 emissions mitigation and methanol production from steel plants

The iron and steel industry accounts for 6 % of the global CO2 emissions and it is one of the main hard-to-abate sectors that must be un-locked to reach climate neutrality in the coming decades. The objective of this work is to assess the economics of the FReSMe (From Residual Steel gases to Methanol) process for reducing the carbon footprint of conventional steel plants based on the Blast Furnace route. This reduction is achieved by capturing and converting part of the steel plants residual gases into methanol. The process includes the Sorption Enhanced Water Gas Shift (SEWGS) technology to treat the residual gases separating the CO2 and producing a H2-rich stream. The latter can be recirculated back to the steel plant to cover part of its primary energy demand or reacted together with part of the separated CO2 to synthetize methanol. The CO2 excess can be used for underground storage. Four different process configurations with different methanol production capacities are investigated. Costs and performances of each configuration are assessed and compared to two reference cases. Results show that the FReSMe process allows to avoid around the 60 % of the overall steel plant CO2 emissions, while the reference plant with post-combustion capture in the power section only 18 %. The cost of CO2 avoided is in the range 40.6 €/tCO2 – 46.2 €/tCO2. When no carbon tax is considered, the optimal methanol production capacity results 600 t/day with a Levelized Cost of Hot Rolled Coil of around 520 €/tHRC, 9.4 % higher than in the base case (476 €/tHRC). With a carbon tax rate above 40.6 €/tCO2, the optimal configuration has a methanol production capacity of 300 t/day and it ensures higher emissions reduction and lower costs than conventional post-combustion carbon capture systems.

Techno-economic evaluation of methanol production via gasification of vacuum residue and conventional reforming routes

The continuous rise of global carbon emissions demands the utilization of fossil fuels in a cleaner and sustainable way. Gasification is a potential technology that can convert the dirty fossil fuels for the production of clean and environment friendly fuels in an economical manner. In this study, vacuum residue is employed as a feedstock to produce high grade methanol. A vacuum residue to methanol (VRTM) process is simulated using Aspen Plus for a methanol production capacity of 90 t/h with 99.9 wt.% purity. The developed VRTM process is bench-marked with the conventional steam reforming to methanol (SRTM) process through energy, environmental and economic analysis. The performance of vacuum residue gasifier, natural gas reformer and the methanol synthesis reactor are validated against the plant data and the simulation results are found to be in good agreement. The results showed that the VRTM process offers a process energy efficiency of 49.5% which is 1.6% higher than the SRTM process. The unit cost of methanol product from the VRTM process is $ 317/tCH3OH which is 14% lower compared to the SRTM process. In terms of environmental analysis, SRTM process emits less carbon emissions than the VRTM process. However, the VRTM process offers a high purity captured CO2 stream that can be utilized for another application that can further offset the methanol production cost.

Analysis of Agricultural Production for Alcohol Production in the Light of World Trends

According to researches of analysts decrease in production of ethyl alcohol is marked, annual decrease makes more than four percent a year, and this tendency worsens. In the current conditions of increased demand, it is necessary to develop mechanisms to stimulate alcohol producers, but as the basis is an organic product, and the raw material for production is agricultural products, so it is necessary to increase the production of grain, potatoes and other types of products suitable as raw materials. Against the background of increase of world prices for grain, ethanol and other goods, the problem of own production passes into the category of main factors directed to economic and in general to national security because of increase of need in disinfectants in connection with situation on coronovirus. Leaders in production are the USA and China, where production capacities are growing rapidly, in these countries biotechnological complexes with full cycle of non-waste production are created. Growth in demand for methanol, particularly in China, has taken place against the backdrop of further declines in production capacity in the USA, where production costs were on average 40% higher than in other countries. Methanol production capacity in the USA has been decreasing annually, resulting in increased imports.

Renewable methanol synthesis from renewable H2 and captured CO2: How can power-to-liquid technology be economically feasible?

With the growing concern about environmental issues including high CO2 emission, which is the main contributor to global warming resulting in climate change, CO2 utilization technologies have received much attention. Among diverse technologies, renewable methanol synthesis using H2 generated from the water electrolysis and the CO2 captured from various industrial processes as well as the atmosphere has received significant attention. In this context, the technical and economic feasibility analysis of renewable methanol synthesis was conducted in this study. Using a commercial process simulation program, Aspen HYSYS®, parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of diverse operating parameters, such as the reaction pressure, temperature, and H2/CO2 ratio, on the technical performance of this process. Under the optimum conditions of 100 bar and 493 K derived from thermodynamic studies, an economic analysis was performed to estimate the unit methanol production costs at different methanol production capacities using itemized cost estimation, sensitivity analysis, and predictive cost analysis. Predictive cost analysis was conducted to determine how the unit methanol production cost could be rendered reasonable compared to the existing one, which indicated that decreasing the renewable H2 production cost as well as increasing in the CO2 tax credit for a methanol production capacity of 100 ton per day would make the renewable methanol synthesis an economically feasible process.

Modelling of methanol production via combined gasification and power to fuel

Methanol can play a significant role as a new energy carrier and can be used directly in the transportation and chemical sector as well as for heat and power applications. In the present work methanol production is investigated via modelling of 4 different processes combining steam-oxygen biomass gasification process and water electrolysis system as a means for energy storage. The main target is the reduction and use of direct biogenic CO 2 emissions during production process and the enhancement of methanol production capacity. This is achieved via the introduction of hydrogen from the electrolysis system, the removal of water gas shift catalytic system, the reduction or elimination of the acid gas removal technology, which result in an increase of the overall efficiency. The efficiency for the combined gasification and power to methanol plant for the cases studied ranged between 42.82% and 52.78% without heat utilisation. The utilisation of the highly energetic off gases from the process and optimum heat integration were further investigated. The results showed that the total energy conversion efficiency can reach up to 59%. A comparison of SNG and methanol production via the combined technologies is also presented, indicating that SNG production can achieve higher efficiencies. • Modelling of biomass gasification combined with water electrolysis, acid gas removal (AGR) and methanol synthesis. • Cold Fuel efficiency optimum cases equal to 53.20% with AGR and 53.7% without AGR. • Optimum use of hydrogen and oxygen replacing the Water Gas Shift and Air Separation Units. • Optimum heat integration with energy conversion efficiencies equal to 59.19% and 58.71%. • Comparison of SNG and methanol production via the combined process scheme.

Methanol production based on methane tri-reforming: Process modeling and optimization

In this research an process flowsheet is introduced for carbon dioxide conversion to methanol and a mathematical framework is prepared to analyze the operability of proposed plant. The main steps in the designed process are syngas production through methane tri-reframing, syngas purification, methanol synthesis in the isothermal reactor and syngas recycling. To develop a detail framework, the methane and syngas conversion sections are heterogeneously simulated based on the energy and mass conservation laws, and integrated with the considered equilibrium-based model for separation sections. To prove the correctness of developed model, the simulations results are compared with the experimental data at the same condition. Then, an optimization problem is formulated to determine the optimal operating condition of designed process considering methanol production capacity as objective. Since feeding policy is a key strategy to shift tri-reforming reactions toward the desired condition, the applied single-bed tri-reformer in the designed process is substituted by a multi-bed reactor and methanol production capacity is calculated. It concludes that applying the multi-bed reformer changes the tri-reforming reactions toward the hydrogen synthesis side and increases the methanol production rate from 200 to 265 ton day−1.

Techno-economic feasibility of methanol synthesis using dual fuel system in a parallel process design configuration with control on green house gas emissions

Recently, the methanol production has received a lot of attraction in the process industries due to its wide applications in the synthesis of many commercial chemicals and fuels. Most of the coal to methanol processes suffers from higher water consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower yields. The aim of this study is to develop a novel energy efficient and economic viable process that may not only increase the methanol production capacity but also offers the less energy requirements with improved process economics. In this study, coal gasification process is sequentially integrated in the parallel design configuration with the natural gas reforming technology to enhance the heating value of the resulting syngas for methanol production. To achieve this aim, two case studies have been developed and compared in terms of overall process performance and economics. Case 1 represents the conventional coal to methanol process, whereas, case 2 represents the conceptual design of integrating the gasification and reforming technologies for enhanced methanol production. The process efficiencies calculated for case 1 and case 2 is 63.2% and 70.0%, respectively. It has been seen from results that the methanol production energy for case 1 and case 2 is 0.69 kg/W and 0.76 kg/W, respectively. In terms of process economics, the methanol production cost for case 1 and case 2 has been estimated as 250 €/tonne and 234 €/tonne, respectively. The comparative analysis showed that the case 2 design not only offers higher process performance but also enhances the process feasibility compared to the conventional coal based processes.

Evaluation of Renewable Methanol Production Plant Design Using Tri-Pressure Stripper Configuration

Over the past years in the industry, the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) waste into the atmosphere have been rapidly increasing. The carbon capture technology is used in a few power plants to capture CO2 molecules from the flue gas. Researchers have established method to use CO2 and convert into valuable products. Therefore, this study is aim to simulate the reaction between captured CO2 with hydrogen to produce renewable methanol. In order to achieve objective of designing the renewable methanol plant, the Aspen Hysys is used as modelling and simulation tool to obtain about 50k tonnes per year of renewable methanol production. Then, the amount of CO2 is evaluated based on the amount of CO2 in flue gas, CO2 capture and renewable methanol produced. The results of the simulation that obtained is about 16510 kg/h of captured CO2 and 6049 kg/h of methanol produced from the 17936 kg/h of CO2 contained in flue gas. Three different coal-fired power plant capacities have been studied to evaluate their methanol production capacity. A small 110 MW power plant could produce 12705 kg/h of methanol, while 1400 MW and 2420 MW power plant will achieve 161,703 kg/h and 279515 kg/h respectively.

Dynamic optimization of methanol synthesis section in the dual type configuration to increase methanol production

The main object of this research is dynamic modeling and optimization of the methanol synthesis section in the dual type configuration considering catalyst deactivation to improve methanol production capacity. In the methanol unit, deactivation of CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst by sintering and low equilibrium conversion of reactions limit the production capacity, and changing operating temperature is a practical solution to overcome the production decay. In the first step, the considered process is modeled based on the mass and energy balance equations at dynamic condition. To prove the accuracy of developed model, the simulation results are compared with the plant data at the same operating conditions. In the second step, a dynamic optimization problem is formulated, and the optimal trajectories of manipulated variables are determined considering methanol production rate as the objective function. Finally, the performance of optimized process is compared with the conventional system at the same design conditions. The results show that operating at the optimal conditions increases methanol production capacity about 6.45%.

Mathematical Modeling and Optimization of a Radial Flow Tubular Reactor to Produce Methanol from Syngas

This research has focused on modeling and optimization of a radial flow tubular reactor to produce methanol from synthesis gas (syngas) at steady state condition. A heterogeneous one-dimensional model is developed based on the material and energy balance laws to predict the performance of proposed radial flow configuration. To verify the accuracy of developed model, the simulation results of a conventional Lurgi type reactor are compared with the available plant data. In the optimization stage, methanol production capacity is maximized considering the feed temperature, cooling side temperature and feed pressure as decision variables using the genetic algorithm method. Then, the performance of optimized radial flow reactor is compared with the conventional radial flow configuration. The comparison between efficiency of optimized radial flow, conventional radial and axial flow reactors shows an acceptable enhancement in the syngas conversion to methanol and lower pressure drop in the optimized radial flow reactor.

Efficient Way of Carbon Dioxide Utilization in a Gas-to-Methanol Process: From Fundamental Research to Industrial Demonstration

Efficient utilization of CO2 to produce clean liquid fuels and various petrochemicals has attracted significant attention during the past decades. This review mainly focuses on our efforts and main achievements during the development of a CO2-utilizing Gas-to-Methanol (CGTM) process, which is composed of CO2/steam-mixed reforming and methanol synthesis via CO2 and CO hydrogenation. Experimental apparatus at different scales, ranging from lab to demonstration, have been established to pursue an efficient CGTM process with enhanced energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. The proposed CGTM process employs a proprietary coke-resistant Ni-based catalyst in the reforming section, which is very stable under a 1000-h accelerated stability test. Based on the results of the process simulation and optimization obtained by using Aspen Plus, a CGTM demonstration plant with a methanol-production capacity of 10 t/day is designed and constructed, which comprises a reforming section (co-feeding CO2 into the reformer), a methanol synthesis section, and a recycling section. During the continuous operation for 1000 h, the CGTM demonstration plant exhibited a satisfactory performance, which is in good agreement with the design values. The overall thermal efficiency is shown to be superior to that of the conventional Gas-to-Methanol (GTM) processes, and the CGTM process is economically feasible given that the NG price, methanol price, and the plant scale are located in the following range of 1–5 $/MMBTU, 350–500 $/Mt, and 2500–5000 TPD, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed CGTM process would be even more competitive in the case of a higher carbon tax.

Demonstrating Large Scale Industrial CCS through CCU – A Case Study for Methanol Production

Methanol is a basic chemical building block used in producing other commodities that we used in our daily lives. In the last decade, due to regulation and policy framework in the transport sector, there is also a significant growth in the use of methanol as fuel (i.e. additives to gasoline, production of MTBE, bio-diesel, synthetic gasoline, etc…).Methanol is produced by reacting CO and CO2 with H2. Traditionally, this is produced in a two-steps process – i.e. syngas production and methanol synthesis. Most of the CO2 is emitted at the syngas production side of the operation. The question arises if CO2 is captured, what is its potential for the CO2 to be used in the methanol synthesis? What is the limitation of CCU on-site? How could this support the deployment and economics of industrial CCS?This paper aims to present:•Techno-economic evaluation of deploying CO2 capture in a mega-methanol plant using NG as feedstock. This plant include a combine reforming process (SMR-ATR configuration) to produce the syngas; methanol synloop and methanol purification unit producing AA grade methanol.•Concept of on-site CCU as a possible route to expand future methanol production capacity and at the same time promote the deployment of industrial CCS.

Enhancement of synthesis gas and methanol production by flare gas recovery utilizing a membrane based separation process

Proposing novel strategies for minimization of gas flaring is currently of a great importance. Such strategies could eliminate the drawbacks of burning purge gas and even lead to higher process efficiency. Accordingly, a recovery unit based on membrane separation is proposed in the present contribution. This separation unit is aimed to remove hydrogen, carbon oxides, and methane from the purge gas. Furthermore, the recovered streams are sent to the upstream units as supplementary feeds. In this regard, the stream containing methane is sent to the steam reformer, while the hydrogen and carbon dioxide rich stream is injected into the methanol synthesis reactor. Different strategies are suggested and the best one is selected in terms of enhanced production capacities of synthesis gas and methanol. In order to implement the evaluations, a mathematical model composed of mass and heat balances is applied. Furthermore, the response surface methodology is employed to determine the optimum operating conditions. Consequently, more than 300tons/year emission of carbon dioxide is inhibited by applying the proposed configuration. Besides, more than 4.6% increase in the methanol production capacity and about 1% decrease in the stoichiometry number of product are the advancements of system working under optimum conditions.

U.S. Shale Gas versus China's Coal as Chemical Feedstock.

T United States and China are pursuing different choices of hydrocarbon feedstock for making chemicals. While the U.S. chemical industry is increasingly utilizing shale gas as feedstock to produce olefins and methanol, China is developing coal-to-olefins and coal-to-methanol. Shale gas chemicals are cheaper and cleaner than coal-based ones. By replacing those high-carbon coal-to-chemicals, the U.S. export of shale gas chemicals will be both profitable and environmentally beneficial. Ethylene, propylene, and methanol are the three most important building blocks in the chemical industry. In 2014, the world consumed about 160 million metric tons of ethylene, 90 million metric tons of propylene, and about 70 million metric tons of methanol. Ethylene and propylene are often grouped together with other alkenes and referred to as olefins. Olefins are made from steam cracking of hydrocarbons, with naphtha as the most common feedstock, followed by ethane and propane. Since the shale revolution, surplus of ethane and propane has triggered an investment boom in ethane crackers and exponential growth of propane/propylene exports. The announced projects are expected to increase the U.S. olefins production capacities by 14 million metric tons by 2020. The cheap and abundant ethane and propane provide the U.S. chemical industries with several competitive advantages. Manufacturing olefins from ethane and propane is cheaper, simpler, consume less energy, and less polluting than naphtha cracking. Meanwhile, China is pursuing the development of coal-toolefins (CTO). China’s 12th five-year plan (2011 to 2015) for olefins industry listed the development of CTO as a top priority. With favorable policies, China’s CTO production capacities have grown from 1.1 million metric tons per year in 2010 to 6.5 in 2014, and are expected to reach 12.4 by 2016. Coal-to-olefins requires high capital investment, complex processes, high energy consumption (therefore high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions), and high water consumption. Despite the technical disadvantages, China is quickly building a coal-to-olefins industry with favorable government policies. For each metric ton of olefins output, ethane-to-olefins emit about 0.8 t of CO2, naphtha-to-olefins emit about 0.9 t, 1 whereas coal-to-olefins emit about 5.8 t. Similar dichotomy appears in the feedstock choice for methanol in the United States and China. While the U.S. companies are aggressively expanding methanol production from natural gas, China is building coal-to-methanol capacities. In the United States, the announced methanol projects are expected to increase the nationwide methanol production capacity from 1.6 million metric tons in 2013 to over 12 million metric tons per year by 2018, and nearly 30 million metric tons per year by the early 2020s. Because the U.S. domestic consumption of methanol has remained relatively stable at about 6 million metric tons per year, the expansion will transform the United States from a net importer to a major exporter. China is the world’s largest methanol consumer and the major target for U.S. methanol export. In 2014, China consumed about 41 million metric tons of methanol, which account for 55% of global demand. Meanwhile, China has been building a unique coal-tomethanol industry. Many coal-producing regions encourage investments in coal conversion to boost demand for coal. China has already more than enough methanol production capacities to meet its demand, yet it continues to build more. Coal-tomethanol is carbon intensive. Making a metric ton of methanol from coal emits roughly 5.3 t of CO2, while making the same amount from natural gas emits only 1.7 t. The capital investment for a coal-to-methanol plant is roughly twice as much as a methane-to-methanol plant of comparable capacity, while the feedstock costs are comparable. The capital cost of coal-to-olefins is nearly four times of that of an ethane steam cracker, with comparable feedstock costs. In terms of operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, such as catalysts, water, energy, and pollution treatment, coal-tochemicals are all much more expensive than shale gas chemicals (Figure 1). Due to great cost advantage, aggressive expansion of U.S. shale gas chemicals could eventually force some of the Chinese coal-to-chemicals producers out of business, and contribute to carbon mitigation by replacing the high-carbon coal-tochemicals.

Cost Effective CO2 Capture from Flue Gas for Increasing Methanol Plant Production

Abstract Many methanol plants utilize steam-methane reforming (SMR) to produce syngas that is fed into a synthesis loop for producing methanol. As is typical for SMR-based methanol plants, the stoichiometry of the reactants is not at a value that is optimum for the most efficient reactor loop. In order to increase the methanol production capacity, the stoichiometry of the make-up gas can be corrected by injecting CO2 into the process. A case study is presented in which Fluor's Econamine FG PlusSM technology is used for recovering sufficient carbon dioxide from the SMR flue gas to expand the plant capacity by approximately 20%.

Dynamic modeling of a H2O-permselective membrane reactor to enhance methanol synthesis from syngas considering catalyst deactivation

In this paper, the effect of water vapor removal on methanol synthesis capacity from syngas in a fixed-bed membrane reactor is studied considering long-term catalyst deactivation. A dynamic heterogeneous one-dimensional mathematical model that is composed of two sides is developed to predict the performance of this configuration. In this configuration, conventional methanol reactor is supported by an alumina-silica composite membrane layer for water vapor removal from reaction zone. To verify the accuracy of the considered model and assumptions, simulation results of the conventional methanol reactor is compared with the industrial plant data under the same process condition. The membrane reactor improves catalyst life time and enhances CO2 conversion to methanol by overcoming the limitation imposed by thermodynamic equilibrium. This configuration has enhanced the methanol production capacity about 4.06% compared with the industrial methanol reactor during the production time.