Methanol technology developments for the new millennium

Tijm, P.J.A.; Waller, Francis J.; Brown, Dennis

doi:10.1016/s0926-860x(01)00805-5

Cited by 299 publications

(162 citation statements)

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“…(3) Operating at higher pressures is beneficial to methanol selectivity and the overall yield of oxygenates (eqs. [1][2][3]. This is understandable from Le Chatelier's principle, because methanol synthesis causes molar contraction, whereas the converse is true for oxidation to CO x (eqs.…”

Section: Process Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering evaluation of direct methane to methanol conversion

Klerk

2014

Energy Science & Engineering

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Investigations into direct methane to methanol conversion are justified based on the avoidance of synthesis gas generation, which accounts for around 60% of the capital cost of synthesis gas to methanol conversion. A significant body of information already exists on the process chemistry, but little has been reported on the engineering of such a process. An engineering evaluation of the process was performed and the potential of this process as a platform technology for small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) applications was evaluated. It was found that direct methane to methanol conversion had 35% carbon efficiency and 28% thermal efficiency, which were about half of the process efficiencies of indirect methanol synthesis using synthesis gas. The poor process efficiency was mainly a consequence of the irreversible loss of carbon to CO x during conversion. The direct methane to methanol process also required an air separation unit, which eroded the stated benefit of avoiding a synthesis gas generation step in the process. The utility footprint was typical of GTL processes, with large gas compression duties and cooling duties. Overall, the engineering evaluation indicated there was no benefit to employ direct methane to methanol conversion instead of indirect methanol synthesis (the industry standard), and there was no specific benefit of direct methane to methanol conversion, irrespective of scale, for GTL applications.

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Section: Process Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering evaluation of direct methane to methanol conversion

Klerk

2014

Energy Science & Engineering

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“…In practice, per-pass conversions for methanol from syngas are significantly less than theoretical. Reported conversions range anywhere from only 15-25% [3] to as high as 40% [4] or 50% (with advanced catalysts) [5]. One limiting factor is the exotherm of the reaction which drives a temperature increase.…”

Section: Thermodynamics Of Methanol Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Successfully managing the heat is a key to achieving high yields as the equilibrium becomes more unfavorable as temperature increases. There are several different approaches to this including the use of multiple reactors with cooling between sections, intermittent gas injection along the length of the reactor, and a unique annular design with external cooling and internal heat exchange that also preheats the reactor feed [5]. Carrying out the reaction using a slurry catalyst in an inert liquid phase acting as a thermal sink and heat transfer fluid as in the LPMeOH or LPDME process is one option that seems very promising [14].…”

Section: Additional Thermodynamic Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Initial case for splitting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen.

Miller¹

2007

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The United States presently imports almost ⅔ of the more than 20 million barrels of petroleum that it consumes daily. The largest fraction of this consumption, again about ⅔, is for transportation. Unfortunately, much of the non-domestic oil extraction, which we both directly and indirectly rely on, is from fields in unstable parts of the world. The national security and economic implications of our dependence upon foreign oil as well as the dangers of climate change resulting from green house gas emissions prompts a search for alternative sources of liquid fuels. Independence from problematic oil producers can be achieved to a great degree by applying decades-old synfuel technologies to convert non-conventional resources such as coal, oil-shale and tar-sands into liquid fuels. Unfortunately tapping into and converting these resources into liquid fuels only exacerbates green house gas emissions as they are carbon rich, but hydrogen deficient. Additionally, deploying these technologies requires large investments in time and capital.The "hydrogen economy" is a newer alternative, but it poses significant infrastructure and technological challenges. However, if we adopt revolutionary thinking about energy and fuels, it may be possible to the meet the future fuel challenges while maintaining our traditional hydrocarbon fuel framework. We must recognize that hydrocarbon fuels are energy carriers, not energy sources. The energy stored in a hydrocarbon is released for utilization by oxidation to form CO 2 and H 2 O. Furthermore, just as H 2 O can be "reenergized" by applying energy to split water back into H 2 and O 2 , hydrocarbons can be recycled by capturing CO 2 (and H 2 O) and "re-energizing" them back into hydrocarbon form. That is, there is a hydrocarbon analogy to the envisioned hydrogen economy that realizes the benefits of hydrogen while capitalizing on much of the existing liquid fuel infrastructure. Of course, the only credible pathway for implementing this vision is through the application of persistent energy sources (e.g. solar or nuclear). In this document, the concept of applying high temperature thermochemical cycles to split CO 2 into CO and O 2 as a starting point for synthetic fuel production is introduced and potential advantages of this approach are discussed. 4 5

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“…The gas then passes downward through the catalyst bed in the annular space. Heat is removed on both sides of the catalyst bed by the boiling water surrounding the tubes as well as by the feed gas introduced into the inner tube (Tijm et al 2001). A high conversion rate (about 14 % methanol in the reactor outlet) is cited for this reactor (Fiedler et al 2003).…”

Section: Reactorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…39 Source: (Davenport 2002;Dybkjaer and Christensen 2001;Fiedler et al 2003;Lee 1990;Takase and Niwa 1985;Tijm et al 2001) The world's largest producer of methanol is Methanex; they account for 17% of the total global capacity (Davenport 2002). The next largest producer is SABIC which accounts for 6.5% of the total global capacity (Davenport 2002).…”

Section: Gas Cleanliness Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary screening: Technical and economic assessment of synthesis gas to fuels and chemicals with emphasis on the potential for biomass-derived syngas

2003

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Executive Summary/ConclusionsIn principle, syngas (primarily consisting of CO and H 2 ) can be produced from any hydrocarbon feedstock, including: natural gas, naphtha, residual oil, petroleum coke, coal, and biomass. The lowest cost routes for syngas production, however, are based on natural gas, the cheapest option being remote or stranded reserves. Economic considerations dictate that the current production of liquid fuels from syngas translates into the use of natural gas as the hydrocarbon source. Nevertheless, the syngas production operation in a gas-to-liquids plant amounts to greater than half of the capital cost of the plant. The choice of technology for syngas production also depends on the scale of the synthesis operation. Syngas production from solid fuels can require an even greater capital investment with the addition of feedstock handling and more complex syngas purification operations. The greatest impact on improving the economics of gasto liquids plants is through 1) decreasing capital costs associated with syngas production and 2) improving the thermal efficiency with better heat integration and utilization. Improved thermal efficiency can be obtained by combining the gas-to-liquids plant with a power generation plant to take advantage of the availability of low-pressure steam.

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Methanol technology developments for the new millennium

Cited by 299 publications

References 1 publication

Engineering evaluation of direct methane to methanol conversion

Engineering evaluation of direct methane to methanol conversion

Initial case for splitting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen.

Preliminary screening: Technical and economic assessment of synthesis gas to fuels and chemicals with emphasis on the potential for biomass-derived syngas

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