Process intensification for dimethyl ether production by self-heat recuperation

Abstract

a b s t r a c t DME (dimethyl ether) is categorized as a green energy source and the demand for DME continues to increase. DME is commonly produced by two methods: indirect and direct DME synthesis. In the indirect method, methanol is produced and then converted to DME. In the direct method, DME is directly synthesized from syngas without methanol production. In this research, we investigated the feasibility of self-heat recuperation technology to the DME production process using the indirect method and developed an innovative process for DME production from an energy saving point of view, thereby considerably reducing the energy consumption of the thermal and separation processes.

Correct integration of compressors and expanders in above ambient heat exchanger networks

“…The tradeoff between heat and work consumptions was an important concern in the study. Kansha et al [20] developed a self-heat recuperation scheme and applied it to dimethyl ether production where compression heat had been utilized at the expense of more work being consumed. Ashrafi et al [21] studied energy saving opportunities using heat pumps in a slaughterhouse.…”

Optimal design of intensified processes for DME synthesis

“…To increase the capacity of DME production, the chemical industry needs novel eco-efficient processes that can meet the growing market demand (Arcoumanis et al, 2008;Azizi et al, 2014). The suggested improvements of the methanol dehydration process followed a number of technologies reported in literature: fully thermally-coupled distillation columns (Petlyuk) or dividing-wall column replacing the direct distillation sequence (Kiss, 2013;Kiss and Ignat, 2013); self-heat recuperation (Kansha et al, 2015); simultaneous synthesis and separation in a catalytic distillation process (An et al, 2004;Lei et al, 2011); catalytic cyclic distillation (Patrut et al, 2014); or reactive dividing-wall column (Kiss and Suszwalak, 2012). Additional DME technologies (e.g.…”

Performance Enhancement of Reactive Dividing Wall Column Based on Self-Heat Recuperation Technology

“…For further energy savings, self-heat recuperation technology proposed by Kansha et al has been developed based on minimizing the exergy loss to reduce energy consumption in chemical processes. This technology promotes the reuse of both latent heat and sensible heat of the process . The wasted heat was recuperated thoroughly by compressors and exchanged with the cooling load, leading to no need for external heat or minor energy requirements. − Self-heat recuperation technology has been applied to many distillation processes, which have attained a large reduction in energy consumption.…”

“…This technology promotes the reuse of both latent heat and sensible heat of the process. 23 The wasted heat was recuperated thoroughly by compressors and exchanged with the cooling load, leading to no need for external heat or minor energy requirements. 24−26 Self-heat recuperation technology has been applied to many distillation processes, which have attained a large reduction in energy consumption.…”