METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR PRODUCING METHANOL FROM HYDROGEN-RICH SYNTHESIS GAS

• Main Authors: Janko, Lutz, Gronemann, Veronika, Lim, Chin Han, Haase, Stephan, Kopetsch, Hans
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 06.07.2022
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

A process for producing methanol, wherein a make-up gas stream from a reformer unit is admixed with a hydrogen-containing stream from a hydrogen recovery stage to obtain a hydrogen-rich synthesis gas, which is combined with a residual gas stream and the combined stream is passed through a bed of a methanol synthesis catalyst at elevated pressure and elevated temperature to obtain a product stream comprising methanol and the residual gas stream and wherein the product stream is cooled to remove methanol from the residual gas stream. Wherein a portion of the residual gas stream is removed as a purge gas stream and a portion of the hydrogen-rich synthesis gas stream is removed and combined with the purge gas stream to obtain a mixed synthesis gas stream and the mixed synthesis gas stream is sent to the hydrogen recovery stage to produce the hydrogen-containing stream.