Optimization of Methanol Yield from a Lurgi Reactor

Risk assessment of methanol storage tank fire accident using hybrid FTA-SPA

Fire accidents in storage tanks are of great importance due to the difficulty in extinguishing and ease of spread to nearby products. This study aimed to introduce a framework based on FTA-based Set Pair Analysis (SPA) established via experts' elicitation to identify and assess the risk of storage tank fire. In the quantitative FTA of a system, sufficient data are only sometimes available to calculate the failure probability of the system appertains to study. Thus, the obtained result of the SPA added new value to the Basic Events (BEs) and estimated top event. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach, a fault tree of the methanol storage tank fire is performed and analyzed BEs. According to the obtained results, the fire accident was computed by 48 BEs, and the occurrence probability value of the top event was estimated 2.58E-1/year. In addition, the most crucial paths that led to the fire accident are listed in this study. The proposed approach established in the present study can assist decision-makers in determining where to take preventative or appropriate action on the storage tank system. Moreover, it can be adjusted for various systems with limited manipulation.

New Integrated Process for the Efficient Production of Methanol, Electrical Power, and Heating

In this paper, a novel process is developed to cogenerate 4741 kg/h of methanol, 297.7 kW of electricity, and 35.73 ton/h of hot water, including a hydrogen purification system, an absorption–compression refrigeration cycle (ACRC), a regenerative Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), and parabolic solar troughs. The heat produced in the methanol reactor is recovered in the ORC and ACRC. Parabolic solar troughs provide thermal power to the methanol distillation tower. Thermal efficiencies of the integrated structure and the liquid methanol production cycle are 78.14% and 60.91%, respectively. The process’s total exergy efficiency and irreversibility are 89.45% and 16.89 MW. The solar thermal collectors take the largest share of exergy destruction (34%), followed by heat exchangers (30%) and mixers (19%). Based on the sensitivity analysis, D17 (mixture of H2 and low-pressure fuel gas before separation) was the most influential stream affecting the performance of the process. With the temperature decline of stream D17 from −139 to −149 °C, the methanol production rate and the total thermal efficiency rose to 4741.2 kg/h and 61.02%, respectively. Moreover, the growth in the hydrogen content from 55% to 80% molar of the feed gas, the flow rate of liquid methanol, and the total exergy efficiency declined to 4487 kg/h and 86.05%.

A novel approach for kinetic measurements in exothermic fixed bed reactors: advancements in non-isothermal bed conditions demonstrated for methanol synthesis

A novel approach for the investigation of reaction kinetics using a polytropic miniplant reactor featuring a highly resolved fibre optic temperature measurement and FTIR gas phase analysis is presented for methanol synthesis.

Methanol Production from Pyrolysis Oil Gasification—Model Development and Impacts of Operating Conditions

A novel process model simulating methanol production through pyrolysis oil gasification was developed, validated, then used to predict the effect of operating conditions on methanol production yield. The model comprised gasification, syngas post-treatment, and methanol synthesis units. The model was validated using experimental data from the literature, and the results obtained by the model were consistent with reference data. The simulation results revealed that gasification temperature has a significant impact on syngas composition. Indeed, rising temperature from 400 °C to 600 °C leads to higher syngas stoichiometric number (SN) value. Conversely, SN value decreases when the gasifier temperature is above 1000 °C. Moisture content in pyrolysis oil also affects both syngas composition and SN value; an increase in the first (from 10 to 30%) leads to an increase in SN value. The Rectisol unit deeply influences the syngas SN value and methanol yield, the best results being obtained with operating conditions of −20 °C and 40 bar. Increasing the operating temperature of the methanol synthesis unit from 150 °C to 250 °C leads to an increase in the yield of methanol production; the yield decreases beyond 250 °C. Although high pressures favor the methanol production yield, the operating pressure in the synthesis unit is limited at 50 bar for practical considerations (e.g., equipment price, equipment requirements, or operational risks).

Process simulation for the production of methanol via CO2 reforming of methane route

Methanol is an essential chemical building block for the synthesis of numerous industrial products, and has the potential of becoming an alternative fuel. In this study, a simulation of methanol production process was carried out using Aspen Plus software. The process involves two stages, namely syngas production through the dry reforming of methane (DRM) in a reformer reactor and the actual methanol production by the conversion of the syngas obtained. Plug reactor unit operation was employed for the conversion of syngas from the DRM reactor to methanol. Thereafter, the influence of various operating parameters including DRM temperature, plug reactor specification temperature, and pressure effects was studied via the model analysis tool. A rundown of the optimal conditions obtained are DRM temperature of 1050 °C for better conversion of feed and minimal carbon deposit, CH4/CO2 ratio of 0.71, plug reactor constant temperature of 198 °C for optimum methanol yield (4600 kmol) for the given gaseous feed flow rates (5000 kmol/h methane and 7000 kmol/h CO2).

Syn-gas from waste: the reduction of CO2 with H2S

In this paper, we demonstrate that syngas (H₂/CO) can be produced from oil waste (H₂S/CO₂) forming SO₂ and S as secondary products at 600–800 °C in a flow reactor set-up.