Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft

Emil Supp

Friedemann Marschner

Gerhard Cornelius

Heinz Jockel

Heinz Hiller

Paul Rudolph

Hans Kupfer

Walter Boll

Gerhard Grunewald

Friedrich-Wilhelm Moller

Gunter Pockrandt

Friedrich W Moller

Gerhard Hochgesand

Hagen Krumm

Peter Konig

Theodor Voeste

Toma Varlam

Friedmann Marschner

Lutz Weidemann

Methanol is catalytically produced from a synthesis gas which contains H.sub.2, CO and CO.sub.2 in a synthesis reactor at temperatures from 220.degree. to 300.degree. C. and under a pressure in the range from 20 to 120 bars. A product mixture which contains methyl formate is withdrawn from the synthesis reactor and is cooled to temperatures in the range from 20.degree. to 60.degree. to provide a condensate which contains methanol, water and methylformate. A gas mixture which contains H.sub.2, CO and CO.sub.2 is formed at the same time. A fraction which comprises 10 to 100% by weight methyl formate is separated from the condensate and is admixed with the synthesis gas which is fed to the synthesis reactor.

Process of producing methanol

In a reforming reactor operated with reactor outlet temperatures from 600.degree. to 1300.degree. C. and under a pressure from 10 to 100 bars, a methane-containing hydrocarbon gas is reacted with oxygen and water vapor. The reforming reactor is additionally fed with a high-hydrogen gas, which contains free hydrogen. The raw synthesis gas withdrawn from the reforming reactor is mainly composed of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Without a removal of carbon dioxide from the raw synthesis gas, a synthesis gas is produced, which is suitable for the methanol synthesis and in which the concentrations of the components H.sub.2, CO and CO.sub.2 have a molar ratio (H.sub.2 -CO.sub.2): (CO+CO.sub.2), called the stoichiometric number, from 1.97 to 2.2. In case of need, the stoichiometry number can be adjusted by adding hydrogen to the raw synthesis gas coming from the reforming reactor.

Process of producing a synthesis gas for methanol synthesis

Gases which are rich in carbon monoxide are producted by a catalytic cracking of gaseous or vaporized hydrocarbons. A part of the hydrocarbons is combusted with an oxygen-containing gas which is added at a rate that is twice to ten times the stoichiometric oxygen demand. The combustion temperature are between 800.degree. and 1500.degree. C. The oxygen-containing combustion gas is admixed to the preheated remainder of the hydrocarbon and a mixture is producted which is at a temperature between about 700.degree. and about 1300.degree. C. That mixture is passed through a fixed bed consisting of a granular cracking catalyst. A high-CO product gas at a temperature between about 800.degree. and about 1150.degree. C. is withdrawn from the fixed bed.

Process of producing a gas which is rich in carbon monoxide by a

A reactor is provided for producing methanol by the reaction of synthesis gases containing carbon oxides and hydrogen in contact with a copper containing catalyst positioned in the reactor in catalyst tubes surrounded by boiling water under pressure. The catalyst tubes are made from a metallic material which is catalytically inactive with respect to the methanol synthesis gas and have approximately the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the shell of the reactor. The catalyst tubes are made of a steel composed of mixed austeniticferritic structure and containing 10-30% by weight chromium.

Reactor for producing methanol and process

A method of controlling the equilibrium conditions and of simultaneously producing steam under high pressure in the production of methanol by a reaction of oxides of carbon and of hydrogen-containing gases at temperatures of 200.degree. to 300.degree. C. under a pressure of 20 to 100 bars at a copper-containing catalyst, which is contained within the reactor in tubes, which are indirectly cooled by boiling water under pressure, wherein the resulting steam is withdrawn together with circulating water and is separated from the water, the water is recycled and the evaporated water is replaced by feed water. According to the invention the process is carried out in such a manner that a perforated thin intermediate bottom plate is provided in the reactor spaced 20 to 150 cm over the lower tube plate, the reactor is fed with the circulating water above that intermediate bottom and with feed water below that intermediate bottom, the gaseous reaction mixture is cooled by 20.degree. to 50.degree. C. in the lower part of the catalyst-filled tubes in a tube length of 20 to 150 cm, the feed water is heated in the reactor to temperatures of 230.degree. to 290.degree. C. with evaporation of part of the feed water, the resulting mixture of steam and circulating water is separated, the circulating water is recycled and the resulting high-pressure steam is withdrawn. In this method, steam under a pressure above 60 bars can be produced whereas only a pressure of 40 bars has been reached heretofore.

Method of obtaining improved equilibrium conditions and of

In the production of methanol from gaseous hydrocarbons having a lower C/H ratio than is stoichiometrically required to produce methanol and comprising the steps of catalytically cracking said hydrocarbons in the presence of water vapor at about 830.degree. to 930.degree. C. and about 5 to 30 bars to produce a synthesis gas consisting essentially of hydrogen and oxides of carbon, and subsequently catalytically converting said synthesis gas of hydrogen and oxides of carbon to methanol at about 230.degree. to 280.degree. C. and about 30 to 150 bars, the improvement which comprises transferring heat from the hot synthesis gas to the hydrocarbon-water vapor mixture flowing through the cracking catalyst thereby providing at least part of the heat required for the catalytic cracking of the hydrocarbons and reducing the consumption of thermal-/energy per unit of methanol produced. Advantageously, heat transfer is effected by passing the hot synthesis gas through a convoluted or corrugated tube embedded in the hydrocarbon cracking catalyst. Gaseous carbon-containing constituents of the methanol synthesis exhaust gas are removed by adsorption, and desorption; CO.sub.2 may later be removed from the residual methanol synthesis exhaust gas by methanol scrubbing and subsequent stripping, both the desorbed constituents and the CO.sub.2 being mixed with the hydrocarbons before they are cracked, whereby the C/H ratio of the hydrocarbon feed is raised and the consumption of the thermal-/energy per unit of methanol produced is reduced.

Production of methanol

A process for the catalytic production of gasoline hydrocarbons from synthesis gas comprising carbon oxides and hydrogen is disclosed wherein the synthesis gas is fed initially to a methanol synthesis and thereafter effluent from the methanol synthesis is converted to gasoline hydrocarbons in a gasoline synthesis stage. The invention resides in that the entire effluent from the methanol synthesis stage is fed to the gasoline synthesis stage and at least a portion of the residual gases from the gasoline synthesis stage comprising carbon oxides, hydrogen, methane and minor amounts of C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbons is fed to the methanol synthesis stage together with fresh synthesis gas.

Process of producing gasoline from synthesis gas

In the production of methanol from gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons having a higher C/H ratio than is stoichiometrically required to produce methanol, wherein said hydrocarbons are catalytically cracked in the presence of water vapor and at a temperature of about 350.degree.-950.degree. C. and under a pressure of about 5-30 bars to produce a synthesis gas containing hydrogen and oxides of carbon, followed by a catalytic reaction of the hydrogen with the oxides of carbon at a temperature of about 230.degree.-280.degree. C. and under a pressure of about 30-150 bars to produce methanol, the improvement which comprises treating the methanol synthesis exhaust gas so as to remove therefrom carbonaceous gaseous constituents so that the residual gas is high in hydrogen, and adding said high-hydrogen residual gas to the hydrocarbons prior to cracking in an amount such that the C/H ratio of the material to be cracked is up to about 5.7, thereby reducing the energy consumption per unit of methanol produced. Advantageously, the cracking of said hydrocarbons is effected in two stages, the carbonaceous gaseous constituents removed from the methanol synthesis exhaust gas being used for indirect heating of the second cracking stage. The removal of the carbonaceous gaseous constituents from the methanol synthesis exhaust gas is effected by contacting such exhaust gas with a molecular sieve, at least part of the high-hydrogen residual gas being added to the hydrocarbons before the second stage, the mixture of hydrocarbons and high-hydrogen residual gas being treated to effect hydrogenation and desulfurization of the hydrocarbons.

A process for producing methanol wherein coal is gasified by a treatment with water vapor and oxygen at elevated temperature, the resulting gas is cooled and is scrubbed with an organic solvent to remove impurities from the gas, the carbon oxides contained in the gas are catalytically reacted with hydrogen to form methanol, and the methanol is separated, the improvement comprises subjecting the residual gas left after the separation of the methanol to a catalytic cracking treatment with water vapor under pressure and at elevated temperature to form hydrogen and carbon oxides and cooling the cracked gas and recycling it to the methanol synthesis.

Process for producing methanol

The sensible heat contained in exhaust gases formed in chemical reactions is utilized to produce energy. The exhaust gas is conducted as a counterflow to the product gas and is heated and expanded with the performance work.

Process for producing energy

Methanol is produced by a process wherein

Fossil fuels such as coal or oil are gasified by treatment under superatmospheric pressures with oxygen containing gasifying agents to produce a primary gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The primary gas is desulfurized and converted in increasing portion into methanol which is stored as the load on the power plant increases. An increasing proportion of the stored methanol is used in addition to desulfurized primary gas in the power plant as the load on the power plant increases.

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Dietzenbach, Germany

Emil Supp