Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft

Friedrich-Wilhelm Moller

Wolf-Dieter Muller

Heinz Jockel

Henning Buchold

Emil Supp

Gerhard Baron

Friedemann Marschner

Walter Boll

Karl Bratzler

Walter Laber

Friedrich Gutlhuber

Helmut Klein

Peter Konig

Otto-Ludwig Garkisch

Karl Pirl

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 A product mixture which contains methyl formate is withdrawn from the synthesis reactor and is cooled to temperatures in the range from 20.degree.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

The methanol vapor is mixed with a gas mixture which consists mainly of carbon dioxide and hydrogen and a high-methanol mixed feedstock is thus obtained. The mixed feedstock is fed to a first catalytic breakdown zone at an entrance temperature from 300.degree. to 400.degree. C., which contains a zinc-containing catalyst, which is indirectly heated. An intermediate having a methanol content not in excess of 1% by volume is withdrawn at a temperature in the range from 350.degree. to 600.degree. C. from the first breakdown zone and is cooled. Condensed water is removed at least in part from the intermediate, which is subsequently heated to a temperature in the range from 320.degree. to 420.degree. C. At least one-half of the heated intermediate product is supplied to a second catalytic breakdown zone, which also contains a zinc-containing catalyst, which is indirectly heated. A precursor product is withdrawn from the second breakdown zone at temperature from 350.degree. to 600.degree. C. and is cooled and aqueous condensate is withdrawn from the precursor. The product, which is subsequently supplied at an entrance temperature from 20.degree. to 80.degree. to and is passed through a separating zone, which contains a multiplicity of selectively permeable membranes. First and second gas streams are withdrawn from the separating zones. The first gas stream contains at least 90% by volume CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2. The second gas stream contains at least 30% by volume CO. The first gas stream is enriched with CO.sub.2 to provide a gas mixture, which is mixed with the methanol vapor.

Process for producing a product gas containing carbon oxides and

The invention relates to a process of converting ethylbenzene to styrene by catalytic dehydrogenation at temperatures of about 600.degree. C. in the presence of water vapor in a tubular reactor. The heat required for the dehydrogenation is fed to the tubular reactor with a molten salt bath. The dehydrogenation is effected isothermally and in a single stage under atmospheric pressure or preferable under a subatmospheric pressure with a water vapor-ethylbenzene ratio of 1.2 to 1.5 kg of water vapor per kg of ethylbenzene. The temperature of the ethylbenzene-water-vapor mixture entering the tubular reactor is maintained 50.degree. to 100.degree. C. below the temperature of the molten salt bath.

Process of converting ethylbenzene to styrene by catalytic

A high methane gas which can be substituted for natural gas is produced from a primary gas made by the gasification of coal, tar, or heavy residual oil under superatmospheric pressures. The primary gas is purified to remove catalyst poisons and is scrubbed to remove carbon dioxide to a residual content below 2% by volume. The water vapor to carbon monoxide volume ratio of the scrubbed gas is adjusted to 0.55 : 1 to 1 : 1 and is then passed through a reaction zone containing a shift conversion catalyst and a methanation catalyst in a volume ratio of approximately 1 : 4 to 1 : 10. The scrubbed gas entering the reaction zone enters the reaction zone at a temperature of 300.degree.-500.degree. C.

Process for producing a gas which can be substituted for natural gas

A gas which can be substituted for natural gas is produced from a raw gas containing hydrogen and carbon oxides which is produced by the gasification of coal, tar or heavy residual oils under superatmospheric pressure. The raw gas is cooled, purified to remove catalyst poisons, particularly sulfur compounds, and then subjected to methanation and at least two stages in contact with nickel catalysts under pressures of 5-100 bars and at temperatures in the range of 200.degree.-500.degree. C. The product gas from the preceding methanation stage is reacted in the last methanation stage in contact with a catalyst which is indirectly cooled by a gas flowing in a countercurrent to the gas to be reacted.

A reactor for catalytically converting gases containing carbon oxides, hydrogen and water vapor into methane under elevated temperatures and pressures. The reactor includes a substantially cylindrical outer shell which is provided at opposite end faces with a gas inlet and a gas outlet. An inner vessel contains part of the catalyst volume for the reactor which is impermeable to gas adjacent to the gas inlet. The inner vessel has a substantially cylindrical shell which defines a flow passage with the inner surface of the outer shell of the reactor and has openings for the radially inward passage of the gas mixture to be reacted. A perforated central gas-collecting tube containing no catalyst is positioned in the inner vessel and one or preferably two additional catalyst beds are positioned between the inner vessel and the gas outlet.

Methanation reactor

High-methane, low-hydrogen gas, interchangeable with natural gas, is prepared by reacting hydrocarbons with steam in the presence of a nickel-based catalyst at elevated temperatures and pressures. The hydrocarbons and the steam are fed to the reaction in mixture with product gas from the process from which substantially all carbon dioxide has been removed.

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Seulberg, Germany

Friedrich-Wilhelm Moller