Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft

Gerhard Cornelius

Heinz Jockel

Emil Supp

Hans Kupfer

Friedemann Marschner

Walter Boll

Friedrich W Moller

Wolfgang Hilsebein

Adolf W Gessner

Helmut Ried

Toma Varlam

Friedmann Marschner

Gasoline hydrocarbons are produced by a catalytic conversion of methanol under a pressure of about 5 to 100 bars and at temperatures of about 250.degree. to 500.degree. C. The high-hydrocarbon product of the conversion is cooled so as to condense gasoline hydrocarbons. Tail gas is separated and then compressed and recycled to the conversion. In a heating step, liquid methanol is injected into a mixture of tail gas and methanol vapor and the liquid methanol is entirely evaporated. The resulting mixture of tail gas and methanol vapor is heated by about 10.degree. to 40.degree. C. by an indirect heat exchange with the high-hydrocarbon product. The heating step consists of the injection of liquid methanol and of the heating of the mixture of tail gas and methanol vapor and is repeated at least twice. The mixture at a temperature of about 280.degree. to 360.degree. C. is supplied to the catalytic conversion. Immediately before the first injection of liquid methanol, the tail gas is usually at a temperature in the range of about 60.degree. to 120.degree. C. The rate at which liquid methanol is injected in one heating step is preferably controlled so that the temperature of the mixture of tail gas and methanol vapor is reduced by about 10.degree. to 40.degree. C.

Method of producing gasoline hydrocarbons from methanol

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

A reactor for reacting hydrocarbons with steam to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen containing gases in the presence of a catalyst contained in a reaction tube and indirectly heated by heating fluid which is a gas that has been used to cool a nuclear reactor. The reaction tubes are surrounded by the heating fluid over a portion of their length in a heating zone and the other portion thereof is positioned outside of the heating zone. The reaction tubes are provided with one or more conduits for feeding of reactants and one or more conduits for discharging product gas.

Tubular heater for cracking hydrocarbons

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

A reactor for reacting gaseous or vaporized hydrocarbons with water vapor to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen containing gases in the presence of a catalyst. The catalyst is contained in indirectly heated tubes in a heating zone which contains the gaseous heating fluid. The catalyst tubes extend through the reactor housing and at least partly into a heating zone defined by the reactor housing. The portion of the tubes extending into the reactor housing are surrounded by an inner shielding wall which is permeable to an outer shielding wall disposed within the reactor housing and defining a flow passage therewith.

Growing community of inventors

Bergen-Enkheim, Germany

Gerhard Cornelius