Integrated indirect heat transfer process for the production of syngas and olefins by catalytic partial oxidation and cracking

A process for producing methanol and ethylene comprising the following steps:

• (a) feeding a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reactant mixture to a CPO reaction zone;
• wherein the CPO reactant mixture comprises oxygen, hydrocarbons, and optionally steam;
• wherein the CPO reaction zone comprises a CPO catalyst;
• wherein at least a portion of the CPO reactant mixture reacts under near-isothermal conditions, via an exothermic CPO reaction, in the CPO reaction zone to produce syngas;
• wherein the near-isothermal conditions comprise a temperature variation of less than about +100° C. across the CPO reaction zone and/or a catalyst bed thereof, and wherein the catalyst bed comprises the CPO catalyst;
• wherein the syngas comprises hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and unreacted hydrocarbons, and wherein the syngas is characterized by an M ratio of the syngas, wherein the M ratio is a molar ratio defined as (H2−CO2)/(CO+CO2);
• (b) feeding a cracking zone feed to a cracking zone, wherein the cracking zone feed comprises ethane;
• wherein at least a portion of the ethane undergoes an endothermic cracking reaction in the cracking zone to produce a cracking zone product stream;
• wherein the cracking zone product stream comprises ethylene, hydrogen, and unreacted ethane;
• (c) cooling the CPO reaction zone;
• wherein cooling the CPO reaction zone comprises heating the cracking zone while cooling the CPO reaction zone by heat transfer between the CPO reaction zone and the cracking zone;
• and wherein the heat transfer between the CPO reaction zone and the cracking zone provides for near-isothermal conditions in the CPO reaction zone;
• (d) separating at least a portion of the cracking zone product stream in a separation unit into an ethylene stream, a hydrogen stream, and an unreacted ethane stream;
• (e) contacting at least a portion of the hydrogen stream with at least a portion of the syngas to produce a hydrogen-enriched syngas, wherein the hydrogen-enriched syngas is characterized by an M ratio greater than the M ratio of the syngas, and wherein the M ratio of the hydrogen-enriched syngas is equal to or greater than about 1.7;
• (f) optionally recycling at least a portion of the unreacted ethane stream to the cracking zone in step (b);
• and
• (g) introducing at least a portion of the syngas and/or at least a portion of the hydrogen-enriched syngas to a methanol reactor to produce methanol.