Low CO2 emissions methanol process and production apparatus

A low-CO2 emission methanol process, comprising the steps of:

• a) mixing a hydrocarbon feed stock with water to form a mixed feed stream;
• b) reforming the mixed feed stream in a reforming furnace comprising a radiant section and a convection section to form a syngas stream;
• c) supplying air and a carbon-lean fuel stream comprising hydrogen to fire the radiant section;
• d) passing flue gas from the radiant section to the convection section;
• e) cooling the flue gas in the convection section and optionally removing particulates from the flue gas;
• f) discharging the cooled flue gas, wherein the flue gas is lean in CO2;
• g) cooling the syngas stream;
• h) passing the cooled syngas stream directly to an absorber-stripper unit to produce a CO2 rich stream and a CO2-lean syngas stream;
• i) compressing and passing the CO2-lean syngas stream to a methanol reactor loop to produce a methanol-rich stream, wherein the methanol reactor loop comprises a methanol synthesis reactor, a methanol recovery section to recover a crude methanol stream and a recycle syngas stream, and a recycle compressor to compress the recycle syngas stream to a pressure of the reactor, wherein the pressure of the reactor is higher than a pressure of the mixed feed stream in step (b);
• j) processing the crude methanol stream in a methanol wash unit to recover a methanol product, a condensate stream, and a fusel oil stream;
• k) supplying a purge stream from the methanol reactor loop to a pressure swing adsorption unit to obtain a hydrogen-rich stream and a hydrogen-lean tail gas stream;
• l) supplying the hydrogen-rich stream to the carbon-lean fuel stream in step (c);
• m) supplying at least a portion of the tail gas stream from step (k) to the hydrocarbon feed stock in step (a);
• n) purging a remaining portion of the tail gas stream from step (l) to the carbon-lean fuel stream in step (c).