Method and apparatus for producing methanol with hydrocarbon recycling
AssigneeGas Technologies LLC
InventorsNathan Pawlak, Vladimir Vedeneev
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of producing methanol includes reacting a heated hydrocarbon-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas in a reactor; to provide a product stream comprising methanol; and transferring heat from the product stream to the hydrocarbon-containing gas to heat the hydrocarbon containing gas. After removing methanol and CO2 from the product stream, unprocessed hydrocarbons are mixed with the hydrocarbon containing gas fro reprocessing through the reactor.
Claims29
A method of producing methanol, comprising:
- supplying a first stream of heated hydrocarbon-containing gas into a reactor;
- supplying into the reactor an oxygen-containing gas;
- carrying out in the reactor oxidation of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream by oxygen of the oxygen-containing gas to provide a product stream comprising methanol and formaldehyde;
- and transferring heat from the product stream to the first stream of hydrocarbon-containing gas;
- removing the methanol from the product stream;
- and
- removing CO2 from the product stream to form a reduced product stream comprising hydrocarbons, wherein the first stream comprises at least a portion of the reduced product stream.
An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising:
- a reactor;
- a first hydrocarbon-containing gas supply means for supplying into the reactor a first hydrocarbon-containing gas stream;
- means for supplying into the reactor an oxygen-containing gas, so that in said reactor a reaction of oxidation of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas with oxygen of the oxygen-containing gas takes place to produce a product stream comprising formaldehyde and methanol;
- a means for removing CO2 and formaldehyde from the product stream;
- and
- wherein the first stream comprises a portion of the product stream.
An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising:
- a reactor;
- a first hydrocarbon-containing gas stream coupled to the reactor;
- a supply of an oxygen containing gas coupled to the reactor to facilitate a reaction of oxidation of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas with oxygen of the oxygen-containing gas to produce a product stream comprising formaldehyde and methanol;
- a second hydrocarbon-containing gas stream, downstream of the first hydrocarbon-containing gas stream, for supplying into the reactor a cold hydrocarbon-containing gas to be directly mixed with a mixture of the hydrocarbon-containing gas and the oxygen-containing comprising formaldehyde and methanol;
- a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the product stream to the first hydrocarbon-containing gas stream;
- a mechanism configured to remove CO2 from the product stream;
- and
- wherein the first stream comprises a potion of the product stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.