Process for preparing a fuel for automotive applications, stationary engines and marine applications by catalytic liquid phase alcohol conversion and a compact device for carrying out the process

A process for preparing a fuel for automotive applications, stationary engines and marine applications by catalytic liquid phase conversion of the alcohol(s) of an alcohol-containing primary fuel to the corresponding ether(s), said process comprising the following steps:

• (e) suitable heating of the alcohol(s) by passage through a heat exchanger,
• (f) treatment of the heated alcohol(s) by passage through a catalyst bed under an adjusted temperature and at a controlled flow rate, whereby the alcohol(s) is/are partly converted to the corresponding ether(s), resulting in a fuel mixture containing alcohol(s) and ether(s) in the desired proportions and also containing water,
• (g) cooling the resultant water-containing mixture of alcohol(s) and ether(s) by passing it through the above heat exchanger in the opposite direction of the primary fuel flow and
• (h) optionally adding selected additives to the mixture, thereby obtaining a water-containing fuel mixture of alcohol(s) and ether(s) under auto-thermal operation conditions, said fuel mixture having specific features for a given application.