Methanol
AssigneeImperial Chemical Industries PLC
InventorAlwyn Pinto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A methanol production process including synthesis gas generation, methanol synthesis and methanol distillation includes an autonomous system in which low pressure steam is raised by heat exchange with a fluid stream at 120.degree.-300.degree. C. in the process, the low pressure steam is used as live steam to heat at least distillation column in the distillation section and bottoms water from a distillation column in that section is used as feed to the autonomous steam system.
Claims11
In a methanol production process comprising the steps of generating methanol synthesis gas, synthesizing methanol, recovering crude methanol and purifying the crude methanol by distillation in at least one column in which water is taken as bottoms, the improvement which comprises heating at least one distillation column by live steam generated at low pressure by heat exchange of said bottoms water with at least one fluid stream having a temperature in the range 120.degree. to 300.degree. C. produced during the said generating and synthesizing steps.
In a methanol production process comprising the steps of:
- generating methanol synthesis gas;
- synthesizing methanol;
- recovering crude methanol;
- purifying crude methanol by distillation in at least one column in which water is taken as bottoms;
- and
- in the course of said generation or said synthesis producing at least one fluid stream having a temperature in the range 120.degree. to 300.degree. C.;
- the improvement which comprises:
- bringing said bottoms water into heat exchange with at least one of said fluid streams to generate low pressure steam;
- and
- piping said low pressure steam from the said heat exchange to at least one said column in which water is taken as bottoms and injecting the said piped steam live into the liquid at the bottom of the column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.