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US 4,772,634 AGranted
Apparatus and method for methanol production using a fuel cell to regulate the gas composition entering the methanol synthesizer
AssigneeEnergy Research Corporation
InventorMohammad Farooque
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methanol production is realized by utilizing a fuel cell to control the gas composition of the synthesis gas stream being fed to the methanol synthesizer.
Claims11
Apparatus for methanol production comprising:
- means for receiving a hydrocarbon feed and for producing therefrom a synthesizer feed gas containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide;
- fuel cell means following said reformer means for receiving the synthesizer feed gas from said reformer means and for consuming as fuel a preselected portion of the hydrogen in the synthesizer feed gas to realize a desired value for the stoichiometric number of the synthesizer feed gas;
- and methanol synthesis means following said fuel cell means for receiving the synthesizer feed gas from said fuel cell means and for producing methanol gas therefrom
A method of producing methanol comprising:
- reforming a hydrocarbon feed to produce a synthesizer feed gas containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide;
- consuming a preselected portion of the hydrogen in the synthesizer feed gas by passing the synthesizer feed gas through a fuel cell which utilizes a preselected portion of hydrogen in the synthesizer feed gas as fuel;
- processing the synthesizer feed gas after passage through said fuel cell to produce methanol from the synthesizer feed gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.