Method of manufacturing methanol

Abstract

A natural gas having steam and carbon dioxide added thereto is supplied into a reaction tube of a reformer provided with the reaction tube and a combustion radiation section for heating the reaction tube by combustion of a fuel so as to carry out a reaction between the hydrocarbon contained in the natural gas and the steam added to the natural gas, thereby forming a synthetic gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Then, the synthetic gas is subjected to a reaction in the presence of a methanol synthesizing catalyst. A crude methanol obtained is subjected to a gas-liquid separation. Further, a liquid crude methanol separated in the separation is distilled. In the particular methanol manufacturing process, a part of the purge gas obtained in the separation is recycled into the natural gas having steam and carbon dioxide added thereto in advance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.