# US 8,772,360 B2 · Generating methanol using ultrapure, high pressure hydrogen

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- Number: US 8,772,360 B2
- Document ID: US8772360B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/115,780
- Filed: 2011-05-25
- Published: 2011-12-01
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2010-05-25
- Assignees: GTLpetrol LLC
- Applicants: Rodney J. Allam
- Inventors: Rodney J. Allam
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8772360B2

## CPC

- C07C 29/1518: {one step being the formation of initial mixture of carbon oxides and hydrogen for synthesis}
- B01J 19/0053: {Details of the reactor}
- B01J 19/245: {placed in series}
- C01B 3/36: using oxygen; using mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
- C01B 3/382: Processes with two or more reaction steps, of which at least one is catalytic, e.g. steam reforming and partial oxidation
- C01B 3/384: with external heating of the catalyst
- C01B 13/0248: {Physical processing only}
- B01J 2219/00051: Controlling the temperature
- B01J 2219/00873: Heat exchange
- B01J 2219/00905: Separation
- B01J 2219/0875: Gas
- B01J 2219/24: Stationary reactors without moving elements inside
- C01B 2203/0233: the reforming step being a steam reforming step
- C01B 2203/0244: the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes
- C01B 2203/025: containing a partial oxidation step
- C01B 2203/04: containing a purification step for the hydrogen or the synthesis gas
- C01B 2203/0495: the impurity being water
- C01B 2203/061: Methanol production
- C01B 2203/0844: the non-combustive exothermic reaction being another reforming reaction as defined in groups C01B2203/02 - C01B2203/0294
- C01B 2203/0894: Generation of steam
- C01B 2210/0046: Nitrogen
- Y02P 20/10: Process efficiency
- Y02P 20/129: Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
- Y02P 20/50: Improvements relating to the production of bulk chemicals
- C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

In various implementations, methanol is produced using a (CO+H2) containing synthesis gas produced from a combined PDX plus EHTR or a combined ATR plus EHTR at a pressure of 70 bar to 100 bar at the correct stoichiometric composition for methanol synthesis so that no feed gas compressor is required for the feed to the methanol synthesis reactor loop.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing methanol, comprising;
producing oxygen in an air separation plant with air compressors driven by a gas turbine;
heating a hydrocarbon feed stream using exhaust from the gas turbine;
exothermically reacting a first portion of the heated hydrocarbon feed stream with at least one of steam or an oxidant gas comprising molecular oxygen to produce an exothermically generated syngas product;
endothermically reforming a second portion of the hydrocarbon feed stream with steam over a catalyst in a heat exchange reformer to produce an endothermically-reformed syngas product, wherein at least a portion of heat used in generation of the endothermically-reformed syngas product is obtained by recovering heat from the exothermically-generated syngas product and the endothermically reformed syngas product;
combining the exothermically generated syngas product and the endothermically-reformed syngas product to produce a combined syngas stream;
producing steam in a waste heat boiler by cooling the combined syngas stream, where the combined syngas stream leaving the waste heat boiler has a pressure from 70 bar to 100 bar;
separating water from the cooled combined syngas to produce a methanol plant feed at substantially reaction loop pressure and having less than about 2% CH4 and less than about 0.2% H2O;
after separating water, passing the cooled combined syngas to a methanol plant; and
combining methanol plant combustible effluent with methane fuel to the gas turbine.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the exothermically-generated syngas product is generated using a partial oxidation burner followed by a catalytic reforming section in a convectively heated steam plus hydrocarbon reformer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream includes methane.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the exothermically generated syngas product has a temperature greater than about 1000° C.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the endothermic reforming occurs at a pressure of about 70 bars or greater.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising producing substantially pure methanol using the cooled combined syngas at a rate of about 700 metric tons per day.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the substantially pure methanol includes about 95% or greater methanol.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cooled combined syngas is passed to the methanol plant independent of using a feed stream compressor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cooled combined syngas is passed to the methanol plant at a pressure in a range from about 70 to 100 bars.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the hydrocarbon feed stream includes a steam to active carbon ratio in a range of about 5 to 8.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a gas-heated catalytic reformer (GHR) produces the endothermically-reformed syngas product by using catalyst filled tubes mounted in a vertical bundle with an inlet tube sheet at a top end and open bottom outlet ends.