Methanol to olefins process

A process for chilling ethylene to required storage temperatures, the process comprising:

• cooling an ethylene product via indirect heat exchange with a coolant to decrease the temperature of the ethylene product to a temperature of less than −100° C., the ethylene product from at least one of an ethylene production process and an ethylene recovery process;
• mixing a portion of the cooled ethylene product with methane to form the coolant;
• expanding at least one of the coolant, the methane, and the portion of the cooled ethylene to reduce a temperature of the coolant to less than −100° C. prior to the cooling;
• and
• feeding the heat exchanged coolant to at least one of the ethylene production process, the ethylene recovery process, and an open-loop refrigeration system.

A process for conversion of methanol to olefins, the process comprising:

• contacting methanol with a catalyst in a methanol-to-olefins reactor system;
• recovering an effluent from the methanol-to-olefins reactor system comprising methane, ethane, ethylene, and C3+ hydrocarbons;
• separating the effluent at a temperature of greater than approximately −90° C. to recover a light fraction comprising the methane and a heavy fraction comprising the ethane, the ethylene, and the C3+ hydrocarbons;
• separating the heavy fraction to form an ethane-rich fraction, an ethylene-rich fraction, and one or more fractions comprising the C3+ hydrocarbons;
• cooling the ethylene-rich fraction via indirect heat exchange with a coolant, producing a cooled ethylene-rich fraction having a temperature less than about −100° C.;
• mixing a portion of the cooled ethylene-rich fraction with methane to form the coolant;
• expanding at least one of the coolant, the methane, and the portion of the cooled ethylene-rich fraction to reduce a temperature of the coolant to less than −100° C. prior to the cooling;
• and
• feeding the heat exchanged coolant to at least one of the methanol-to-olefins reactor system, the separating the effluent, and an open-loop refrigeration system used in at least one of the methanol-to-olefins reactor system and the separating the effluent.