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U.S. Department of Energy
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Kinetics of the liquid phase methanol synthesis process in an entrained reactor

Book ·
OSTI ID:43180
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Akron, OH (United States)

A three-phase entrained reactor, mini-pilot plant system was designed, built, and operated to study the liquid phase methanol synthesis (LPMeOH{trademark}) process. In this reactor system syngas flows concurrently with the catalyst-oil slurry, which is continuously circulated through the entrained reactor. The kinetics of syngas conversion to methanol in the presence of the Cu/ZnO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst slurried in the oil phase, was studied in this reactor system. The effect of various operating conditions including, the temperature, the pressure, the slurry holdup tank pressure, the syngas feed rate, and the catalyst-oil slurry flow rate, on the productivity of methanol, were studied. The data obtained from this study were analyzed and a kinetic rate expression was developed for the LPMEOH process. This kinetic model is free from any pore diffusional resistances and mass transfer effects. The rate of methanol productivity predicted by this kinetic rate expression is compared with the experimental results.

OSTI ID:
43180
Report Number(s):
CONF-940930--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English