Liquid phase methanol gasification. [US Patent]
Chem Systems' new gasification process produces methane from methanol by using a single reactor of simple design and configuration, eliminating the need for a recycle compressor and steam injection by introducing methanol into a liquid-phase system containing a catalyst slurry. The liquid phase, an inert fluidizing material such as mineral oil, facilitates the contact of the gaseous methanol with the catalyst and serves as a heat sink. The hot, inert liquid may be removed from the reactor, cooled, and recycled. This approach completely eliminates the need for an external steam generator. Because steam is generated as a by-product and because the inert liquid dissolves at least some of the steam, adequate steam injection occurs merely by cooling and recycling the water-bearing inert liquid. The fluidizing medium flows upward so as to expand the volume of catalyst by at least 5% at a temperature of 437 to 932/sup 0/F (225 to 500/sup 0/C). The liquid-phase fluidizing medium is capable of dissolving from 0.1 to 10 wt % of water under reaction conditions. The space velocity (defined here as the volume of methanol vapor/h divided by the volume of catalyst) in the reaction zone may range from 537 to 10,730 SCF/cu ft (500 to 10,000 Ncu m/cu m) reactor-hours. Substantially all of the methanol is converted to methane; the gaseous product has less than 1.7 mole % (dry) carbon monoxide.
- Assignee:
- Chem Systems
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3920716
- OSTI ID:
- 6520059
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ALCOHOLS
ALKANES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CATALYSTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTORS
GASIFICATION
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
METHANE
METHANOL
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SYNTHESIS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES