Blue methanol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024246814-A1
Application number	US-202218561286-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 24, 2022
Priority date	May 28, 2021
Publication date	Jul 25, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and a process for producing blue methanol are provided, where blue methanol is understood as methanol produced under conditions limiting the emission of CO2. The system comprises a shift section, a CO2 removal section and in a preferred embodiment also a hydrogen recovery section, arranged downstream a methanol synthesis section.

First claim

1 . A system for producing methanol, said system comprising:
a hydrocarbon feed; a steam feed; optionally, an oxygen feed; a reformer section arranged to receive said hydrocarbon feed, said steam feed and, where present, said oxygen feed, and to provide a first synthesis gas stream; a cooling train, arranged to receive at least a portion of the first synthesis gas stream, and provide a second synthesis gas stream and a third synthesis gas stream; a methanol synthesis section arranged to receive at least a portion of the second synthesis gas stream, optionally in admixture with a hydrogen-rich stream, and to provide a raw methanol stream and a purge gas stream; a shift section arranged to receive at least a portion of said purge gas stream, at least a portion of said third synthesis gas stream and optionally a steam feed, and provide a shifted gas stream; a CO 2 removal section arranged to receive at least a portion of the shifted gas stream and provide a CO 2 -rich gas stream and a first CO 2 -depleted gas stream.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a hydrogen recovery section, said hydrogen recovery section being arranged to receive at least a portion of the first CO 2 -depleted gas stream, and to provide at least a first hydrogen-rich stream, and at least a first off-gas stream.

3 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein said system is arranged to provide at least a portion of the first off-gas stream to the reformer section as an additional hydrocarbon feed.

4 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the system is arranged to provide at least a portion of the hydrogen-rich stream to the methanol synthesis section.

5 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first CO 2 -depleted gas stream is arranged to be split into at least a second CO 2 -depleted gas stream and at least a third CO 2 -depleted gas stream and optionally wherein at least a portion of said second CO 2 -depleted gas stream is arranged to be provided to the methanol synthesis section.

6 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the hydrogen-rich gas stream and/or the off-gas stream from the hydrogen recovery section is/are arranged to be fed as fuel to the reformer section and/or an auxiliary steam boiler and/or a gas turbine.

7 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling train is arranged to provide sensible heat to produce steam, superheat steam, re-boiling duty for distillation and water preheat and/or allow for separation of condensed H 2 O.

8 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein cooling train is arranged to provide the third synthesis gas stream at a higher temperature than the second synthesis gas stream.

9 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second synthesis gas stream has a module between 1.8 and 2.2.

10 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein said steam feed is arranged to be mixed with the purge gas stream and/or the third synthesis gas stream prior to being inlet to the shift section.

11 . A process for producing methanol in a system according to claim 1 , said process comprising the steps of:
feeding the hydrocarbon feed, the steam feed and, where present, the oxygen feed to the reformer section to provide a first synthesis gas stream; feeding at least a portion of the first synthesis gas stream to the cooling train to provide a second synthesis gas and a third synthesis gas; feeding at least a portion of the second synthesis gas stream, optionally in admixture with a hydrogen-rich stream, to a methanol synthesis section and converting at least a portion of the second synthesis gas stream to a raw methanol stream and a purge gas stream; feeding at least a portion of the purge gas stream, at least a portion of the third synthesis gas stream and optionally a steam feed to the shift section, to provide a shifted gas stream; feeding at least a portion of the shifted gas stream to a CO 2 removal section to provide a first CO 2 -depleted gas stream and a CO 2 -rich gas stream.

12 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein the system further comprises a hydrogen recovery section, said process further comprising: feeding the first CO 2 -depleted gas stream to the hydrogen recovery section and separating the first CO 2 -depleted gas stream into at least a first hydrogen-rich stream, and at least a first off-gas stream.

13 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein said process further comprising: feeding at least a portion of the first off-gas stream to the reformer section as an additional hydrocarbon feed.

14 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein said process comprises providing at least a portion of the hydrogen-rich stream to the methanol synthesis section.

15 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the first CO 2 -depleted gas stream is split into at least a second CO 2 -depleted gas stream and at least a third CO 2 -depleted gas stream and optionally wherein at least a portion of said second CO 2 -depleted gas stream is provided to the methanol synthesis section.

16 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the hydrogen-rich gas stream and/or the off-gas stream from the hydrogen recovery section is/are fed to the reformer section and/or an auxiliary steam boiler and/or a gas turbine as fuel.

17 . The process according to claim 11 , comprising the step of: providing the third synthesis gas stream from said cooling train at a higher temperature than the second synthesis gas stream.

18 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein said steam feed is mixed with the purge gas stream and/or the third synthesis gas stream prior to being inlet to the shift section.

19 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein the carbon content in the combined flue gases from burning hydrogen-rich gas off-gas and hydrocarbon fuel to the system is less than 5% of the sum of carbon content in the hydrocarbon feed and hydrocarbon fuel.

20 . A plant comprising the system according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Topsoe As

Inventors

• Dahl Per Juul
• Poulsen Jesper Naimi Funch
• Blazquez Diaz Maria Luisa

Classifications

• C01B2203/0475

  the impurity being carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C01B2210/0051

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C01B2203/061

  Methanol production · CPC title

• C01B2203/0872

  Methods of cooling · CPC title

• C01B2203/0244

  the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes · CPC title