METHANOL PRODUCTION PROCESS Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: industrial organic synthesis. SUBSTANCE: process comprises following stages: hydrocarbon-containing gas desulfurization, generation of synthesis gas in reforming reactor, synthesis gas compression, and catalytic conversion of synthesis gas into methanol in reactor set composed of several catalytic reactors, said catalytic conversion stage including heating and converting synthesis gas into methanol in each reactor, heating reaction products and isolating methanol after each reactor, and recycling tailing gases. In the first two downstream reactor-set reactors, methanol synthesis process is carried out at 160-320 C, pressure 3.0-4.5 MPa, volume flow rate between 500 and 10000 h^-1 and, in the last two downstream reactor-set reactors, respectively: 160-300, 5.0-8.0, and 1000-10000. Synthesis gas is fed into methanol-synthesis reactor set at hydrogen-to-carbon monoxide molar ratio (2-5):1. Exhausted steam escaping reactor set and steam formed by reforming reactor effluent gases are conveyed into steam turbine to produce electric power. Part of produced methanol is used as absorbent in absorption-desorption unit of plant to concentrate carbon dioxide in the part of tailing gas stream conveyed into reforming reactor. Aqueous bottoms of methanol-concentration rectifiers are fed into catalytic reactor wherein water if freed from methanol and cleaned water, without additional treatment, is fed into hydrocarbon stock reforming reactor. EFFECT: reduced power consumption. 6 cl, 1 dwg, 2 ex