Method for reducing oxygenate recycle in mto conversion

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for reducing heavy oxygenate recycle in an MTO reaction zone are disclosed. After separating products and water from the MTO reaction effluent, an oxygenate-rich stream is passed to a conversion zone where the methanol in the oxygenate-rich stream is converted to DME. The DME-rich stream is separated from the heavy oxygenates and recycled back to the MTO reaction zone. The conversion zone can include a reactive distillation column, or the conversion zone can include a reaction vessel and a separate separation vessel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a method for converting methanol into olefins, and more specifically to a method for reducing byproducts recycled to a methanol-olefin reactor. Background Technology

[0002] Plastics and rubbers are widely used. These plastics and rubbers are produced by the polymerization of monomers, typically derived from petroleum. Monomers are generated by breaking down larger molecules into smaller, modifiable molecules. The monomers are then reacted to produce larger molecules containing monomer chains. A significant example of these monomers is light olefins, including ethylene and propylene, which represent a large portion of global demand in the petrochemical industry. Light olefins, along with other monomers, are used to produce a variety of chemical products via polymerization, oligomerization, alkylation, and other well-known chemical reactions. Therefore, the economical production of large quantities of light olefin materials is a focus of the petrochemical industry. These monomers are an essential component of the modern petrochemical and chemical industries. In today's refining processes, the primary source of these materials is the steam cracking of petroleum feedstock.

[0003] As demand increases, other sources of monomers provide an increase in supply while becoming more economical. These sources include natural gas and coal conversion, where natural gas and coal are converted into oxygenated compounds, and subsequently, these oxygenated compounds are converted into light olefins. The product streams from the oxygenated-to-olefins conversion process require purification to recover the light olefins. Because the conversion of petroleum feedstocks to light olefins has different chemical properties, the separation and purification process streams from the oxygenated-to-olefins conversion process are different.

[0004] The production of light olefins (such as ethylene and propylene) from oxygen-containing compounds, specifically methanol, also generates a variety of oxygen-containing byproducts. While some of these byproducts can be recovered and recycled back to the conversion reactor, others can foul and clog downstream equipment, and can also cause separation problems (such as emulsions, foaming, and oil entrainment).

[0005] In commercial methanol-to-olefins (MTO) designs, oxygenated compounds are recycled back to the MTO reactor, leading to an accumulation of oxygenated compound concentrations during reactor recycling. As used herein, the general terms methanol-to-olefins or MTO are intended to refer to any oxygenated compound-to-olefin conversion method that can be covered by this disclosure. While recycling dimethyl ether (DME) and methanol is desirable to maintain high utilization rates of MTO feedstock to hydrocarbon products, the recycling of problematic oxygenated compounds (ketones, aldehydes) causes processing problems.

[0006] Therefore, there is still a need for effective and efficient methods to remove unwanted or undesirable oxygenated compounds from the recirculated stream entering the MTO reactor. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides one or more methods for effectively and efficiently removing unwanted or undesirable oxygen-containing compounds from the recirculation stream entering an MTO reactor. Specifically, according to the method of the invention, methanol, which is one of the desired components in the recirculation stream, is converted to distilled methanol (DME). Conversion to DME allows the desired oxygen-containing compounds to be more easily separated from undesirable oxygen-containing compounds in the recirculation stream. Specifically, DME is the most volatile (boiling point -24°C) oxygen-containing component in the recirculation stream and can be easily separated from other oxygen-containing compounds by distillation. Acetaldehyde (boiling point 20.2°C) and acetone (boiling point 56°C) are more volatile than methanol (boiling point 67.4°C) and require separate distillation steps to remove acetone and acetaldehyde from methanol. Furthermore, heavier oxygen-containing byproducts (less volatile than methanol) need to be removed from methanol to allow for the recycling of methanol and DME, requiring another distillation step. However, by converting methanol to DME, the separation between desired and undesirable oxygen-containing compounds is achieved effectively and efficiently. In some methods of the present invention, the conversion and separation are carried out in the same container; while in other methods of the present invention, the conversion and separation are carried out in different containers. Furthermore, smaller oxygen-containing compounds such as acetone and acetaldehyde can be converted into heavier oxygen-containing compounds, which are more readily separated from DME.

[0008] Therefore, in at least one aspect, the present invention is characterized by providing a method for reducing the recycling of heavy oxygenated compounds in an MTO reaction zone, the method comprising the steps of: separating an effluent containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water from the MTO reaction zone into a hydrocarbon product stream containing light olefins and an aqueous stream containing oxygenated compounds and water; separating the aqueous stream into an aqueous stream having a reduced amount of oxygenated compounds and an oxygenated compound-rich stream; increasing the amount of DME in the oxygenated compound-rich stream and separating the oxygenated compound-rich stream into a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygenated compound-rich stream; and recycling at least a portion of the DME-rich stream back to the MTO reaction zone.

[0009] In at least one aspect, the invention is further characterized by providing a method for reducing the recycling of heavy oxygenated compounds in an MTO reaction zone, the method comprising the steps of: feeding a methanol-containing feed stream into an MTO reaction zone comprising a reactor operating under conditions providing an effluent stream containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water; feeding the effluent stream into a product separation zone configured to separate the effluent stream into a product stream containing light olefins and an aqueous stream containing oxygenated compounds and water; feeding the aqueous stream into an oxygenated compound stripping zone configured to provide an oxygenated compound-rich stream and an aqueous stream with reduced amounts of oxygenated compounds; feeding the oxygenated compound-rich stream into a conversion zone configured to convert methanol into DME, the conversion zone comprising a vessel and configured to provide a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygenated compound-rich stream; and feeding the DME-rich stream back into the MTO reaction zone.

[0010] Furthermore, in at least one aspect, the invention can also be characterized as follows: the apparatus includes: an MTO reaction zone comprising a reactor operating under conditions of providing an effluent stream containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water; a product separation zone configured to separate the effluent stream into a product stream containing light olefins and an aqueous stream containing oxygenated compounds and water; an oxygenated compound stripping zone configured to provide an oxygenated compound-rich stream and an aqueous stream with a reduced amount of oxygenated compounds; and a conversion zone configured to convert methanol to DME, the conversion zone comprising a vessel and configured to provide a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygenated compound-rich stream; wherein the DME-rich stream is recycled to the reaction zone.

[0011] Further aspects, embodiments, and details of the invention (all of which may be combined in any way) are set forth in the following detailed description of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0012] One or more exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0013] Figure 1 A process flow diagram according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 Another process flow diagram according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] As described above, in the method of the present invention, unreacted methanol from the effluent of the MTO reactor is converted to DME, and then the DME vapor is primarily recycled back to the MTO reactor. Furthermore, acetone and acetaldehyde can be converted into heavier oxygenated compounds that are more easily separated from the DME. Alternatively, liquid products, containing significant amounts of acetone and acetaldehyde byproducts from the MTO, can be removed at the bottom of a reactive distillation column.

[0016] The term "tower" refers to one or more distillation columns used to separate one or more components of different volatile substances. Unless otherwise specified, each column includes a condenser at the top of the column for condensing a portion of the overhead distillate stream and refluxing it back to the top of the column, and a reboiler at the bottom of the column for evaporating a portion of the bottom feed stream and returning it to the bottom of the column. The feed to the column may be preheated. Top pressure is the pressure of the overhead vapor at the column outlet. Bottom temperature is the liquid temperature at the bottom outlet of the column. Top and bottom lines refer to the net lines from the reflux or reboiler downstream of the column to the column.

[0017] As shown in the figure, the process flow lines in the attached figure can be interchangeably referred to as, for example, pipelines, pipes, branches, distributors, material flows, effluents, feeds, products, sections, catalysts, extracts, recirculation, suction, discharge, and coke.

[0018] As used herein, the term “rich” may mean an increase in the amount of a compound or class of compounds in a feed stream relative to a compound or class of compounds in another feed stream.

[0019] As used herein, the term “depletion” may mean a reduction in the amount of a compound or class of compounds in one stream relative to a compound or class of compounds in another stream.

[0020] As used herein, the term "zone" can refer to an area that includes one or more equipment items and / or one or more subzones. Equipment items may include one or more reactors or reactor vessels, heaters, heat exchangers, piping, pumps, compressors, and controllers. Additionally, equipment items such as reactors, dryers, or vessels may also include one or more zones or subzones.

[0021] As used herein, the term "separator" refers to a vessel having an inlet and at least one overhead vapor outlet and a bottom liquid outlet, and may also have an outlet for a water-containing feed stream from a boot. A flash tank is a type of separator that can be connected downstream to a separator that can operate at higher pressures.

[0022] In view of these general principles, one or more embodiments of the invention will be described in accordance with the following description, which is not intended to be limiting.

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an oxygen-containing feed stream 10 is fed to an MTO reaction zone 12 having at least one reactor 14. The at least one reactor 14 in the MTO reaction zone 12 may be a fluidized bed reactor and includes an MTO catalyst for converting methanol and DME from the oxygen-containing feed stream 10 to olefins. Generally, the catalyst may be aluminosilicate phosphate (SAPO) having a tetrahedral unit framework that forms a plurality of pores to optimally contact the methanol feed during the conversion to olefins. Such MTO reactors and catalysts are known in the art, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,166,282, 7,309,679, 7,423,191, and 9,643,897, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0024] The effluent from the MTO reaction zone 12 contains light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water. After separating the catalyst from the effluent, the effluent stream 16 from the MTO reaction zone 12 can be passed to a product separation zone 18, which is configured to separate the effluent stream 16 into a product stream 20 containing light olefins and some other hydrocarbons, and an aqueous stream 22 containing oxygenated compounds and water. Additionally, the product separation zone 18 can provide a wastewater stream 24. The product separation zone 18 is known in the art, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 9,452,957, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. It is also known that the product stream 20 can be passed to a fractionation section (not shown), which is configured to separate the product stream 20 into different component streams.

[0025] A water stream 22 containing oxygenated compounds and water can be fed to an oxygenated stripping zone 26 having an oxygenated stripping tower 27 configured to provide an oxygenated compound-rich stream 28 and an oxygenated compound-depleted water stream 30. A first portion 30a of the water stream 30 can be heated to partially evaporate the steam and then returned to the oxygenated stripping tower 27. A second portion 30b of the water stream 30 can be fed back to a product separation zone 18. A third portion 30c of the water stream 30 can be conveyed for further processing.

[0026] Typically, the oxygen-rich feed stream 28 is recycled to the MTO reaction zone 12 to allow the methanol and DME to react therein. However, without further processing, recycling the oxygen-rich feed stream 28 would lead to the accumulation of heavy and / or undesirable oxygen-containing compounds in the stream. Therefore, as shown at the outset, according to the method of the invention, the amount of DME is increased, and then the DME is separated from other oxygen-containing compounds and recycled back to the MTO reaction zone 12. The oxygen-rich feed stream 28 can be vapor or liquid, or a combination of both, depending on the design and operation of the oxygen stripping zone 26.

[0027] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the oxygen-rich feed stream 28 is transferred to a conversion zone 32 comprising one or more containers 34. According to... Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the conversion zone includes a vessel 34, which is a reactive distillation column 34a. It is well known that reactive distillation column 34a includes one or more catalyst beds 36 that facilitate a chemical reaction under suitable operating conditions, in which methanol is converted to DME. Such catalysts and operating conditions of reactive distillation column 34a are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,817,906 and Azizi et al., “Dimethylether: A review of technologies and production challenges,” Chemical Engineering and Processing, 2014, the entire text of which is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, the catalyst may also facilitate the conversion of acetone and acetaldehyde to heavier oxygen-containing compounds. In addition to converting methanol to DME, reactive distillation column 34a also separates the components within reactive distillation column 34a into at least a DME-rich feed stream 38 and a heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream 40.

[0028] Go to Figure 2 In another embodiment of the invention, the conversion zone 32 includes two containers 34, the first of which is a reactor 34b, or a reaction vessel including one or more catalyst beds 36. Similarly, the catalyst promotes the conversion of methanol to DME and also promotes the conversion of acetone and acetaldehyde to heavy oxygen-containing compounds. The second of the two containers 34 is a separation container 34c, such as a fractionating column, configured to separate the effluent 42 from reactor 34b into a DME-rich stream 38 and a heavy oxygen-rich stream 40. Although it is believed... Figure 2 The embodiment with separate reactor 34b and separation vessel 34c is equally effective in reducing the amount of heavy oxygenated compounds in the DME-rich feed stream 38, but it is believed that... Figure 1 The implementation plan will provide increased methanol to DME conversion.

[0029] In any embodiment, a first portion 40a of the heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream 40 may be heated and then passed back to the reactive distillation column 34a or separation vessel 34c. A second portion 40b of the heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream 40 may be passed to downstream processing.

[0030] In addition, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in both examples, the first portion 38a of the DME-rich feed stream 38 is refluxed back to the reactive distillation column 34a or separation vessel 34c after cooling. The second portion 38b of the DME-rich feed stream 38 is recycled back to reactor 14 in the MTO reaction zone 12. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the DME-rich feed stream 38 is cooled and then split into two portions 38a and 38b. It is also conceivable that the DME-rich feed stream 38 is first split into two portions 38a and 38b, and then only the first portion 38a (i.e., the reflux portion) can be cooled. Therefore, the DME-rich feed stream 38 can be recycled back to the reactor 14 of the MTO reaction zone 12 as a liquid or vapor feed stream.

[0031] The DME-rich feed stream 38 will also contain methanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, and some heavy oxygenated compounds. Component separation can be performed to allow some of the heavier oxygenated compounds to slide into the DME-rich feed stream 38. However, the method of the present invention reduces the amount of heavy oxygenated compounds recycled to the MTO reaction zone 12.

[0032] Any of the aforementioned pipelines, conduits, units, equipment, containers, surrounding environment, areas, or the like may be equipped with one or more monitoring components, including sensors, measuring devices, data acquisition devices, or data transmission devices. Signals, process or condition measurements, and data from the monitoring components, can be used to monitor conditions in, around, and related to the process equipment. Signals, measurements, and / or data generated or recorded by the monitoring components may be collected, processed, and / or transmitted through one or more networks or connections, which may be private or public, general or dedicated, direct or indirect, wired or wireless, encrypted or unencrypted, and / or combinations thereof; this specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect.

[0033] Signals, measurements, and / or data generated or recorded by monitoring components may be transmitted to one or more computing devices or systems. The computing devices or systems may include at least one processor and a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a process that may include one or more steps. For example, one or more computing devices may be configured to receive data from one or more monitoring components related to at least one piece of equipment associated with the process. One or more computing devices or systems may be configured to analyze the data. Based on the data analysis, one or more computing devices or systems may be configured to determine one or more recommended adjustments to one or more parameters of one or more processes described herein. One or more computing devices or systems may be configured to transmit encrypted or unencrypted data comprising one or more recommended adjustments to one or more parameters of one or more processes described herein.

[0034] For example, the conditions of the conversion zone 32 can be adjusted by a sensor that has determined the amount of heavy oxygen-containing compounds in the MTO reaction zone 12 to be below a threshold amount. Therefore, the conditions of the conversion zone 32 can be adjusted to utilize less energy (and thus provide less conversion and less stringent separation).

[0035] Therefore, in the method of the present invention, the amount of heavy oxygen-containing compounds in the recirculation stream is effectively and efficiently reduced for the MTO conversion method.

[0036] Those skilled in the art should recognize and understand that various other components, such as valves, pumps, filters, coolers, etc., are not shown in the accompanying drawings because it is believed that their specific details are entirely within the knowledge of those skilled in the art and their description is not necessary for the implementation or understanding of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0037] Specific implementation plan

[0038] While the following description is presented in conjunction with specific embodiments, it should be understood that the description is intended to illustrate, and not limit, the scope of the foregoing description and the appended claims.

[0039] A first embodiment of the present invention is a method for reducing the recycling of heavy oxygenated compounds in an MTO reaction zone. The method includes separating an effluent containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water from the MTO reaction zone into a hydrocarbon product stream containing light olefins and an aqueous stream containing oxygenated compounds and water; separating the aqueous stream into an aqueous stream with a reduced amount of oxygenated compounds and an oxygenated compound-rich stream; increasing the amount of DME in the oxygenated compound-rich stream and separating the oxygenated compound-rich stream into a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygenated compound-rich stream; and recycling at least a portion of the DME-rich stream back to the MTO reaction zone. One embodiment of the present invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding embodiments to the first embodiment of this paragraph, wherein increasing the amount of DME in the oxygenated compound-rich stream includes converting methanol to DME. Another embodiment of the present invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding embodiments to the first embodiment of this paragraph, wherein methanol is converted to DME in a reactive distillation column. One embodiment of the invention, which is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding embodiments to the first embodiment of this paragraph, further includes refluxing a portion of the DME-rich stream back to the reactive distillation column. Another embodiment of the invention, which is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding embodiments to the first embodiment of this paragraph, further includes cooling the DME-rich stream before refluxing the portion of the DME-rich stream back to the reactive distillation column. Another embodiment of the invention, which is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding embodiments to the first embodiment of this paragraph, wherein methanol is converted to DME in a reaction vessel, and wherein the oxygen-rich stream is separated in a separation vessel into a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygen-rich stream, the separation vessel being separate from the reaction vessel.

[0040] A second embodiment of the present invention is a method for reducing the recycling of heavy oxygenated compounds in an MTO reaction zone, the method comprising: feeding a methanol-containing feed stream into an MTO reaction zone, the MTO reaction zone comprising a reactor operating under conditions providing an effluent stream containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water; feeding the effluent stream into a product separation zone configured to separate the effluent stream into a product stream containing light olefins and an aqueous stream containing oxygenated compounds and water; feeding the aqueous stream into an oxygenated compound stripping zone configured to provide an oxygenated compound-rich stream and an aqueous stream with reduced amounts of oxygenated compounds; feeding the oxygenated compound-rich stream into a conversion zone configured to convert methanol into DME, the conversion zone comprising a vessel and configured to provide a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygenated compound-rich stream; and feeding the DME-rich stream into the MTO reaction zone. One embodiment of the invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, wherein the container of the conversion zone comprises a reactive distillation column. One embodiment of the invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, wherein the conversion zone comprises at least two containers, a first container comprising a reactor, and a second container comprising a separation container. One embodiment of the invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, further comprising transferring the oxygen-rich feed stream to the reactor in the conversion zone; and transferring the effluent stream from the reactor to the separation container. One embodiment of the invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, further comprising transferring the aqueous feed stream from the oxygen-rich stripping zone to the product separation zone. One embodiment of the invention is any one or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, further comprising transferring a portion of the DME-rich feed stream back to the conversion zone. One embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, further comprising cooling the DME-rich stream before transferring the portion of the DME-rich stream back to the conversion zone. Another embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the second embodiments of this paragraph, further comprising at least one of: sensing at least one parameter of the method and generating a signal or data from the sensing; generating and transmitting a signal; or generating and transmitting data.

[0041] A third embodiment of the invention is an apparatus for converting methanol to olefins, the apparatus comprising an MTO reaction zone including a reactor operating under conditions providing an effluent stream containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds, and water; a product separation zone configured to separate the effluent stream into a product stream containing light olefins and an aqueous stream containing oxygenated compounds and water; an oxygenated compound stripping zone configured to provide an oxygenated compound-rich stream and an aqueous stream with reduced amounts of oxygenated compounds; and a conversion zone configured to convert methanol to DME, the conversion zone including a vessel and configured to provide a DME-rich stream and a heavy oxygenated compound-rich stream; wherein the DME-rich stream is recycled back to the reaction zone. One embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the third embodiment of this paragraph, wherein the conversion zone further includes a second vessel comprising a separation vessel. One embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the third embodiments of this paragraph, wherein the container of the conversion zone comprises a reactive distillation column. One embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the third embodiments of this paragraph, wherein a portion of the DME-rich feed stream is cooled and then refluxed back to the reactive distillation column. One embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the third embodiments of this paragraph, wherein a portion of the DME-rich feed stream is cooled and then passed back to the conversion zone. One embodiment of the invention is one, any, or all of the embodiments described in the preceding to the third embodiments of this paragraph, wherein the aqueous feed stream is recycled to the product separation zone.

[0042] Although no further detailed description has been provided, it is believed that those skilled in the art will be able to make full use of the invention by employing the foregoing description and will be able to readily identify the essential features of the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and to make various changes and modifications to adapt it to various uses and situations. Therefore, the foregoing preferred embodiments should be understood as illustrative only and not as limiting the remainder of this disclosure in any way, and are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.

[0043] In the foregoing, all temperatures are expressed in degrees Celsius, and all portions and percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified.

[0044] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be understood that numerous variations exist. It should also be understood that one or more exemplary embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient roadmap for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention, and it should be understood that various changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the recycling of heavy oxygen-containing compounds in the MTO reaction zone, the method comprising: A feed stream (10) containing methanol is passed to an MTO reaction zone (12), the MTO reaction zone comprising a reactor (14) operating under conditions of providing an effluent stream (16) containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds and water; The outflow stream (16) is transferred to a product separation zone (18), which is configured to separate the outflow stream (16) into a product stream (20) containing light olefins and an aqueous stream (22) containing oxygenated compounds and water. The aqueous stream (22) is transferred to the oxygenated stripping zone (26), which is configured to provide an oxygenated stream (28) and an aqueous stream (30, 30a, 30b, 30c) with a reduced amount of oxygenated compounds. The oxygen-rich feed stream (28) is transferred to a conversion zone (32) configured to convert methanol into DME. The conversion zone (32) includes containers (34, 34a, 34b, 34c) and is configured to provide both a DME-rich feed stream (38, 38a, 38b) and a heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream (40, 40a, 40b). The DME-rich feed streams (38, 38a, 38b) are transferred to the MTO reaction zone (12); wherein (i) The containers (34, 34a, 34b, 34c) of the conversion zone (32) include a reactive distillation column (34a) in which a first portion (40a) of a heavy oxygen-rich feed stream (40) is heated and then passed back to the reactive distillation column (34a) and a second portion (40b) of the heavy oxygen-rich feed stream (40) is passed to downstream processing; or (ii) The conversion zone (32) includes at least two containers (34b, 34c), the first container (34b) including a reactor, and the second container (34c) including a separation container, wherein a first portion (40a) of a heavy oxygen-rich feed stream (40) is heated and then passed back to the separation container (34c), and a second portion (40b) of the heavy oxygen-rich feed stream (40) is passed to downstream processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes the step of item (ii), and the method further includes: The oxygen-rich feed stream (28) is transferred to the reactor (34b) in the conversion zone (32); as well as The outflow stream (42) is transferred from the reactor (34b) to the separation container (34c).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: The water stream (30b) is transferred from the oxygenated stripping zone (26) to the product separation zone (18).

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: A portion (38a) of the DME-rich feed stream (38) is transferred back to the conversion zone (32).

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: The DME-rich stream (38) is cooled before being transferred back to the conversion zone.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one of the following: Sensing at least one parameter of the method and generating a signal or data from the sensing; Generate and transmit signals; or Generate and transmit data.

7. An apparatus for converting methanol into olefins, the apparatus comprising: MTO reaction zone (12), the MTO reaction zone comprising a reactor (14) operating under conditions of providing an effluent stream (16) containing light olefins, oxygenated compounds and water; A product separation zone (18) configured to separate the effluent (16) into a product stream (20) containing light olefins and an aqueous stream (22) containing oxygenated compounds and water; an oxygenated stripping zone (26) configured to provide an oxygenated stream (28) rich in oxygenated compounds and an aqueous stream (30, 30a, 30b, 30c) with reduced amounts of oxygenated compounds; and A conversion zone (32) configured to convert methanol to DME, the conversion zone (32) comprising containers (34, 34a, 34b, 34c) and configured to provide a DME-rich feed stream (38, 38a, 38b) and a heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream (40, 40a, 40b), wherein the DME-rich feed stream (38, 38a, 38b) is recycled to the reaction zone (12), wherein (i) The containers (34, 34a, 34b, 34c) of the conversion zone (32) include a reactive distillation column (34a), and the conversion zone (32) is configured to heat a first portion (40a) of a heavy oxygen-rich feed stream (40), transfer it back to the reactive distillation column (34a), and transfer a second portion (40b) of the heavy oxygen-rich feed stream (40) to downstream processing; or (ii) In at least two containers (34b, 34c) of the conversion zone (32), the first container (34b) includes a reactor and the second container (34c) includes a separation container, and the conversion zone (32) is configured to heat a first portion (40a) of a heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream (40) and then transfer it back to the separation container (34c), and transfer a second portion (40b) of the heavy, oxygen-rich feed stream (40) to downstream processing.

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