Jet Pump Methanol Synthesis Gas Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methanol production processes require costly and maintenance-intensive residual gas compressors, especially for small and medium-scale systems, which are prone to failures and have high operational costs due to the need for additional compression stages and instrumentation.
Innovation Solution
Replacing the residual gas compressor with a jet pump, which uses pressure energy to compress and recycle unreacted synthesis gas, eliminating the need for a dedicated compressor and reducing maintenance and investment costs by utilizing a single fresh gas compressor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a residual gas compressor or additional compressor stage is used to compress and recirculate unconverted synthesis gas, then sufficient conversion and productivity are achieved, but device complexity, maintenance requirements, and operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical residual gas compressor with a jet pump that uses fluid dynamic principles. The compressed fresh gas stream serves as the drive medium, creating a jet that entrains and compresses the residual gas through pressure and velocity differentials, eliminating mechanical moving parts while maintaining the necessary compression function for synthesis gas recirculation
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed fresh gas stream acts as an intermediary medium to perform the compression function. Instead of using a dedicated compressor, the fresh gas is compressed to high pressure and used as the drive medium in the jet pump, which then compresses the residual gas stream, transferring the compression function through this intermediary substance
2Reliability
If a residual gas compressor is installed near the reactor to enable synthesis gas recirculation, then the synthesis loop operates effectively, but additional space, structural steel, and instrumentation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The jet pump combines multiple functions into a single device: it mixes the fresh gas and residual gas streams, compresses the residual gas, and delivers the combined synthesis gas to the reactor. This integration eliminates the need for separate compressor units and reduces overall installation space requirements while maintaining reliable synthesis loop operation
3Productivity
If a dedicated residual gas compressor is used for small and medium-scale plants, then sufficient synthesis gas recirculation is achieved, but investment costs and maintenance requirements are disproportionately high
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the compressed fresh gas stream, which is already being produced for methanol synthesis, to perform the additional function of compressing the residual gas. This self-service approach eliminates the need for a separate dedicated compressor, reducing both investment costs and maintenance requirements while maintaining sufficient recirculation efficiency for small and medium-scale plants
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces operational and maintenance costs while maintaining efficient methanol production, particularly in systems with low recirculation rates and multi-stage synthesis processes, by leveraging the kinetic energy conversion principle of jet pumps without moving parts.
Implementation Method 1
uses pressure energy to compress and recycle unreacted synthesis gas
Implementation Method 2
leveraging the kinetic energy conversion principle of jet pumps without moving parts
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a process and a plant for the production of methanol, in which a compressed fresh gas stream containing at least one carbon oxide and hydrogen is combined with a residual gas stream to form a synthesis gas stream and is reacted to produce methanol in at least one synthesis stage using a solid methanol synthesis catalyst. According to the invention, the residual gas stream and the fresh gas stream are combined by means of a jet pump, wherein the compressed fresh gas stream is supplied to the jet pump as a motive medium at a pressure p1 via its motive medium connection, and the residual gas stream is supplied to the jet pump as a suction medium at a pressure p3 via its suction port, and wherein the synthesis gas stream is discharged from the jet pump at a pressure p2 via its discharge port and subsequently supplied to the synthesis stage, and wherein p1 > p2 > p3.