Study of the Characteristics of Methanol Synthesis in a Recirculation Slurry Reactor - A Novel Three-Phase Synthesis Reactor

A process feasibility analysis on the liquid phase methanol synthesis (LPMeOHTM) process was performed in a recirculation slurry reactor (RSR). In the three‐phase RSR system, a fine catalyst is slurried in the paraffin and this catalyst slurry is continuously recirculated through the nozzle from the slurry sector to the entrained sector by a pump. The syngas is fed concurrently with the downward flow of slurry to form the methanol product. A laboratory scale mini‐pilot plant version of a recirculation slurry reactor system was successfully designed and built to carry out process engineering research, and in addition, an identical cold model was built to measure the mass transfer coefficient in the recirculation slurry reactor. The effects of operating conditions, including temperature, pressure, gas flow rate and catalyst slurry recirculation flow rate on the productivity of methanol were studied. This experimental data helps the scale‐up and commercialization of the methanol synthesis process in recirculation slurry reactors. A recirculation slurry reactor system is built to carry out methanol synthesis research. The mass transfer coefficient in the recirculation slurry reactor is measured in a cold model. The optimum temperature, pressure along with gas and slurry recirculation flow rates for increased mass transfer, are determined for the methanol synthesis.