Process design and simulation study: CO2 utilization through mixed reforming of methane for methanol synthesis

• Published in: Chemical engineering science Vol. 233; p. 116364
• Main Authors: Shi, Chenxu, Elgarni, Moheddin, Mahinpey, Nader
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 06.04.2021
• Subjects: CO2 intensity; CO2 utilization; Methanol production; Mixed reforming of methane; Process simulation; Syngas generation; CO2 intensity; CO2 utilization; Syngas generation; Methanol production; Process simulation; Mixed reforming of methane
• ISSN: 0009-2509; 1873-4405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2020.116364

[Display omitted] •CO2 utilization in mixed reforming of methane for methanol synthesis was studied.•Simulation case study was performed using Aspen HYSYS v10.•Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson kinetics was applied for reactor modelling.•Syngas with stoichiometric number of 2 and CO/CO2 ratio of 4.2 was achieved.•The improved syngas composition enhanced single-pass conversion to methanol. A case study is performed using Aspen HYSYS to investigate CO2 utilization for methanol synthesis. The base case is a conventional steam methane reforming process for methanol production. Two modified cases (mixed reforming with/without CO2 capture after the reformer) are developed with the aim to increase CO2 utilization. Simulation results revealed that both stoichiometric number and CO/CO2 ratio played an important role on syngas reactivity, which led to an overall increase in methanol yield. As a result, the volume of unreacted gas in the synthesis loop was reduced and allowed for a smaller reactor design. In terms of overall CO2 intensity, no significant improvements can be observed since the base case had a large volume of H2 rich purged gas sent to the reformer furnace. When the purged gas was not used as a reformer fuel, the CO2 intensity of the other cases became 50% less than the base case.