Energy-Efficient Refinery Process Developed with US DOE Support

摘要

Two Houston companies, with DOE financial support, have developed an energy saving catalytic distillation process. This process uses a patented catalyst support system to save energy by performing a catalytic reaction and a primary fractionation of reaction components simultaneously in one vessel. This process is used by a Houston refiner to produce MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether), an octane booster formed by combining methanol with isobutylene. The production unit has operated for over a year producing about 1400 BPD of MTBE with a net process energy savings of about 25% over a conventional production method. The DOE plans continued support of these inventors as they search for new applications with potential for extensive industrial energy savings. (ERA citation 08:041435)