METHANOL PRODUCTION PROCESS USING A HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT SYNTHESIS GAS WITH A HYDROGEN RECYCLE

摘要

A method for preparing methanol from a synthesis gas having less than 90 % thestoichiometric amount of H2 to convert the COand CO2 content of the synthesis gas to methanol by recycling into combinationwith such synthesis gas a sufficient amount of a hydrogenrich gas stream obtained as a permeate gas by diffusion of the process tailgas to provide a combined synthesis-recycle gas stream havingat least about 95 % of the stoichiometric amount of H2 to convert its CO andCO2 content to methanol. In a preferred embodiment ofthe invention compressed air is taken from a gas turbine to form the oxidantsteam used in forming the synthesis gas, such synthesis gasin combination with the hydrogen rich recycle gas is processed through aseries of methanol convertors to methanol and the non-permeateportion of the tail gas from this methanol process is returned as fuel to thegas turbine.