Systems and methods for manufacture of methanol from natural gas and flare gas feedstock
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B01J-008/00
B01J-008/02
B01J-008/04
B01J-019/00
B01J-019/24
C01B-003/00
C01B-003/02
C01B-003/32
C01B-003/34
C01B-003/36
C01B-003/38
C07C-029/151
F02B-005/02
F02B-063/04
F02M-021/02
C07C-029/00
C07C-029/15
C07C-031/00
C07C-031/04
C07C-041/00
C07C-041/09
C07C-041/42
C07C-043/04
출원번호
US-0447066
(2017-03-01)
등록번호
US-9725386
(2017-08-08)
발명자
/ 주소
Zubrin, Robert M
Nizamov, Boris
Henshaw, Thomas L
Kortan, Adam M
Siebarth, James
Apke, Colin
Berggren, Mark
출원인 / 주소
Pioneer Energy, Inc.
대리인 / 주소
American Patent Agency PC
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
4
초록▼
A mobile system and method that reform flare gas, methane, or natural gas, using air without steam, to directly produce methanol, a clean burning gasoline blend, component, and/or substitute are disclosed. The system first reforms the air-methane mixture at ambient atmospheric pressure, then compres
A mobile system and method that reform flare gas, methane, or natural gas, using air without steam, to directly produce methanol, a clean burning gasoline blend, component, and/or substitute are disclosed. The system first reforms the air-methane mixture at ambient atmospheric pressure, then compresses the resulting CO-hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixture to about 600 psi, and feeds it through a methanol reactor which reacts the gas mixture directly into methanol. The nitrogen is returned by the system back to the atmosphere. Methanol is a clean burning gasoline substitute, and can be used to displace significantly costlier and dirtier petroleum-based fuel, while solving a critical problem with flaring. For example, the over 120 billion cubic feet per year that was flared in North Dakota in 2014 could be converted into over 6 million tons of methanol.
대표청구항▼
1. A method for converting raw natural gas into methanol using air as a source of oxygen, comprising: a syngas generation step for generating syngas from the raw natural gas and the air in an air reforming unit, wherein the syngas comprises carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen;a syngas compressio
1. A method for converting raw natural gas into methanol using air as a source of oxygen, comprising: a syngas generation step for generating syngas from the raw natural gas and the air in an air reforming unit, wherein the syngas comprises carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen;a syngas compression step for compressing the syngas that comprises the carbon monoxide, the hydrogen, and the nitrogen;a methanol synthesis step for synthesizing methanol from the syngas over a catalyst bed; anda power generation step for using unreacted carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the syngas to generate power, wherein some of the power is used to power the syngas compression step, and wherein unreacted nitrogen is returned to atmosphere. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: removing sulfur from the raw natural gas. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the syngas generation step comprises reforming the raw natural gas and the air in a presence of a steam reforming catalyst. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein air enriched in oxygen is used to increase concentrations of the carbon monoxide and the hydrogen in the syngas. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein water is added to the air reforming unit to prevent catalyst coking. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the water is recycled to the air reforming unit from a condenser downstream from an air recycling unit. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the water is converted to steam inside the air reforming unit. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein a gas mixer mixes the raw natural gas and the air before these gases pass through a syngas catalyst bed in the air reforming unit. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the raw natural gas and the air are preheated to improve the carbon monoxide yield. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalyst bed comprises a syngas-to-methanol synthesis catalyst. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the syngas-to-methanol synthesis catalyst comprises Cu—ZnO. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the methanol is removed from an effluent of the catalyst bed. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein a heat exchanger is used to cool effluent gases to a temperature at which most of methanol vapor condenses to liquid, a phase separator to separate liquid methanol from gases, and a component for draining liquid methanol. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the syngas is preheated before the catalyst bed. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein energy is exchanged between streams entering and exiting the catalyst bed to reduce duties on syngas preheating and syngas cooling. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein energy released in the methanol synthesis step is removed from the catalyst bed. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon monoxide conversion to methanol is enhanced by using a recycle blower. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon monoxide conversion to methanol is enhanced by using cascading catalyst beds with methanol being removed between the cascading catalyst beds. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the power is generated by combusting the unreacted carbon monoxide and hydrogen in a spark ignited internal combustion engine, and using engine power to drive an electric generator. 20. The method of claim 1, wherein some of the syngas is recirculated back to the syngas generating step to prevent hot spots in the catalyst bed. 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the syngas generation step utilizes a pressure range of 0.1 and 10 bar. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein a temperature of the syngas generation step is between 400 to 1000° C. (673-1273 K). 23. The method of claim 21, wherein a temperature of the syngas generation step is above 700° C. (973 K). 24. The method of claim 1, wherein the syngas compression step compresses the syngas to about 600 psi (41 bar). 25. The method of claim 1, wherein the methanol synthesis step utilizes a pressure range of 10 and 1,000 bar. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein a temperature of the methanol synthesis step at an inlet of the catalyst bed is between 170 and 250° C. (443-523 K).
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