Systems and methods for manufacture of methanol from natural gas and flare gas feedstock

摘要

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 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.

主权项

1. A mobile system for converting raw natural gas into methanol, comprising:
a syngas generator for generating syngas from the raw natural gas and air; a syngas compressor for compressing the syngas; a reactor for converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the syngas to methanol, wherein energy is exchanged between streams entering and exiting a catalyst bed of the reactor to reduce duties on preheating and cooling of the syngas; and a power generator for using unreacted carbon monoxide and hydrogen to generate power, wherein some of the power is used to power the syngas compressor.