摘要 |
1,262,479. Methanol. IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd. 3 Dec., 1969 [30 Dec., 1968], No. 61663/68. Heading C2C. In a methanol synthesis process fed with a synthesis gas derived from steam reforming a gaseous hydrocarbon feedstock and containing more than the stoichiometric ratio of H to carbon oxides, the gas is incompletely reacted to methanol which is removed from the gas and unreacted gas is treated to remove CO and/or CO 2 which is/are recycled to the methanol synthesis. All the unreacted gas may be treated to remove carbon oxides or only a part thereof, in which case the remainder is recycled to the synthesis. Cuprammonium solutions may be used to remove both CO and CO 2 or alkali carbonate or amine solutions to remove CO only. A steam shift reaction may be applied to convert CO to CO 2 either in the unreacted or the fresh synthesis gas. Where the feed contains only a small excess of hydrogen, part of the residue gas after removal of carbon oxides may be recycled to the synthesis step. |