Catalytic reactor

摘要

An improved double tube reactor having a plurality of inner and outer tube assemblies each of the assemblies having a reaction annular volume between the inner tube and outer tube and a closed center plug within the inner tube forming an annular thermal exchange volume between the center plug and the inner tube to obtain desired temperature control of exothermic and endothermic catalytic chemical reactions. In one embodiment of the invention, the improved double tube reactor is used in a process for production of high purity methanol from process gas produced by steam reforming hydrocarbon feedstocks in a tube type reformer followed by removing substantially all CO2 and H2O from the process gas, adjusting the H2/CO molar ratio to about 2 when necessary, and feeding the adjusted process gas to a methanol synthesis reactor contacting a methanol forming catalyst not requiring CO2 activation at about 200 DEG to about 300 DEG C. to produce product gas comprising methanol, and recovering liquid methanol having purity greater than about 99.85% pure by cooling the product gas to a temperature below the boiling point of methanol and separating the liquid methanol from gaseous components of the product gas. In a preferred embodiment, process gas of H2/CO molar ratio of about 2.0 to about 2.5 is passed through an annular thermal exchange volume between a center plug and an inner tube followed by passing the gas in contact with a catalyst in a catalyst bed between the inner tube and an outer tube of a double tube reactor assembly promoting the direct reaction of H2 and CO to product methanol.