Integrated Low Pressure

Methanol Process

Synthesis Gas Production by

Conventional Steam Reforming of Natural Gas
or Oil Associated Gas
Introduction

Lurgi is a leading group of companies operating worldwide The integration of the process units, with Lurgi being licen-
in the field of process engineering and plant contracting sor and main contractor in one-line responsibility, offers
within the mg engineering subgroup of mg technologies efficient and tailor-made plant design with taking into
ag. The Lurgi companies design, supply and build turnkey account all the clients needs.
plants or plant units for the most diverse applications.
This brochure provides detailed technical information for
One of Lurgi's famous process technologies, synthesis of methanol plants especially based on conventional steam
methanol, an important chemical raw material, is established reforming of natural gas.
all over the world, known as the Lurgi Low Pressure
Methanol Process. The methanol process consists basically An information for the Combined Reforming Process route
of synthesis gas generation, methanol synthesis and metha- to methanol and other brochures are also available.
nol distillation, with gas generation possibly based on
various different feedstocks (e.g. natural gas, naphtha,
heavy residues, coal).

Figure 1: 1000 mtpd Methanol Plant in Indonesia;

Feedstock: Oil Associated Gas

2
The Technology

The Lurgi Low Pressure Methanol Process based on con- • plain steam reforming with natural gas (standard pro-
ventional steam reforming of gaseous hydrocarbons, espe- cess route) or
cially natural gas, consists of the following essential pro- • optionally prereforming and further steam reforming of
cess steps: natural gas containing fractions of higher hydrocarbons
(e. g. oil associated gas)
• Desulphurization • optionally steam reforming plus CO2 (additional feed-
• Synthesis Gas Generation stock from an independent source)
• Methanol Synthesis
• Methanol Distillation
The process configurations are described in detail in the
Synthesis gas generation by means of conventional steam following chapter.
reforming is a technology well suited for methanol synthe-
ses with capacities of up to 1500 metric tons per day.
Depending on the quality of the feedstock and availability
of CO2 as additional feedstock, the synthesis gas generati-
on offers a standard process route and two options for pro-
cess improvement.

Natural Gas

Desulphurization

Pre-Reforming
(optional)

Steam Reforming CO2

(optional)

Methanol Synthesis

Methanol Distillation

Product Methanol

Figure 2: Essential Process Steps of Methanol Production

3
Synthesis Gas Generation The composition of the reformed gas is characterised by
the stoichiometric number for the methanol synthesis
The Principles
SN = (H2 - CO2) / (CO + CO2)
Desulphurization
Catalyst activity is affected seriously even by traces of cata- If a natural gas with a high methane content is used as
lyst poisons in the gas feedstock. Among others, sulphur feedstock and no CO2 is available a stoichiometric number
compounds in particular, lower the catalyst activity consi- of 2.8-3.0 is attained in the product gas.
derably. In order to protect the reformer and synthesis The reforming reactions take place in a temperature range
catalysts from sulphur poisoning the feedstock must be from approx. 600 °C at the inlet to the catalyst bed to
desulphurized. approx. 900 °C at the outlet, requiring high alloy, Ni-
Desulphurization operates at approx. 350-380°C in the based, centrifugally cast and inside machined tubes to
desulphurization reactor. The feedstock is routed through withstand the combination of high pressure and temperatu-
zinc oxide beds where hydrogen sulphide is adsorbed res, oxidizing atmosphere on outside and reducing atmos-
according to the following equation: phere on the inside.
The reformed gas, consisting of H2, CO, CO2, inerts, non-
H2S + ZnO ↔ ZnS + H2O converted CH4 and undecomposed steam leaves the refor-
mer tubes and is passed via an outlet system into the refor-
If the feedstock contains organic sulphur compounds such med gas waste heat section.
as mercaptans or thiophenes hydrogenation is required
prior to desulphurization. This is accomplished in a sepa- Equipment and Process Description
rate catalyst bed where the feedstock, admixed with a
small amount of hydrogen-rich methanol synthesis purge The LURGI Reformer®
gas is hydrogenated over cobalt-molybdenum catalysts. The LURGI Reformer® is a top-fired reformer and as such it
A residual sulphur content of less than 0.1 ppm is obtaina- exhibits all the advantages typical of this design,
ble and can be tolerated.
• multiple tube rows, resulting in a lower number of bur-
Steam Reforming of Hydrocarbons ners and lower heat losses
In a conventional steam reforming process hydrocarbons • the more uniform wall temperature over the entire hea-
and steam are catalytically converted into hydrogen and ted tube length
carbon oxides. The composition of the product gas is rea- • easier burner adjustment and reduced burner mainten-
ched according to the following equilibrium reactions: ance because of reduced number of burners
• less NOx formation by more accurate fuel and combu-
CnHm + n H2O ↔ n CO + ( m/ + n) H2 stion air equipartition to the burners
2
CH4 + H2O ↔ CO + 3 H2 • easier noise abatement.
CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2
The cross section of a typical LURGI Reformer® (radiant
The overall reaction is highly endothermic so that reaction section only) is illustrated in figure 4. The features of this
heat has to be provided externally. reformer design are

In order to keep the methane level in the reformed gas to a • inlet pigtail design
minimum, the temperature at the reformer outlet has to be • internal insulation at the top of the reformer catalyst
as high as possible. However, the outer wall temperature tube
and the wall thickness of the reformer tubes is limited, i.e. • counterweight tube support system
the higher the reformer temperature, the lower the pressure • "flexitube" outlet system
to be specified. As a low reformer pressure requires higher
compression energy, an optimum has to be achieved bet- The tubes filled with catalyst are arranged in rows with
ween reformer temperature (methane slip) and reformer each having a fired length of typically 12 m. Inside the
pressure (compression energy). tubes the hydrocarbon/steam mixture is reformed on the
nickel-based catalyst according to the afore-mentioned

4
equilibrium equations.

The preheated reformer feed, a mixture of natural gas and

process steam, is distributed via a header in the steam
reformer penthouse into parallel manifolds and then
through an inlet pigtail system to each individual reformer
tube. The reformer features an inlet pigtail design, which
allows an inlet temperature of up to 650°C, thus enabling
one to achieve high radiant efficiencies with a reduced
number of reformer tubes, a more uniform tube wall tem-
perature, and reduced fuel requirement combined with
lower NOx and CO2 emission.

The internal insulation at the top of the reformer catalyst

Figure 3: Steam Reformer
tube keeps reformer tubes top flanges and flange bolts
cool, thus avoiding their frequent retightening at high feed
access to a flexitube section for hot pinching.
inlet temperatures (650°C), nevertheless maintaining the
penthouse ambient temperature at a comfortable level.
As the main reforming reactions are highly endothermic,
heat to the catalyst tubes has to be supplied by external
The insulation inserts are designed with a diffusor outlet.
firing. During normal operation, a mixture of purge gas
This diffusor ensures a gradual temperature profile at the
from the synthesis unit, offgas from the distillation unit
tube inlet and recovers optimally the pressure drop.
and natural gas is used for firing the reformer. For start-up
purposes and during upset conditions, only natural gas is
Lurgi's counterweight tube support system provides for
used as fuel.
upward expansion from the furnace outlet header. The
completely maintenance-free system provides a real con-
The hot flue gases are collected by means of flues arranged
stant load support for the tube over the whole range of
inside the radiant box at bottom level and are routed to the
movement in contrast to the only approximate characteri-
convection section (or flue gas waste heat recovery
stic of spring or so-called "constant load hangers". The
system), which is arranged as a separate structure besides
tubes remain straight without any necessity for routine
the reformer radiant section.
adjustment.
To prevent hazardous operating conditions a safety shut-
down system is provided which will interrupt the reformer
The reformed gas leaving the reformer tubes is passed via
feed and the fuel gas flow by closing the main trip valves.
the outlet system into the reformed gas waste heat section.
The outlet system is the most important feature of the
LURGI Reformer® - particularly in connection with CO-rich
gas compositions. It combines all advantages of an inter-
nally insulated outlet header with the flexibility of a pigtail
design.

The Lurgi outlet system uses a flexitube which is welded to

the "cold" header nipple, wherein "cold" means a tempera-
ture higher than the dew point of the reformed gas. The
"cold" header ensures minimum expansion of the header
and the flexitube provides the flexibility for absorption of
the longitudinal expansion even of extremely long refrac-
tory lined headers for large capacity reformers. The exter-
nal flexitube insulation is realized by preformed ceramic Figure 4: Cross Section of LURGI Reformer ® (Radiant Section)
fiber shapes enclosed by a stainless steel flexible hose -
for absorption of the flexitube movements and for easy

5
Alternative Process Configuration using it as additional feedstock.

Prereforming Synthesis gas produced in the conventional steam refor-

If the feedstock contains fractions of higher hydrocarbons ming process possesses a stoichiometric number of approx.
the steam reformer catalyst can be affected by carbon 2.8 - 3.0 which is rather high for methanol synthesis. CO2
deposits due to cracking reactions. This should be avoided admixed to the syngas leads to a lower stoichiometric
by prereforming of the feedstock in a prereformer (see figu- number. The amount of CO2 has to be preferably such that
re 2). a stoichiometric number of 2.05 is obtained, which is opti-
mum for the methanol process.
The conversion of higher hydrocarbons in the adiabatic
An optimum stoichiometric gas results in higher methanol
reactor produces a gas rich in methane and hydrogen and
production per amount of syngas. Since stoichiometric syn-
perfectly suitable for further steam reforming.
gas contains no surplus hydrogen and only a small amount
The fixed-bed-type prereformer is arranged between the
of inerts unconvertable to methanol, this results in consi-
process feed superheater and the steam reformer. The
derable savings for equipment, piping, catalyst and com-
desulphurized feedstock admixed with process steam is
pression energy, thus reducing cost for the entire methanol
routed through the catalyst bed where almost all higher
synthesis unit.
hydrocarbons and a small percentage of the methane are
reformed with steam according to the following equation
If CO2 is fed to the steam reformer together with natural
CnHm + n H2O ↔ n CO + ( m/2 + n ) H2 gas a preferred syngas composition is obtained. Since CO2
is converted partly to CO and H2O, steam/carbon ratio of
Methanation
the reformer feed can be lowered to some extent.
CO + 3H2 ↔ CH4 + H2O Additionally, synthesis unit builds smaller, because conver-
sion rate to methanol increases in line with higher CO/CO2
follows almost immediately, and shift conversion equilibrium
ratio.
CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2
On the other hand, if CO2 is supplied to the suction side of
is also achieved.
the syngas compressor, this leads to smaller steam refor-
mer and waste heat sections with less energy requirement
The prereformed gas is produced at ca. 380-480°C with an
for firing and cooling duties. Besides, CO2 supply requires
overall heat balance being slightly endo- or exothermic
a lower pressure.
depending on the content of higher HC´s in the feedstock.
The prereformed gas discharged contains only a few ppm
In case of an unreliable CO2 source this alternative may be
of hydrocarbons higher than methane.
preferred because no adjustment of the steam reformer
control is required when CO2 supply fails. The highly relia-
Since the prereformed gas is in equilibrium at the exit of
ble Lurgi Methanol Synthesis does not require any imme-
the prereformer, it can be preheated as high as requested
diate adjustment when the synthesis gas composition sud-
for optimization of the steam reformer. By this means the
denly changes.
size of the steam reformer can substantially be reduced.
Additionally, the amount of waste heat is reduced by
saving steam reformer underfiring.

Process economy of the methanol synthesis increases in

line with the content of higher HC´s thus reducing the stoi-
chiometric number of the syngas to some extent. The
arrangement of the waste heat section equipment remains
unaffected in principle.

CO2 as Additional Feedstock

If CO2 from an independent source is available for the met-
hanol process, economy can be increased considerably by

6
Waste Heat Recovery boiler is a horizontally arranged cooler with fixed tube
The flow diagram of the entire reforming section including sheet. It is connected to the high pressure steam drum by
steam reformer and waste heat sections is shown in figure 5. risers and downcomers, using a natural circulation system.
The reformed gas leaving the boiler is further cooled down

Flue Gas Steam Desulphurization Reformed Gas

Waste Heat Reformer Waste Heat Recovery
Recovery

Fuel Gas

HP/MP
Steam HP-Steam
Superheater

Distillation
Reboilers
Air Separator
Cooler Synthesis
Gas

Waste Heat Final

Boiler Cooler
HP BFW

Combustion Process Steam Natural Gas BFW Process

Air Make up Condensate

Figure 5: Steam Reforming Section

Flue Gas Cooling Section in the natural gas preheater.

The flue gases leaving the reformer are routed through a
duct to the flue gas waste heat recovery section. In order Reformed gas leaving the natural gas preheater is then rou-
to utilise the sensible heat of the flue gas several heat ted to the boiler feed water preheater where high pressure
exchanger tube banks are arranged in series. The feed boiler feed water is preheated. Further cooling of the refor-
preheater, which appropriately serves to heat the med gas is performed in the distillation section where the
gas/steam mixture, is arranged at the outlet of the refor- reformed gas heat is utilised for reboiler duties.
mer. Subsequently, superheating of high pressure (HP) and
medium pressure (MP) steam is achieved. Before the flue After exchanging its remaining heat in the BFW make-up
gases are exhausted, further cooling by simultaneously preheater, final cooling to reformed gas compressor suction
preheating combustion air is obtained. The draught neces- temperature is achieved in the air cooler and the final coo-
sary for reformer firing and transport of the flue gases ler. During the cooling procedure the gas temperature is
through the waste heat section is provided by a flue gas dropped below dew point. Separation of the condensed
fan which delivers the flue gas to the stack. process water is subsequently achieved and the reformed
gas is routed to the methanol synthesis unit.
Reformed Gas Cooling Section
The reformed gas collected in the cold header system
represents a considerable source of heat with potential for
energy recovery. The gas enters the waste heat boiler,
generating saturated high pressure steam. The waste heat

7
Methanol Synthesis In figure 6 the cross section of the methanol reactor is
shown. The reactor behaves very much like a shell and
The Principles tube heat exchanger where the catalyst is accommodated
In the Lurgi Low Pressure Methanol Process methanol is in tubes surrounded by boiling water.
synthesized from hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon
dioxide in the presence of a highly selective copper based The reformed gas enters at the top and is routed through
catalyst. The principal synthesis reactions are as follows: the tubes where the synthesis reactions take place. The
heat of reaction is removed from the catalyst by partial
CO + 2H2 ↔ CH3OH evaporation of boiler feed water circulating between the
CO2 + 3H2 ↔ CH3OH + H2O reactor shell and the steam drum, mounted on top of the
reactor. The reaction mixture is then discharged at the bot-
These reactions are highly exothermic and the heat of reac- tom of the reactor.
tion must be promptly removed from its source. This is
accomplished most effectively in the Lurgi methanol reac- The Lurgi Tubular Reactor affords the following major
tor described below. advantages:
• Due to the circulation of boiling water through the shell
Equipment and Process Description side space the heat of reaction is instantly removed
from the catalyst. The reaction occurs under almost iso-
The Methanol Reactor thermal conditions. The pressure of the boiling water is
The specific methanol reactor design is the outstanding simply kept constant by a steam back pressure control
feature of the Lurgi Low Pressure Methanol Process. Lurgi valve. The relationship between boiling pressure and
uses a tubular reactor, the basic concept of which was boiling temperature sets the boiling water temperature
developed more than 30 years ago and applied since then and maintains an exact and constant temperature in the
in a large number of synthesis plants. catalyst bed.
• More than 80% of the methanol reaction heat is utili-
zed to generate medium pressure steam (approx. 40
PC

Saturated
bar). This means an output of 1.0 - 1.4 tons of steam
Steam
per ton of methanol which is primarily used for driving
LC turbines.
Boiler
Feed Water
• The efficient heat removal from the reaction zone per-
Gas inlet mits operation of the plant with a very low circulating
gas rate and the processing of high CO gas. This results
in low investment cost for equipment, piping and cata-
lyst.
• The isothermal reaction conditions and the limitation of
the maximum temperature permissible for the copper-
based catalyst keep the formation of by-products at an
extremely low level. This means a very long service
time of the methanol catalyst as well as small amounts
of by-products in the crude methanol. Under adequate
running conditions most plants require first catalyst
replacement after 4-5 years, or later.
Catalyst
Support
• In case of a catalyst change, the reactor can be filled
and discharged very rapidly. The cone in the base of
Start up
Steam Gas
Outlet the reactor supports a bed of ceramic balls which in
Catalyst turn support the catalyst in the tubes. The catalyst is to
Discharge
be loaded by simply pouring it across the tubesheet
Figure 6: Cross Section of Methanol Reactor until all tubes are filled. Maldistribution can be neglec-
ted because the catalyst tablets are relatively small
compared to the catalyst tube diameter. Dumping of the

8
Figure 7: Single Reactor Design

catalyst is as easily achieved by opening discharge

pipes through the reactor base.
• The reactor design additionally enables short start-up
times. Steam is introduced through an ejector into the
water-filled reactor shell causing circulation of the
water and warm-up of the entire internals. Separate
start-up heaters are not required. During short shut-
downs of the synthesis unit the reactor can even be put
on a "hold status" at full operating pressure and tempe- Figure 8: Two-Reactor Design

rature using the steam ejector.

• If transportation capabilities to the plant site are restric-
ted, the arrangement of two reactors each producing
half of the desired amount of methanol can be taken
into account. In figure 8 a two-reactor design requiring
only one steam drum on top is illustrated.

9
Methanol Synthesis Loop reas the vapour fraction is routed to the recycle compressor
Since economic conversion of the synthesis gas to methanol to be re-compressed and recycled. Both syngas and recycle
cannot be achieved in a single reactor pass unreacted gases gas compressor are preferably driven by steam turbines.
are circulated in a loop, thus increasing the conversion rate.
Figure 9 shows a typical scheme of the synthesis loop. Before entering the recycle compressor a small amount of

Saturated
Synthesis Gas Recycle Gas MP-Steam
Compressor Compressor
MP-Steam Drum
Interchanger
BFW

Synthesis
Gas

Separator Air Cooler

Methanol Reactor

Final Cooler BFW Make-up

Preheater

Purge Gas Crude Methanol Blow Down

Figure 9: Methanol Synthesis Section

The synthesis gas leaving the reforming section with unreacted gas is purged from the synthesis loop in order to
approx. 18 bar enters the syngas compressor and is com- avoid the accumulation of inert gases and to discharge
pressed to synthesis pressure. The compressor consists of surplus hydrogen. The purge gas, possessing a considerable
two stages with an intercooler and condensate separator in heating value, is mainly used as fuel in the reforming sec-
between. Compression is accomplished up to 60 - 80 bar tion.
depending on process requirements and basis. The syngas The pressure maintained in the synthesis loop in normally
introduced into the synthesis loop and admixed with the between 60 and 80 bar depending on several factors. On
recirculating gas is then heated to reactor inlet temperature the one hand higher synthesis pressure improves the met-
against hot reactor outlet gas in the interchanger. hanol conversion rate to some extent, on the other hand
Conversion to methanol is subsequently processed in the compression energy requirement increases. For that reason
methanol reactor by simultaneously generating medium an optimum has to be found for the synthesis pressure.
pressure steam.
After hot reactor outlet gas exchanged most of its heat with Different compressor/turbine-drive configurations can be
the reactor inlet gas, product condensation and final cooling considered. If larger plant capacities are desired separate
is achieved by air and then water cooling. Sometimes, compressors and turbines for synthesis gas and recycle gas
preheating of BFW in a heatexchanger arranged between may be favourable. Optionally the compressors can be
interchanger and air cooler might be an economic option. arranged on one shaft, driven by a single turbine. Another
option, preferred for smaller methanol capacity, is the
The two-phase reaction mixture previously cooled is then arrangement of synthesis gas and recycles gas compressor
routed to the raw methanol separator where methanol, in series with one casing incorporating the second stage of
water and dissolved gases are separated from unreacted the synthesis gas compressor and the recycle gas compressor.
gases. The liquid fraction is fed to the distillation unit whe-

10
Methanol Distillation

The Principles
The raw methanol produced in the methanol synthesis
contains water, dissolved gases and a quantity of undesired
but unavoidable by-products which have either lower or
higher boiling points than methanol. The purpose of the
distillation unit is to remove those impurities in order to
achieve the desired methanol purity specification.

This is accomplished in the three following process steps:

• Degassing
• Removal of low boiling by-product
• Removal of high boiling by-products.

Dissolved gases (e.g. CO, CO2, H2, CH4, N2) are driven out
of the raw methanol by simply flashing it at a low pressure
into the expansion gas vessel. Removal of the light ends
(e.g. ethers, formates, aldehydes, ketones) and remaining
dissolved gases is carried out in a prerun column. Finally,
the methanol is separated from the heavy ends (ethanol,
higher alcohol, water) in a pure methanol distillation sec-
tion consisting of one or two columns.
Figure 11: Three Column Distillation of a 2000 mtpd Methanol Plant

Lurgi offers two basic distillation concepts, both incorporated

in a large number of methanol plants, an investment cost-
saving two column distillation and an energy-saving three
column distillation. Methanol purity remains unaffected,
whereas pure methanol yield and consumption of steam
for reboilers depend upon the distillation concept.

Figure 10: Two Column Distillation of a 1000 mtpd Methanol Plant

11
Equipment and Process Description tray of the prerun column.
The column is heated from the bottom by thermosyphon
Cost-saving Distillation reboilers utilising low pressure steam and reformed gas.
The two column distillation is designed to reduce invest- The bottoms product, stabilized methanol, is fed to the
ment cost while accepting a higher energy requirement. pure methanol column. The purpose of the pure methanol
This design is recommended if plain steam reforming (no column is to remove the methanol from water and other
use of CO2) is considered or if steam import for column heavier components. The overhead pure methanol vapours
reboilers is possible. A process flow diagram of a typical are condensed in an air cooler, further cooled against coo-
two column distillation is shown in figure 12. ling water and then collected in the reflux vessel. Part of

Fuel Light Ends Light Ends Pure Methanol

Gas Column Column
Condenser
Air
Cooler
Off Gas
Cooler

Final
Cooler

Expansion
Gas Vessel

Process
Water
Cooler
Steam / Steam /
Reformed Gas Reformed Gas
Reboiler Reboiler Process
Water

Crude
Methanol
Pure Methanol

Figure 12: Two Column Distillation

Raw methanol withdrawn from the synthesis loop is flas- the methanol is pumped back as reflux to the top of the
hed into the expansion gas vessel. The dissolved gases column whereas the balance is routed to the pure metha-
escape and are discharged via pressure control into the nol storage facilities.
expansion gas line. The process water discharged from the pure methanol
Raw methanol is then fed to the prerun column where low column sump contains, beside water, methanol, ethanol
boiling by-products are removed. Light ends are taken and higher alcohols. Normally, this process water is pum-
overhead with a large volume of methanol vapours. The ped to the reforming section where it is evaporated and
overhead vapours are passed to the prerun column conden- used as process feed.
ser, where condensation of the methanol vapours is accom-
plished, and further sent to the reflux vessel. Uncondensed
light ends are vented off the top of the vessel to the off gas
cooler which serves to condense residual methanol
vapours out of the vent gases. Condensed methanol runs
back into the reflux vessel while light ends are withdrawn.
Light ends together with expansion gas, both saturated
with water and methanol, are routed off and can be used
as fuel gas. Methanol reflux is removed from the vessel
and routed by way of the reflux pump back to the upper

12
Energy-Saving Distillation somewhere between feed tray and bottom. The purge stre-
The energy saving three column distillation is recommen- am can be used in the reforming section for fueling.
ded when not sufficient reformed gas waste heat is genera- If discharged of the process water to a waste water treat-
ted (e.g. at use of CO2) or if large plant capacities are con- ment is not possible or favourable, it can be consumed in
sidered. A typical process flow diagram of a three column the reforming section. The process water, vaporized in an
distillation is illustrated in figure 13. additionally arranged process water boiler, is then used for
covering the main part of the process steam demand. A

Fuel Light Ends Light Ends Pure Methanol Pure Methanol

Gas Column Column I Column II
(Elev. Pressure) (Atmospheric)
Condenser
Air
Off Gas Cooler
Cooler

Final
Cooler

Expansion
Gas Vessel

Reboiler /
Condenser
Process
Water
Cooler

Steam / Steam /
Reformed Gas Reformed Gas Process
Reboiler Reboiler Water

Crude
Methanol
Pure Methanol

Figure 13: Three Column Distillation

process water boiler should preferably be arranged in the
The distillation principle remains unaffected, but the pure reformed gas waste heat section between natural gas
methanol column is divided into two separate columns, preheater and BFW preheater.
one running at elevated pressure, the other at ambient
pressure.
Pure methanol is discharged overhead in both columns,
each refining between 40 - 60 % of the product. The
ambient pressure column reboiler utilizes the heat of the
pressure column overhead vapours, which are condensed
simultaneously. This reduces the energy demand for heating
the pure methanol column considerably by approx. 35 %.

Further Options
As previously mentioned process water contains approx.
0.5 wt. % methanol and higher alcohols. This can be redu-
ced to about 100 ppm by installation of a sidedraw in the
(atmospheric) pure methanol column. Due to the mixing
behaviour of methanol, ethanol and water, ethanol concen-
tration reaches a maximum in the lower part of the column

13
Steam and Condensate System Medium pressure steam is generated in the methanol reac-
tor and further superheated in the flue gas waste heat sec-
The steam system design depends very much on the design tion. MP steam header supplies to different steam turbines
of the process units regarding plant capacity and off-site and to process. Exhaust steam from the turbines is quen-
infrastructure. ched down to the LP steam header and subsequently con-
densed in the distillation reboilers while heating the
A typical steam system, incorporated in an integrated met- columns. During start-up procedures a separate start-up
hanol plant based on conventional steam reforming, is illu- boiler serves to supply process steam as well as medium
strated in figure 14. Three steam levels are recommended pressure steam to the header.
for plant capacities above 300 mtpd methanol. Steam condensates are collected in the boiler feed water
drum admixed with boiler feed water make-up, deaerated
• high pressure (HP) steam (80-120 bar) and then returned to the steam drums.
• medium pressure (MP) steam (approx.40 bar)
• low pressure (LP) steam (3.5-5 bar) Since in the conventional steam reforming process excess
energy is available, either the export of steam or generation
Steam to the high pressure steam header is supplied from of electric power from this source can be considered.
the reforming section, where preheating, generating and Should a steam system exist outside the methanol complex,
superheating is accomplished by utilizing flue gas and adaptation of the steam pressure levels and import/export
reformed gas waste heat. The only consumer of the high of steam can be favourable.
pressure steam are the syngas and recycle gas compressor If a small plant capacity is planned, the steam system can
turbine. Extraction steam from this turbine is routed to the be designed without HP-steam header. In this case all
reforming section being used as process steam in the steam steam is generated at medium pressure incorporation one
reformer. combined syngas/recycle gas compressor turbine.

Waste Heat Atmospheric Vent

Steam Generation

High Pressure
Steam Header

Letdown
Synthesis Gas and Recycle Station
Process Steam Gas Compressor

Methanol Synthesis Start-up

Steam Generation Boiler

Medium Pressure
Steam Header

G
Process Steam Letdown
Combustion Flue Gas Boiler Feed Power Station
Air Fan Fan Water Pump Generator

Low Pressure
Steam Header

Distillation Minor
Reboilers Consumers

Figure 14: Steam System

14
Utilities/Off-site Units requires only intake and return building.
Sea water cooling is generally accomplished in open
systems distributing to process coolers and turbine drive
Several utilities and off-sites are generally required to sup-
condensers. It is preferrable to operate some small coolers
port the process units. Type and design depends very much
with sweet water, so that a sweet water loop is provided,
on the plant site location and plant operation philosophy.
with heat exchange, accomplished against cold sea water.
Considerable changes in utilities/off-sites occur e.g. if gras-
sroots plants/island operation or integration into an exi-
Inert Gas System, Instrument and Plant Air Supply
sting plant complex is desired. Further influence is given
Inert gas is used in various parts of the plant on both a
by climatic conditions, environmental requirements and
continuous and intermittent basis. If liquid nitrogen is
others.
regularly available, only a liquid nitrogen storage vessel
with evaporator is necessary. Otherwise, a cryogenic air
Several utilities/off-sites possibly required are discussed in
separation has to be implemented. The inert gas system
brief.
essentially comprises a piping distribution network.
The process units require nitrogen during start-up and
Intermediate Tank Farm and Product Storage
shutdown and for special catalyst treatments. Permanent
Between the methanol distillation and the pure methanol
consumers are the flare system and analyzers. The main
storage intermediate tanks are arranged. The intermediate
flare line is permanently purged with a small stream of
tanks serve the following purposes:
nitrogen so that no explosive pockets of gas can build up.
Two pure methanol intermediate tanks alternatively provi-
The molseal in the flare stack is also continuously purged
de temporary storage for product during each 8 hour shift.
with nitrogen to prevent flow reversal.
While one tank is filled with methanol from the plant, the
During normal operation dry instrument air and plant air
other is being sampled and checked for purity before the
are withdrawn from an air supply system. A two stage
product is approved and sent to the methanol storage
instrument air compressor with its coolers and separators
tanks. Should a shift tank be found off-spec, then the faul-
supplies to an instrument air system through a surge drum
ty material is immediately transferred to the crude metha-
and a silica gel air dryer. When a cryogenic air separation
nol intermediate tank, so that the tank is ready for the next
is available instrument and plant air is delivered by this
shift.
plant.
All tanks are of fixed roof type with inert nitrogen blanket
or of covered floating roof type, when no cheap nitrogen is
Flare System
available.
The flare system consists of the interconnecting pipework
The finished methanol product is stored in large methanol
and a hot flare. During start-up of the plant units, when a
storage tanks, mostly having capacity for two to four
safety valve blows off, or during sudden shutdowns, the
weeks of production depending on the location of the plant
gas streams are routed to the flare to be burnt.
site. Nitrogen blanketing prevents ingress of moisture
Nitrogen is used as seal gas. The gases to be flared are
through tank breathing. From the methanol storage tanks,
ignited by pilot burners which are fed with natural gas.
the product would then be transferred to railway, truck
Continuous purging of the flare system occurs from the
and/or ship loading facilities.
ends of the pipelines by the admission of nitrogen. This
ensures that any large quantities of process gas cannot
Cooling Water System
accumulate in the flare system.
The location of the plant site and the infrastructure very
much determines the design of the cooling system. In
Fire Fighting System
general sweet and/or sea water serves as cooling medium.
The fire fighting system would largely consist of a fire
If an insufficient amount of cooling medium is available,
water pipe network through the whole plant, supported by
several air coolers can be arranged for cooling duties, as
necessary hydrants, permanent connection hoses and
shown in the process flow diagrams.
pumps. The process area is serviced by portable water or
If a sweet water cooling system is favourable, either a clo-
foam monitors and several water and foam hoses. Each
sed cooling water loop or an open system can be conside-
storage tank is protected by a manually operated fixed
red. If a closed loop, hot cooling water is to be circulated
water spray system. The fire water system is backed up by
and recooled in a cooling tower. An open cooling system
portable and wheeled fire extinguishers. Fire entry suits,

15
and other protective clothing, compressed air breathing Plot Requirements
apparatus, and fire blankets should be available.

The plot plan is designed to combine a maximum in terms

Start-up Boiler
of easy commissioning, safe operation, easy accessibility
A start-up boiler is provided in order to supply the steam
during maintenance as well as economy of investment
necessary during start-up of the steam reforming unit.
cost.
Furthermore, the steam can be used to run the distillation
during shut-downs of reforming and synthesis unit, especi-
ally if larger amounts of off-spec. or raw methanol are on
hand. During normal operation of the plant the boiler unit
is operated at lowest partial capacity.

Water Treatment
The water treatment unit mainly consists of a deminerali-
sation system supplying boiler feed water quality. If the
plant is not connected to a public potable water network
part of the raw water has to be treated to reach potable
water quality. If no sweet raw water is available a sea
water desalination is required to provide a sufficient amo-
unt of sweet water for further treatment.

Power Generator
An emergency power generator set serves to supply electric
power during upset conditions. The generator set consists
of a diesel engine and an alternator directly flanged on.
The surplus steam optionally generated in the process unit,
is then used for driving an AC synchronous generator via
steam turbine, covering the overall electrical power con-
sumption around plant and off-sites.

16
Production and Consumption Figures

Methanol Product Specification

US Federal Specification O-M-232 J (19.11.1990), Grade "AA"

St.No. Characteristics Unit Grade "AA" Requirement

(1) Acetone Wt.% max. 0.002

(2) Acidity (as Acetic Acid) Wt.% max. 0.003

(3) Appearance Free of opalescence suspended matter and

sediment

(4) Carbonizable Impurities, Color Not darker than Color Standard No. 30 of
ASTM D 1209, Platinum-Cobalt scale

(5) Color Not darker than Color Standard No. 5 of

ASTM D 1209, Platinum-Cobalt scale

(6) Distillation Range max. 1.0 °C ( and shall include

at 760 mm Hg 64.6 ° ± 0.1 °C )

(7) Ethanol Wt.% max. 0.001

(8) Nonvolatile matter mg per 100 mL max. 10

(9) Odor Characteristic, nonresidual

(10) Permanganate time No discharge of color in 30 minutes

(11) Specific Gravity max. 0.7928 at 20 ° / 20 °C

(12) Water Wt.% max. 0.10

(13) Methanol Wt.% min. 99.85

Most Lurgi methanol plants produce superior pure metha-

nol qualities than requested according to the U.S. Federal
Specification O-M-232 J, Grade "AA". Less stringent requi-
rements are noted for "fuel-grade" methanol, used especi-
ally as a blending component for gasoline. Methanol con-
tent amounts to min. 99.5 wt. % with impurities being not
limited or unspecified. Lower methanol purity leads to
savings in distillation energy demand and investment cost.

17
Utility Specification

For normal operation of the process units availability of the

following utilities is required:

• cooling water
• boiler feed water (demineralized water as per
VGB German boiler code or
similar)
• potable water
• plant air (about 3 bar; oil and dust
free)
• instrument air (about 5 bar; oil and dust
free)
• inert gas (e.g. nitrogen) (for blanketing, inertisation
and during start-up)
• hydrogen (only during start-up and cat
lyst reduction)
• E-power supply

Subject to availability from infrastructure utility plants

must be erected to provide the above mentioned utilities.

Consumption
(Consumption figures are per metric ton of grade "AA"
methanol)

Feedstock: Natural Gas

Natural Gas 31.4 GJ (based on net heating value)
Electric Power 0 kWh
Boiler Feed Water 820 kg
Cooling Water 50 m3

Feedstock: Natural Gas and CO2

Natural Gas 29.3 GJ (based on net heating value)
CO2 200-300 kg
Electric Power 50 kWh
Boiler Feed Water 760 kg
Cooling Water 45 m3

All consumption figures can vary to some extent depending

on the natural gas composition and utility specification.

18
Experience and References

Almost forty years ago Lurgi started with the construction

of methanol plants using the classical high pressure syn-
thesis technology. Six plants were built in various countries
in which synthesis gas produced from natural gas by steam
reforming and catalytic autothermal reforming or by partial
oxidation of heavy residual oil was used.
On the basis of many years research work for the develop-
ment of the Lurgi Low Pressure Methanol Process, Lurgi
built a demonstration plant at the end of the sixties. This
unit had a capacity of 4,000 mt/a methanol and the gas
supply system enabled the use of synthesis gas of various
composition.
Today Lurgi has references for 37 plants with a total capa-
city of 14.6 million tpy including two awarded contracts for
Mega Methanol Plants.
Meanwhile the process has been improved by making use
of the experience gained from the operating plants. Lurgi
has available highly active and highly thermostable metha-
nol catalysts which can cope with the varying process con-
ditions and which largely suppress the formation of bypro-
ducts.
The economy of the process has also been improved con-
stantly with respect to equipment and feedstock require-
ments, in particular in conjunction with the integration of
the methanol synthesis and the methanol distillation in the
gas production.
In addition to about 100 Steam Reforming Plants, Lurgi has
built 29 Partial Oxidation Plants using oxygen as oxidation
medium. Furthermore, Lurgi has supplied several
Autothermal Catalytic Reforming Plants using air or oxygen
as oxidation agent and some 6 Combined Reforming
Plants.

19
Lurgi Oel · Gas · Chemie GmbH • Lurgiallee 5 • D-60295 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49 (69) 58 08-0 • Fax +49 (69) 58 08-38 88 • http://www.lurgi-oel.com