Modelling and Simulation of Methanol Synthesis Reactor for Algerian Methanol Complex Case Study

The growing economic importance of methanol has led to increased scientific interest in improving derivative products, such as formaldehyde and olefins, which represent the largest markets for methanol. At the industrial scale, methanol is produced from a syngas mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen at low-pressure, using copper-based catalysts and operated under adiabatic or isothermal conditions. In this context, the present study investigates, through simulation, the effectiveness of two types of reactors: an adiabatic quench reactor currently operating at a methanol plant in Arzew, Algeria, and a proposed multi-tubular isothermal reactor as an alternative. The performance of both reactors is assessed by observations of the concentration and temperature profiles. The results reveal an increase in methanol production in the multi-tubular reactor compared to the adiabatic quench reactor. A comparison of methanol production was analyzed under the same operating conditions. The CO₂ conversion in the pseudo-isothermal reactor is ۳۷.۵۹% higher than the conversion rate obtained in the adiabatic reactor ۷.۷۹%. Methanol production is more efficient in isothermal technology, with ۲۱۳ tons per day, compared to ۴۱ tons per day in the adiabatic reactor.

کلیدواژه ها:

Adiabatic ، ASPEN HYSYS ، Isothermal ، Methanol ، reactor ، Simulation