Open AccessDevelopment of Kinetic Models for the Liquid Phase Methanol (LPMEOH tm) Process
Author(s) -
Xuebiao Peng
Publication year - 2002
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/922636
Subject(s) - trademark , process engineering , methanol , process (computing) , work (physics) , catalysis , productivity , environmental science , materials science , chemical engineering , chemistry , computer science , mechanical engineering , engineering , organic chemistry , economics , macroeconomics , operating system
This report covers our recent work on the kinetics of the LPMEOH{trademark} process. The major part of the report concerns the development of more robust kinetic models for the LPMEOH{trademark} reaction system. The development was needed to meet the requirements for more accurate process simulations over a wide range of conditions. To this end, kinetic experiments were designed based on commercial needs and a D-Optimal design package. A database covering 53 different conditions was built. Two new reactions were identified and added to the LPMEOH{trademark} reaction network. New rate models were developed for all 15 reactions in the system. The new rate models are more robust than the original ones, showing better fit to the experimental results over a wide range of conditions. Related to this model development are some new understandings about the sensitivity of rate models and their effects on catalyst life study. The last section of this report covers a separate topic: water injection to the LPMEOH{trademark} reactor and its effects on the LPMEOH{trademark} process. An investigation was made of whether water injection can enhance the reactor productivity and how this enhancement depends on the composition of the major syngas feed. A water injection condition that resulted in 32% enhancement in productivity was observed. A catalyst life test under this water injection condition was conducted and showed no negative effects of water injection on catalyst stability