Analysis of a Methanol-Power Polygeneration System from Natural Gas

This paper analyzes the characteristics of a Natural Gas (NG)-based Methanol-Power Polygeneration System (MPPS). The structures and parameters of the polygeneration systems are investigated to explore the appropriate process for each polygeneration system. And some effective methods, such as exergy distribution analysis and energy-utilization diagrams (EUD) are adopted to investigate the performance & characteristic of the system. The results reveal that, MPPS adopted Partial Reforming and Partial Cycling synthesis (PR/PC) process can reach good performance, while MPPS exhibits poor performance when adopting Full Reforming and Once Through synthesis (FR/OT) process. Through further study with exergy analysis method, we find that the particular synthesis and separation properties of methanol lead to such difference. Therefore, the characteristics of chemical product should be important factors in the configuration and integration of polygeneration systems. The work of this paper is significant for the research and development of polygeneration system.