TITLE:
Absorption Enhanced Methanol Synthesis in a Trickle Bed Reactor over Cu/Zn/Al2O3 Catalyst
AUTHORS:
Peng Liu, Zhenmin Cheng
KEYWORDS:
Absorption, Methanol Synthesis, Trickle Bed Reactor
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.3 No.6,
June
11,
2015
ABSTRACT: Methanol synthesis in a trickle bed reactor
with tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME) as the liquid phase over a
Cu/Zn/Al2O3 catalyst was investigated. The pressure was kept constant at 5.0
MPa, while the temperature ranged from 230℃to 260℃and the mass space
velocity varied between 294 L·Kg-1·h-1 and 1655 L·Kg-1·h-1. The effects of
temperature and space velocity on CO conversion and methanol productivity were
studied. Methanol synthesis processes in trickle bed with the TEGDME and
paraffin oil as liquid phase were compared with the fixed bed process. The
results indicated that the optimal temperature was approximately 240℃. When
the space velocity was increased, the CO conversion decreased while the
methanol productivity increased. The liquid introduced can help to keep the
reactor nearly isothermal. For methanol synthesis in trickle-bed reactor,
TEGDME was better than paraffin oil. Effect of TEGDME on the reaction was
twofold. On one hand, it absorbs the methanol and speeds up the reaction. On
the other hand, it also increases the mass transfer resistance and hinders the
reaction.