With global demand for methanol continuing its steady rise, improvements in methanol plant capaci... more With global demand for methanol continuing its steady rise, improvements in methanol plant capacity is becoming increasingly urgent in order to remain competitive in today's market. Capacity expansion takes advantage of economy of scale, leading to significant reductions in costs. The modern-day large-scale methanol plant produces twice as much as the typical capacity at the beginning of the millennium. Specialized technology, both for syngas generation and for methanol synthesis, is essential in order to achieve world-class production capacities. Topsøe has invested significant efforts in developing such technologies, from which one of the results is the implementation of stand-alone autothermal reforming (ATR) for syngas generation. With its low steam-to-carbon ratio, the unique standalone ATR technology can lower costs considerably. A combination of ATR technology with an optimized Topsøe methanol reactor layout and high-performance Topsøe methanol synthesis catalyst leads to optimal feedstock utilization and maximum operation efficiency. This paper describes Topsøe's industrial operating experiences within autothermal reforming, as well as process conditions, catalysts, and design requirements to ensure high availability and reliability in large-scale methanol plants.
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Papers by Mete Colak