Methanol co-production

Give them what they want - for co-production within methanol

A strong fundament based on flexibiity

Topsoe’s integrated methanol and ammonia process (IMAP™) gives you the flexibility you need to get ahead and stay there.

Imagine a plant that could deliver what the market wants most, whenever the market wants it. No more being locked into a single product, with its ups and downs. No more missing out on opportunities to meet needs outside your main product. And no more having to build two plants to make more than just ammonia or just methanol.

Equally suitable for revamp and grassroots projects and no matter whether you operate a dedicated ammonia plant, methanol plant or fertilizer complex, our co-production plant designs give you unprecedented agility, protection from market fluctuations and profit-making potential.

Topsoe’s IMAP™ (Integrated Methanol and Ammonia Production) technologies and Topsoe’s latest innovative syngas hub solution for large scale facilities, the cost effective SynCOR Plus™, enables the facility to produce multiple products without the prohibitive cost of installing and operating a second plant. Both technology concepts take advantage of the catalysts and technology used making single product facilities

The IMAP™ technology covers combined capacity of ammonia and methanol up to 3.200 MTPD and SynCOR Plus™ up to 10.000 MTPD. Both concepts also include the possibility to convert the ammonia into urea.

The power of one

A Topsoe co-production facility offers numerous advantages over two standalone plants, including:

Shared reforming section
Once-through methanol synthesis loop
Lower unit cost for any capacity
Well-proven process steps
Any ammonia-methanol product split
Shared utilities
Staff requirements correspond to that of one
10–25% savings on capital expenditures
Up to 4% savings on operating expenses

IMAP™ – three flexible co-production solutions

Choose the product mix and corresponding IMAP™ solution that makes most sense for your plant.

Our IMAP™ technology enables any facility to produce multiple products without the often prohibitive cost of installing and operating a second plant. Comprising three separate process designs – IMAP Ammonia+™, IMAP Methanol+™, and IMAP Urea+™ – our IMAP™ portfolio can add significantly to your bottom line by enabling you to meet multiple and changing market needs as they arise.

IMAP Ammonia⁺™ is an ammonia plant with an efficient add-on methanol section. The concept can be designed to produce up to 100 % ammonia and up to 35 % methanol or any combination in this range while observing a combined total production of 100%. It can be made for a grass root facility or as a revamp of an existing ammonia plant.

IMAP Methanol⁺™ is a very cost efficient co-production design producing 65-75% methanol and 25-35% ammonia. The actual product split is decided by the feed gas composition and the clients need.

IMAP Urea⁺™ is an ammonia plant with an efficient methanol section which can be designed for full flexibility between ammonia, urea and methanol. The main difference between IMAP Ammonia+™ and IMAP Urea+™ is use of enriched air as oxygen/nitrogen feed which provides the high product flexibility.

IMAP ammonia, methanol and urea

Additional revenue with product diversification

Multiple products offer flexibility toward price fluctuations.

As a plant owner, you’ll want to decide just how much flexibility you want right from the start, to make sure your investment costs are aligned with your needs. In addition to our three basic IMAP™ process designs, we can tailor an IMAP™ solution to meet the specifics of your business and technical needs. If you’re not sure which IMAP™ process design would best suit your plant, we are happy to conduct the feasibility studies you’ll need to make the right decision.

SynCOR Plus™ - Innovative syngas hub solution for large scale solutions

SynCOR Plus™ is a syngas hub concept where SynCOR™ is used as an efficient fully automated common syngas generator for downstream synthesis units, such as ammonia and methanol synthesis, which can be designed for any size up to a total of 10.000 MTPD for a single SynCOR™. The concept allows for full conversion of the ammonia into urea.

Apart from methanol and ammonia production SynCOR Plus™ can also be used for a cost-effective production of Fisher Tropsch synthesis, carbon monoxide or hydrogen.

Process licensing for methanol co-production

IMAP Ammonia+™

With this process design, ammonia is the main product and methanol is the co-product. It is used for grassroots plants and revamps of existing plants.

IMAP Methanol+™

This process design is intended for use where methanol is the main product, ammonia is the co-product, and no need to produce urea is expected.

IMAP Urea+™

This design sets your plant up to produce any mix of ammonia, methanol and urea.

SynCOR Plus™

This is a syngas hub concept where SynCOR is used as an efficient fully automated common syngas generator for downstream synthesis units, such as ammonia and methanol synthesis.

Two-step methanol

This tubular reforming technology is the most commonly used methanol technology, providing the lowest CAPEX and OPEX.

One-step methanol

Low cost technology for small to medium capacity. This technology uses only steam reforming as synthesis gas generator.

SynCOR Methanol™

Proven large scale for new built. This is the most cost efficient industrially proven methanol technology available on the market.

Applications within this area

Purification

A well functioning purification of the feedstock to the methanol plant will have a great impact on the performance of downstream processes and their purification catalysts.

Reforming

An efficient and reliable conversion of the feedstock has a huge impact on the economics of the plant. Our methanol reforming layouts are tailored for methanol reforming efficiency to meet the...

Synthesis

Making best use of the synthesis gas and turn it into valuable high quality methanol through...

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