Producing the synthesis gas (syngas) needed for methanol synthesis accounts for up to 60% of the operating costs of a typical methanol plant. This makes efficient and reliable syngas generation a critical factor in your plant design and overall plant profitability.
Syngas production involves converting natural gas to a suitable stoichiometric syngas in the syngas generation section of your methanol plant. The conversion is normally carried out via tubular steam methane reforming (SMR), autothermal reforming (ATR), or a combination of these processes. To increase capacity or improve methanol reforming efficiency, these processes are sometimes combined with heat-exchange reforming, adiabatic pre-reforming and other technologies.
Whichever process you choose, it must be highly efficient and reliable to ensure profitable operation. The following Topsoe processes are designed specifically to help you maximize efficiency without compromising on reliability.
An efficient and reliable technology, Topsoe SynCOR consists of a pre-reformer followed by an autothermal reformer. Both components operate at a uniquely low steam-to-carbon ratio (≤ 0.6). The low ratio means energy savings, smaller methanol production equipment, and a smaller environmental footprint for your plant.
Steam methane reforming (SMR) is a more conventional method for converting natural gas to syngas. Our side-fired SMR design features flexible tube-wall temperature control, which offers multiple benefits. It enables operators to adjust the firing to maintain the desired temperature and reduce the risk of hot bands and potential tube rapture. It also allows for operation with lowest possible variation of tube temperature, leading to increased conversion of methane to syngas.
These benefits make Topsoe SMR solutions some of the most widely used in the industry today.
Exchange reforming is a convenient and affordable method for adding extra capacity to your syngas generation unit. We offer several exchange reforming technologies that enable you to utilize waste heat and/or waste gas to boost capacity. One such technology is our HTER technology, which uses thermal energy in your reformer effluent to increase reforming capacity. Another is our HTCR technology, which adds reforming capacity using heat generated by natural gas, LPG, naphtha or off-gas.
Adiabatic prereforming helps you maximize efficiency and boost reforming capacity using waste heat. Our adiabatic prereforming technology relies on the Topsoe AR-series catalyst. This catalyst features high resistance to carbon formation and a proven ability to operate with a steam-to-carbon ratio below 0.6. All this means greater flexibility, improved safety and lower energy consumption.
A lack of critical information can affect the operation of a chemical plant
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Correcting inefficiencies in the steam reformer should be prioritized because even very small changes can have a large impact on overall performance.
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The present paper describes the preferred technology for large scale methanol production.
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The low restriction on the process air obtained with the patented FreeBurn™ for secondary reformers will increase your ammonia production, if the process air capacity is a bottleneck. Alternatively, maintain the ammonia production and yield compression energy savings in your process air compressor.
Leaflet Relieve your process air compressor and save energy
Topsoe provides cost-effective, energy-efficient methanol plant designs that give you exactly what you’re looking for. SynCOR Methanol™ is a combination of Topsoe SynCOR™ synthesis gas generation, methanol synthesis and distillation technologies and catalysts.
Brochure Methanol made better - SynCOR Methanol™
The future of methanol production will be increasingly focused on green methanol and e-methanol, and this increased focus will necessitate modifications to existing methanol synthesis catalysts
White paper The role of the methanol-synthesis catalyst
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