Methanol is the simplest alcohol and can be used as an alternative fuel or chemical feedstock. It is produced via a four step process: feed purification using desulphurization; steam reforming of natural gas over nickel catalysts at high pressures and temperatures; methanol synthesis over copper catalysts in a reactor; and methanol purification through distillation. Methanol production facilities are located globally and the demand for methanol is increasing in countries like India at 7-8% annually.

1. KHUSHBOO MEHTA
60011118007
NISHANT SHAH 60011118009
SAUNAK SHAH 60011118010
PROJECT GUIDE: PROF. ARVIND PRASAD

2.  Methanol is a new future alternative fuel and it is also widely used
as a raw material for MTBE and other chemicals.
 The demand and production of methanol is increased.
 Methanol is the simplest alcohol, light, volatile, colourless,
flammable and poisonous and has distinctive odor very similar to,
but, slightly sweeter than, that of ethanol.
 Methanol is also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood
spirit.

3.  The ancient Egyptians used a mixture of substances, including
methanol, which they obtained from the pyrolysis of wood.
 Pure methanol, however, was first isolated in 1661 by Robert Boyle,
who called it spirit of box, because he produced it via the distillation
of boxwood.
 In 1834, the French chemists Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Eugene
Peligot determined its elemental composition.
 This was shortened to methanol in 1892 by the International
Conference on Chemical Nomenclature.
 In 1923, the German chemist Matthias Pier, working for
BASF developed a means to convert synthesis gas (a mixture of
carbon monoxide and hydrogen derived from coke and used as the
source of hydrogen in synthetic ammonia production) into methanol.
 Pressures 300–1000 atm,
 Temperatures of about 400°C.

4.  As a fuel in internal combustion engines, flammable as gasoline.
 As a solvent and as an antifreeze in pipelines.
 As a denaturing agent.
 About 40% of methanol is converted to formaldehyde, and from
there into products as diverse as plastics, plywood, paints,
explosives, and permanent press textiles.
 In the 1990s, large amounts of methanol were used in the United
States to produce the gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl
ether (MTBE).
 Other chemical derivatives of methanol include dimethyl ether,
which has replaced chlorofluorocarbons as the propellant in
aerosol sprays, and acetic acid.

6.  The methanol industry spans the entire globe, with production in Asia, North
and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Worldwide, over 100
methanol plants have a combined production capacity of about 100 million
metric tons (33 billion gallons or 125 billion litres), and each day more than
180,000 tons of methanol is used as a chemical feedstock or as a transportation
fuel (60 million gallons or 225 million litres).
 Indian demand for methanol is likely to increase at the rate of 7% to 8% per
annum till 2015. The likely import of methanol in India by 2015 would be 1.4
million metric tonnes per annum.
 The current price of methanol is Rs. 26-30/lit

8. Manufactures Capacity(MT)
Aarti Drugs Limited 350
Adani Exports Limited 1050
Aero Chemero Chem 200
Haresh Petrochem Pvt. Ltd 100
Hazel Mercantile Limited 600
Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd 400
Ina India Ltd 200

12.  Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Company (GNFC) is the largest
producer of methanol in India with installed capacity of 268,700 TPA.
 Deepak Fertilizers & Petrochemicals Corporation is the second
largest methanol producer with installed capacity of 1,00,000 TPA.
 Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) is the third largest methanol
producer with installed capacity of 72,600 TPA.
 Assam Petrochemicals has an installed capacity of 33,000 TPA of
methanol.
 Assam Petrochemical is likely to start commercial production from its
new plant in the fourth quarter of 2014. The new methanol plant at
Namrup, Assam in India, will have a production capacity of 165,000
tonne per annum.

13. Short Term Effects
Small amount
• Nausea, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and visual
disturbances ranging from blurred vision to light sensitivity.
High concentrations
• Irritate mucous membranes, cause headaches, sleepiness,
nausea, confusion, loss of consciousness, digestive and visual
disturbances and death.
•Long Term Effects
•Repeated exposure
• Systemic poisoning
• Brain disorders
• Impaired vision
• Blindness.

14.  Small fires
 Dry Chemical
 CO2
 water spray.
 Large fire
 Water spray
 AFFF(R) (Aqueous Film Forming Foam (alcohol resistant)).
 Methanol burns with a clean clear flame that is almost
invisible in daylight

15.  Chemically Stable
 Incompatible with other substances
 Strong oxidizers, strong acids, strong bases.
 Conditions of Reactivity
 Presence of incompatible materials and ignition sources
 Hazardous Decomposition Products
 Formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide

16.  Anhydrous methanol is non-corrosive except:
 Lead
 Magnesium
 Methanol is non-corrosive except:
 lead
 Aluminum
 Mild steel is the recommended construction material.
 Storage
 In totally enclosed equipment
 Avoid ignition and human contact
 Tanks must be grounded and vented and should have
vapor emission controls.
 Avoid storage with incompatible materials.

17. Biodegradation / Aquatic Toxicity:
 Methanol biodegrades easily in
 Water.
 Soil.
 Methanol in high concentrations (>1%) in fresh or salt water can have short-
term harmful effects on aquatic life within the immediate spill area.
 No smoking or open flame in storage.
 Ensure proper electrical grounding procedures are in place.

18.  An effective spill prevention program will include
 Engineering controls
 Training and procedure
 Spill response planning.
 Effective engineering controls include
 Overfill alarms,
 Containment for tanks, such as
 dikes or bunds to contain large spills.
 Workers must be trained to handle methanol in a safe manner.
 Systems and procedures that protect the employees.
 The plant and the environment should be implemented to be prepared in the
event of a spill.
 The facility should develop and implement spill response plans.
 Regular exercises of the plan will ensure that workers know how to respond
safely and effectively to a release.

19.  Methanol is made using the Low Pressure
Methanol Synthesis Process.
 The plants production process that can be
divided into four main stages:
 Feed Purification.
 Reforming.
 Methanol Synthesis.
 Methanol Purification.

20.  NG is compressed to about 45 bar
 sulphur removed by desulphurization
 Additional steam to achieve 3:1 steam to carbon ratio for reforming.
 The total feed stream is then heated in the gas heated reformer preheater.

21. Steam reforming Partial oxidation Autothermal
reforming
Type of process endothermic exothermic neutral
System
complexicity
complex Very simple simple
Outlet Hydrogen
content(dry
basis)
70-80% 35-45% 40-45%
Carbon yield 9%CO
15% CO2
19% CO
1% CO2
3% CO
15% CO2
System
configuration
complex simple complex

23. • There are three main chemical reactions which occur in this process
step :
• Steam reforming CH4 + H2O = CO + 3H2
Shift reaction CO + H2O =
CO2 + H2
• Preheated gas flows from the preheater to the tube side of the
advanced gas heated reformer (AGHR).
• As it passed down through the catalyst (nickel, zinc oxide based on
alumina) the reforming reactions start.
• Reforming reactions continue and the gas leaves 1000°C with less
than 0.5% methane slip.
• The process condensate which condenses out of the reformed gas is
recycled back to the saturator.
• After heat recovery the reformed gas is finally cooled and then
compressed to about 70 barg in the synthesis gas compressor to be
fed as synthesis gas to the synthesis loop.

24.  There are two main chemical reactions which occur in this process
step :
 CO + 2H2 = CH3OH
 CO2+3H2 = CH3OH + H2O
 Production of a crude methanol stream which is about 80% methanol
and 20% water, carried out over a catalyst.
 Crude methanol is separated from the uncondensed gases and the
gases recirculated back to the converter via the circulator.
 This section consists :
 Topping column
 Refining column

25. Type of Converter Description
Quench Cooled Converter The warm quench is fed to the converter at
100-1500C. Quench reactor converter
requires relatively large catalyst volume
because the temperature profile does not
follow the same path
Adiabatic bed Converter It has a smaller total catalyst volume. Capital
cost is less
Tube cooled Converter Low catalyst volume leading to smaller
converter volume, increased heat recovery as
compared to quench converter

26. Different types of catalyst for reformer

28. Different types of catalyst for reactor