Claims
- 1. A method for the synthesis of at least one alcohol comprising,
injecting reactants into an apparatus adapted for reacting chemicals to produce products and adapted for separating the products; and removing alcohol products from said apparatus; wherein the apparatus comprises:
a reaction vessel having a first zone with a first reactor and first distillation stage and a second zone with a second reactor and a second distillation stage; said first and second reactors producing the products and said first and second distillation stages separating the products.
- 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said zones are separated by trays.
- 3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said reactors and distillation stages operate simultaneously.
- 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the reaction vessel further comprises a third zone with a third reactor and a third distillation stage.
- 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the reaction vessel further comprises a fourth zone with a fourth reactor and a fourth distillation stage.
- 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the reaction vessel further comprises a fifth zone with a fifth reactor and a fifth distillation stage.
- 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said at least one alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanol and higher alcohols.
- 8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said alcohol products comprise methanol.
- 9. The method according to claim 7 wherein said alcohol products comprise at least one higher alcohol.
- 10. The method according to claim 9 where said alcohol products comprise ethanol.
- 11. A method for the synthesis of at least one alcohol comprising;
injecting reactants into a catalytic distillation reactor and removing alcohol products from said catalytic distillation reactor, wherein the catalytic distillation reactor comprises: a reaction vessel having a plurality of distillation zones and a catalytic material in each of said distillation zones.
- 12. The method according to claim 11 wherein said reaction vessel further comprises a plurality of trays, wherein said trays as substantially perpendicular to the axis of said reaction vessel.
- 13. The method according to claim 11 wherein said reaction vessel further comprises a plurality of trays, wherein said trays are position at an incline with respect to the axis of said reaction vessel.
- 14. The method according to claim 11 wherein at least one of said distillation zones comprises a tray with at least one of the following: bubble caps, weirs, filters, sieves, or sintered metal sieves.
- 15. The method according to claim 11 wherein at least one of said catalyst materials comprises a catalyst selected from the group consisting of Cu—Zn alloys, Cu-rare earth alloys, Group 8 elements, Group 9 elements, and Group 10 elements, and combinations thereof.
- 16. The method according to claim 15 wherein said at least one catalyst material further comprises a promoter selected from the group consisting of Cr, Al, Mn, V, Mo, Ag, alkali metals, and combinations thereof.
- 17. The method according to claim 15 wherein said at least one catalyst material further comprise a catalyst support.
- 18. The method according to claim 11 wherein said catalyst materials are in the form of at least one of the following: particles, pellets, monoliths, honeycombs, packed bed, foams, or aerogels.
- 19. The method according to claim 11 wherein said catalyst materials substantially completely fill said distillation zones.
- 20. The method according to claim 11 wherein said catalyst materials do not substantially completely fill said distillation zones.
- 21. A method for the synthesis of at least one alcohol comprising,
injecting reactants into a catalytic distillation reactor and removing alcohol products from said catalytic distillation reactor, wherein the catalytic distillation reactor comprises: a reaction vessel; a plurality of trays, said trays disposed inside said reaction vessel at a plurality of vertical locations so as to divide said reaction vessel into a plurality of reaction chambers; at least one catalyst material positioned above at least one of said trays; a plurality of feedlines entering said reaction vessel, said feedlines positioned so as to deposit materials in one or more of said reaction chambers; a plurality of product lines, said product lines positioned so as to remove materials from one or more of said reaction chambers; and an exchanger for transferring heat, said exchanger being external to said vessel.
- 22. A method for the synthesis of at least one alcohol comprising,
providing a catalytic distillation reactor comprising a reaction vessel, a plurality of distillation zones inside said reaction vessel, and a plurality of catalyst materials disposed in said distillation zones; injecting reactants into said catalytic distillation reactor and removing alcohol products from said catalytic distillation reactor.
- 23. The method according to claim 22 wherein said reactants comprise hydrogen and a carbon oxide selected from the group consisting of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof.
- 24. The method according to claim 22 wherein said plurality comprises at least three.
- 25. The method according to claim 22 wherein said plurality comprises at least four.
- 26. The method according to claim 22 wherein said plurality comprises at least five.
- 27. The method according to claim 22 wherein the total conversion of reactants to alcohol products in said catalytic distillation reactor exceeds the thermodynamic limit of for the single zone conversion of said reactants to said alcohol products under the conditions of at least one of the distillation zones.
- 28. The method according to claim 27 wherein said total conversion is at least 94%.
- 29. The method according to claim 27 wherein the said single zone conversion is between 40% and 60%.
- 30. The method according to claim 27 wherein said alcohol products comprise methanol.
- 31. An alcohol product produced by the process of claim 22.
- 32. Methanol produced by the process of claim 22.
- 33. Ethanol produced by the process of claim 22.
- 34. A blended gasoline comprising an alcohol product produced by the process of claim 22.
- 35. A method for controlling the synthesis of at least one alcohol, said method comprising:
providing a catalytic distillation reactor comprising a reaction vessel, a plurality of distillation zones inside said reaction vessel, and a plurality of catalyst materials disposed in said distillation zones; selecting a catalyst material for each distillation zone so as to optimize the synthesis of alcohols in said distillation zone; and selecting a number of distillation zones so as to optimize the production of said alcohol in said catalytic distillation reactor.
- 36. The method according to claim 35 wherein the number of distillation zones is at least three.
- 37. The method according to claim 35 wherein the number of distillation zones is at least four.
- 38. The method according to claim 35 wherein the number of distillation zones is at least five.
- 39. The method according to claim 35 wherein said alcohol is methanol.
- 40. The method according to claim 35 wherein said alcohol is a higher alcohol.
- 41. The method according to claim 35 further comprising:
controlling the temperature in each distillation zone so as to optimize the synthesis of alcohols in said distillation zone; and controlling the pressure in each distillation zone.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/291,923, filed May 17, 2001, entitled “Use of Catalytic Distillation Reactor for Methanol Synthesis”. Further, the present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. utility application Ser. No. 09/714,675, filed Nov. 16, 2000, and entitled “Catalytic Distillation Reactor”, which claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C. 111(b) provisional application Serial No. 60,166,025 filed Nov. 17, 1999, and entitled “Catalytic Distillation Reactor for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis”. Each of the above-listed applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60291923 |
May 2001 |
US |
|
60166025 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09714675 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Child |
10147760 |
May 2002 |
US |