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Coal to methanol

Technical Report · May 2008

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Christopher C Vanlang Yehia F. Khalil

Amgen Yale University
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 Chemical Engineering Department
Yale University

Coal to Methanol
CENG 416 Senior Project
Students: Bassel De Graff, Kristina Mõis, Christopher VanLang, Jianming (Alex) Zhang

CENG 416 Course Instructor & Faculty Advisor

Professor Yehia F. Khalil
Yehia.khalil@yale.edu

May 2, 2008
 Outline
• Problem Statement
• Technical Review
• Modeling
• Economics
• Conclusions

1
 Problem Statement
• Provide a preliminary design of a coal to
methanol process via gasification
 Capacity 5000 MT/day; AA grade

• Evaluate economic feasibility

 Internal rate of return
 Sensitivity analysis

2
 Uses of Methanol
Formaldehyde
- resins Dimethyl Ether
- polymers -refrigerant
- disinfectant

METHANOL

Acetic Acid
- food preservative Ethylene & Propylene
- cellulose - food ripening agent
- solvents - plastics
- plastics - fibers
- lacquers - solvents
- rayon - coatings

3
Source: Eastman Chemicals Company
Process Summary
Gasifier

Acid Gas Removal

Water-Gas Shift

MeOH Synthesis

Purification 4
TECHNICAL REVIEW

5
 Gasification

C + H2O  H2 + CO (syngas)

• High Pressures / Range of

Temperatures

• Alternative to:
 coal combustion
 oil gasification

Source: Shell Global Solutions 6

 Gasifier
Promoting
Sasol - Lurgi GTI - Ugas Shell / GE
Companies
Gasifier Type Moving or Fixed Bed Fluidized Bed Entrained Flow

Fuel Type Solid Solid Solids or Liquids

Fuel Size 5 - 50 mm 0.05 – 5 mm 0.005 mm

Residence Times 1 - 30 minutes 5 - 50 seconds 1 - 5 seconds

Operating
400 – 500 oC 700 - 900 oC 1300 - 1800 oC
Temperature
Slagging and non-
Ash Handling slagging
non-slagging slagging
High purity syngas, high
General high methane content low carbon conversion
carbon conversion

Source: Shell Global Solutions 7

 Shell Coal
Gasification Process
T=900 oC
Quench Gas Steam

Syngas

T=1400 oC
Coal P= 30 bar

Steam
Oxygen Water
T=250 oC

Slag
Raw
Source: Shell International Oil Products, Gasification Technologies
Conference 1999
Syngas 8
 Acid Gas Removal
with Rectisol®
• Proven technology: used in
75% of gasification plants
• Methanol solvent
• Removes H2S to 0.1 ppm
• Disadvantage: high
operating cost due to
refrigeration load

Rectisol unit, Shanghai, P.R. China

9
Source: DOE 2007: Industrial Size Gasification for Syngas, Substitute Natural Gas and Power Production
 Water-Gas Shift
CO + H2O ⟷ H2 + CO2

•Fe2O3/Cr2O3 catalyst
•High temperature, high pressure catalyst
•Purpose: modify molar ratios in syngas
H2:CO = 2.0
•Costs: -- consume steam
-- produce CO2

10
Source: David Newsome: The Water Gas Shift Reaction Catalysis Reviews
 Rectisol By-Products
• Sulfur
 Claus Process
 2 H2S + O2 ⟷ 2 H2O + 2 S

• CO2
 Enhanced Oil Recovery

• Ammonia

11
Source: US Department of Energy: Basin Oriented Strategies for CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery
 MeOH Synthesis Reactor
CO + 2 H2 ⟷ CH3OH

• Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst
• Exothermic reaction
• Low temperature, high pressure
• Costs:
-- requires recycling
-- high compression demands
Methanol Plant, Georgia Gulf Linde Engineering

12
Source: J.B. Hansen, Methanol Synthesis. Energy-Related Cataylsis
 Distillation
• Must meet IMPCA specifications, AA grade
 Purity, min 99.85 % w/w
 EtOH, max 50 mg/kg
 Water, max 0.1 % w/w

• H2O/EtOH/MeOH mixture does not form

an azeotrope:
 suitable for distillation

13
Source: International Methanol Producers and Consumers Association
 Modeling

WGS

Purification

MeOH

14
Gasifier

15
 Gasifier
• Operating conditions
 Temperature: 1400 oC
 Pressure: 30 bar
• Inputs & Outputs
Input (MT/day) Output (MT/day)
Sub-bituminous
Syngas = 10,380
Coal = 6,450
Oxygen = 3,480 Slag = 790
Steam = 1,240
Total = 11,170 Total = 11,170

16
Water-Gas Shift & Rectisol

• Rectisol modeled by component splitters

• WGS assumed to reach equilibrium
• Steam to gas ratio: 0.34
17
• CO shift from .6 to .245
Methanol Synthesis
• Modeled by
equilibrium reactor
• 86% yield from CO
• Recycle stream
requires compression
• MeOH Product:
87% w/w

18
Purification
• 3 Column System
 Stabilizing
 Water removal
 EtOH removal
• 98.1% yield from MeOH
• IMPCA Specifications meet

19
 Mole Balances
Carbon Mole Balance

CO2
MeOH 43%
45%

Other Purge
3% 9%

• 88% of carbon turns into a sellable product

• Purge gas combusted for heat
20
ECONOMICS

21
 Economics
• Given Information:
 40% tax
 3% inflation rate
 15 year straight line depreciation
 20 year project life
 3% maintenance capital per year

• Desired Information:
 Net Present Value (NPV)
 Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
 Sensitivity of project economics

22
 Economics Summary
• Total Capital Investment = $ 1,000 M
• Payback period = 5.8 years
• Return On Investment = 11%/year
• Profitability (discount rate = 10%)
 NPV = $ 230 M
 IRR = 13%/year
 Treasury bonds = 4.5%/year (20 years)

23
 Products
• Revenue Revenue from Products
 $ 680 M/year ($M/ year)
CH3OH,
$606.3 ,

• MeOH
89%

 5000 MT/day
 $ 320 / MT
CO2, $71.6
Ash/ Slag
S, $2.1 , , 11%
• CO2
$1.9
0% 0%

 6800 MT/day
 $ 28 / MT

24
 Raw Materials
Cost of Raw Materials
• Materials = $ 250 M/year
($M/year)
Coal

• Sub-bituminous coal $157.5

64%
 6450 MT/day
 $ 67 /MT

• Oxygen
 3500 MT/day
O2, $88.6
 $ 70 /MT CH3OH
(Rectisol
, 36%
makeup),
$0.5 , 0%

25
 Operational Costs
• Annual Utility Costs: $ 64.8 M
Utility Costs (M$/ year)
• Electricity Cost: $ 54.0 M Rectisol and
 Input into Rectisol and Claus Claus,
CO2
 Input into compressors and pumps $26.9, 42%
Compression
, $14.7, 23%
 Input into CO2 compression

• Steam Cost: $ 9.3 M

 Input into gasifier and WGSR
 Loop demand for reboilers
 Produced from Gasifier, WGSR, MeOH
reactor, Waste / purge combustion
Cooling PFD
Steam,
• Cooling Water Cost: $ 1.5 M
Water, $1.5, Demands,
2% $9.3, 14% $12.4, 19%
 Makeup for loops in distillation
condensers and steam generation
 1% loss for every 5 oC increase in
temperature

26
 Capital Investment
• Total capital investment
= $1000 M Capital Investment ($M/year)
Shell Rectisol
• Total purchase price Gasifier, AGR and
$76.3 , Claus,
= $ 180 M 42% $70.7 ,
39%

• Primary expenditures:
Gasifier and Rectisol
MeOH
Other, reactor,
$14.1 , 8% $20.0 ,
11%

27
 Major Variables:
Sensitivity
Annual IRR Sensitivity
• (+) Factors 35%

– MeOH revenue 30%

– CO2 revenue 25%

MeOH

IRR (%/year)
CO2
20%
Coal
• (-) Factors 15%
O2
Elect
– Coal cost E'
10%
– O2 cost
5%
– Electricity cost
– Purchased equipment (E’) 0%
40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 140% 160%

of base case

28
 Recommendations
• Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle
(IGCC)
 Co-production of MeOH and Electricity
• 3 Phase Methanol Synthesis
 LPMEOH
• Reduced AGR costs
• Use of other carbon sources
 Petcoke
 Biomass
29
 A coal to methanol process via gasification is
- Technologically proven
- Economically viable

CONCLUSIONS

30
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