Method of and apparatus for producing methanol

1. A method of producing methanol, comprising the steps of:

supplying into a reactor a heated hydrocarbon-containing gas;

supplying into the reactor an oxygen-containing gas;

carrying out in the reactor an oxidation of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas by the oxygen-containing gas; and

supplying into the reactor at a location of said reactor where the oxidation reaction has advanced substantially, a cold hydrocarbon-containing gas to be mixed directly with a mixture of the hydrocarbon-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas to impede the decomposition of formaldehyde.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising performing the reaction in a homogeneous phase by a partial combustion without presence of a heterogeneous catalyst.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising preheating of the hydrocarbon-containing gas before the supplying it into the reactor.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said supplying of the hydrocarbon-containing gas and said supplying of the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas includes taking a hydrocarbon-containing gas from a single source, heating one portion of the hydrocarbon-containing gas taken from the source to produce the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas for supplying into the reactor; and supplying another portion of the hydrocarbon-containing gas from the same source as the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas into the reactor.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said supplying of the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas into a reactor at a later stage includes supplying the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas into the reactor at the stage when formation of methanol and formaldehyde is substantially completed.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said supplying of the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas includes regulating a quantity of the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas so as to produce a desired quantity of methanol and a desired quantity of formaldehyde in the reactor.

7. The method as defined in claim 4 , further comprising cooling a reaction mixture which is received from the reactor and separating from the cooled reaction mixture a hydrocarbon-containing gas for supplying back to the source, and a methanol-containing fraction for obtaining methanol from the methanol-containing fraction.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein said cooling of the reaction mixture includes a heat-exchange between the reaction mixture which left the reactor and a supply of hydrocarbon-containing gas to form the heated hydro-carbon containing gas.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein said cooling of the reaction mixture received from the reactor includes cooling of the reaction mixture by said heat exchange and a subsequent air cooling.