Method and apparatus for producing methanol

1. An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising:

a reactor having first and second methane-containing gas inputs and an oxygen-containing gas input, said reactor configured to facilitate a multi-stage partial oxidation reaction of heated methane-containing gas by oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas;

a first methane-containing gas supply coupled to the first methane-containing gas input;

an oxygen-containing gas supply coupled to the oxygen-containing gas input;

a second methane-containing gas supply coupled to the second methane-containing gas input to provide a methane-containing gas to be directly mixed with a mixture of the methane-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas within the reactor at a later stage of the reaction, wherein said later stage is at a location in said reactor where formation of methanol and formaldehyde is substantially completed; and

a condenser in communication with the reactor, the condenser operating at isobaric conditions to reduce product temperature.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a heater coupled to the first methane-containing gas supply.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a heater and wherein said first and second methane-containing gas supplies are connected with a single source of methane-containing gas; and wherein a portion of the methane-containing gas is taken from the single source to produce the first methane-containing gas supply, while another portion of the methane-containing gas from the single source is the second methane-containing gas supply.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a methane-containing gas regulator configured to regulate the quantity a quantity of methanol and a desired quantity of formaldehyde as a result of the reaction in the reactor, by regulating at least one of the first methane-containing gas supply, the second methane-containing gas supply, and the oxygen-containing gas supply.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a cooler configured to cool reactor products, and a separator configured to separate a methanol-containing fraction from the reactor products.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein said cooler includes a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between reaction products and the methanol-containing fraction.

7. An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising:

a reactor configured to support a reaction of partial oxidation of a first heated hydrocarbon-containing gas with oxygen of an oxygen-containing gas;

a first methane-containing gas supply for supplying into the reactor a heated methane-containing gas;

an oxygen-containing gas supply for supplying into the reactor the oxygen containing gas;

a second methane-containing gas supply, downstream of the first methane-containing gas supply, for supplying into the reactor a cold methane-containing gas having a temperature of less than the heated methane-containing gas, said cold methane-containing gas being directly mixed with a mixture of the methane-containing gas and reaction product containing gas within the reactor to produce a product stream comprising formaldehyde and methanol wherein directly mixing of cold methane-containing gas into reaction products functions to slow oxidation of formaldehyde;

a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the product stream to the heated methane containing gas; and

a condenser in communication with the reactor, the condenser operating at isobaric conditions to reduce product temperature.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 , further comprising a heater disposed between the heat exchanger and the reactor, the heater being configured to preheat the heated methane-containing gas.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 , wherein said heat exchanger comprises one of a heat exchanger portion of the reactor, an external heat exchanger, or both.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises an external heat exchanger downstream of the reactor.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the heat exchanger portion of the reactor comprises a downstream portion of the reactor.

12. An apparatus as in claim 7 , wherein said second methane-containing gas supply is arranged at a location of said reactor where formation of methanol and formaldehyde is substantially completed.

13. An apparatus as in claim 7 , comprising a controller configured to adjust the second methane-containing gas supply based on one or more operating parameters.

14. An apparatus as in claim 13 , wherein the one or more parameters comprise temperature.

15. An apparatus as in claim 7 , wherein the condenser is configured to condense a relatively low volatility component of the product stream for separation from a relatively high volatility component of the product stream.

16. An apparatus as in claim 15 , comprising a formaldehyde rectifier downstream of the condenser.

17. An apparatus as in claim 15 , comprising a methanol rectifier downstream of the condenser.

18. An apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the second methane-containing gas comprises at least one of steam, misted water, CO 2 , methanol, and formaldehyde.

19. An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising:

a reactor having first input and a coolant input and an oxygen-containing gas input, said reactor configured to facilitate a partial oxidation reaction of heated methane-containing gas by oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas into methanol and formaldehyde;

a first methane-containing gas supply coupled to the first input;

an oxygen-containing gas supply coupled to the oxygen-containing gas input;

a coolant supply coupled to the coolant input, wherein gas from the coolant supply is directly mixed with a mixture of the methane-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas within the reactor at a later stage of the reaction; and

a condenser in communication with the reactor, the condenser operating at isobaric conditions to reduce product temperature.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 , further comprising a heater coupled to the first methane-containing gas supply.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 , further comprising a heater and wherein said first methane-containing gas supply and coolant gas supply are connected with a single source of a hydrocarbon-containing gas; and wherein a portion of the hydrocarbon-containing gas is taken from the single source to produce the first gas supply, while another portion of the hydrocarbon-containing gas from the single source is a second gas supply.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 , wherein said later stage is at a location of said reactor where formation of methanol and formaldehyde is substantially completed.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 , further comprising a gas regulator configured to regulate a quantity of methanol and quantity of formaldehyde as a result of the reaction in the reactor, by regulating at least one of the first methane-containing gas supply, the coolant supply, and the oxygen-containing gas supply.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 , wherein the coolant supply supplies a gas selected from the group of steam, misted water, CO 2 , methane, methanol, formaldehyde, and combinations thereof.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 24 , wherein a cooler includes a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between reaction products and a methanol-containing fraction.

26. An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising:

a reactor configured to support a partial oxidation reaction of a first heated methane-containing gas with oxygen of an oxygen-containing gas;

a first methane-containing gas supply for supplying into the reactor a heated methane-containing gas; an oxygen-containing gas supply operatively coupled to the reactor;

a coolant supply, downstream of the first methane-containing gas supply, for supplying into the reactor a coolant with a temperature lower than the temperature of the heated methane-containing gas, said coolant being directly mixed with a mixture of the methane-containing gas and reaction product containing gas within the reactor to produce a product stream comprising formaldehyde and methanol wherein mixing the coolant into product stream functions to slow decomposition of formaldehyde; and

a condenser in communication with the reactor, the condenser operating at isobaric conditions to reduce product temperature.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 26 , further comprising a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the product stream to the methane-containing gas supplied by the first methane-containing gas supply and a heater disposed between the heat exchanger and the reactor, the heater being configured to preheat the methane-containing gas.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 26 , wherein said coolant supply supplies a gas selected from the group consisting of steam, misted water, CO 2 , methane, methane, methanol, formaldehyde, and combinations thereof.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein said coolant comprises a reaction product from the reactor.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein heat from said reaction product is transferred to said first methane-containing gas prior to transfer into the reactor.

31. An apparatus as in claim 26 , wherein said coolant supply is arranged at a location of said reactor where formation of methanol and formaldehyde is substantially completed.

32. An apparatus as in claim 26 , comprising a controller configured to adjust an amount of coolant supplied from said coolant supply based on one or more operating parameters.

33. An apparatus as in claim 32 , wherein the one or more parameters comprise temperature.

34. An apparatus as in claim 26 , wherein the condenser is configured to condense a relatively low volatility component of the product stream for separation from a relatively high volatility component of the product stream.

35. An apparatus as in claim 34 , comprising a formaldehyde rectifier downstream of the condenser.

36. An apparatus as in claim 34 , comprising a methanol rectifier downstream of the condenser.