Process for synthesising methanol

1. A process for synthesising methanol comprising the steps of (i) forming a synthesis gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from a hydrocarbon feedstock in a reforming unit comprising a heat exchange reformer and autothermal reformer in series; (ii) cooling the synthesis gas in the heat exchange reformer and one or more further stages of heat exchange, and recovering process condensate from the cooled synthesis gas to form a make-up gas; (iii) passing a feed gas comprising the make-up gas to a methanol synthesis loop comprising one or more methanol synthesis reactors; (iv) recovering a product gas mixture containing methanol from the methanol synthesis loop, cooling the product gas mixture to below the dew point to condense crude methanol, and separating the crude methanol from an unreacted gas mixture; and (v) recycling a portion of the unreacted gas mixture to the methanol synthesis loop and recovering a portion of the unreacted gas mixture as a purge gas stream, wherein a hydrogen-rich stream and a carbon-rich stream are separated from the purge gas, a portion of the hydrogen-rich stream is fed to the methanol synthesis loop and a portion of the carbon-rich stream is fed to the reformer unit.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock is natural gas.

3. The process according to claim 2 wherein the steam for reforming the natural gas is provided using a saturator.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the heat exchange reformer comprises a steam reforming catalyst disposed in tubes that extend through a heat exchange zone formed between upper and lower tube sheets to which the synthesis gas is fed as heat exchange medium.

5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the autothermal reformer comprises a burner disposed near the top of the reformer to which a reformed gas from the heat exchange reformer and an oxygen-containing gas are fed, a combustion zone beneath the burner through which a flame extends, above a fixed bed of particulate steam reforming catalyst.

6. The process according to claim 5 wherein the oxygen-containing gas comprises >95% vol. O 2 .

7. The process according to claim 1 wherein the composition of the make-up gas is 10-20 mol % carbon monoxide, 0.5-15 mol % carbon dioxide, 55-85% hydrogen and the balance one or more inert gases, including methane.

8. The process according to claim 7 wherein the R value of the make-up gas, before hydrogen-rich gas is added, is in the range 1.95-2.05, and after the hydrogen-rich gas is added, the R value is higher.

9. The process according to claim 1 wherein the make-up gas is compressed in a synthesis gas compressor to a desired loop pressure and the synthesis gas compressor is electrically driven.

10. The process according to claim 1 wherein the methanol synthesis loop comprises one, two or more methanol synthesis reactors each containing a bed of methanol synthesis catalyst, wherein the product gas mixture is recovered from at least one methanol synthesis reactor.

11. The process according to claim 10 wherein an unreacted gas mixture separated from a product gas mixture recovered from one methanol synthesis reactor is returned to the same or a different methanol synthesis reactor.

12. The process according to claim 10 wherein the unreacted gas is compressed by one or more circulating compressors and the circulating compressor is electrically driven.

13. The process according to claim 10 wherein the methanol synthesis reactors are cooled by a synthesis gas or by boiling water.

14. The process according to claim 10 wherein methanol synthesis is effected in the one or more methanol synthesis reactors at pressures in the range 10 to 120 bar abs, and at temperatures in the range 130° C. to 350° C.

15. The process according to claim 1 wherein the separation of the hydrogen-rich and carbon-rich streams is accomplished using a hydrogen membrane separator or a pressure swing adsorption unit, or a cold box separation system, or any combination of these.

16. The process according to claim 1 wherein the crude methanol is subjected to one or more steps of distillation to produce a purified methanol product.