Method for producing dimethyl ether and device suitable therefor

1. A method for preparing dimethyl ether, comprising:

performing catalytic dehydration of methanol in at least a first reaction stage, a second reaction stage, and a third reaction stage that are connected in series, so as to produce a dehydration product, said performing catalytic dehydration step comprising:

operating the first reaction stage adiabatically,

cooling a reaction product from the first reaction stage by quenching the reaction product before it is further reacted downstream in the second reaction stage, and

cooling the reaction product from the second stage by use of a heat exchanger before it is further reacted downstream in the third reaction stage; and

distilling the dehydration product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first and second reaction stages are both operated adiabatically.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second reaction stage is downstream of said first reaction stage and operated nonadiabatically.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reaction stage is operated adiabatically, and wherein a reaction temperature in the first and second reaction stages is between 200 to 400° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein during said cooling step between the first and second reaction stages, a temperature of the reaction product is decreased to a temperature of between 200° C. and 300° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction stages of said performing catalytic dehydration step are carried out in at least two adiabatically operated reactors connected in series, and wherein said cooling of the reaction product is performed between the at least two adiabatically operated reactors.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said performing catalytic dehydration is carried out in an adiabatically operated reactor having at least a first upstream catalyst bed corresponding to the first catalyst stage and a second downstream catalyst bed corresponding to the second catalyst stage, the first and second catalyst beds being connected in series, and wherein said cooling step is performed in a cooling apparatus disposed between the first and second catalyst beds for intermediate cooling of the reaction product from the first catalyst bed located upstream.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said cooling step is at least partially performed by at least one of heat exchangers or by introduction of cooling liquid directly into the reaction product.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cooling liquid is one of methanol, DME, water, or mixtures thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein quenching the reaction product from the first reaction stage comprises introducing liquid methanol as a coolant into the reaction product between the first and second reaction stages, wherein vapor of the methanol from the dehydration step is conveyed as a cooling medium through the heat exchanger.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of performing catalytic dehydration is performed in an adiabatically operated reactor having a first, a second, and a third catalyst bed connected in series, wherein the reaction product from the first catalyst bed is quenched by introducing liquid methanol into the reaction product between the first and the second catalyst bed, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed between the second and third catalyst beds and cools the reaction product from the second catalyst bed before it enters the third catalyst bed.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cooling step is performed by a heat exchanger through which vapor of the methanol used for the dehydration is conveyed as cooling medium.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein an acidic and solid catalyst is the catalyst used in the step of performing catalytic dehydration.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of distilling the dehydration product comprises:

in a DME column, distilling the reaction product coming from a last reaction stage of said catalytic dehydration to separate off dimethyl ether from a bottom product;

transferring the bottom product from the DME column into a methanol column; and

in the methanol column, distilling the bottom product to separate off a methanol stream from a water-containing bottom product.