New Integrated Process for the Efficient Production of Methanol, Electrical Power, and Heating

Alireza Khatami Jouybari, Adrian Ilinca and Bahram Ghorbani
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Alireza Khatami Jouybari: Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), 300 All. des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Adrian Ilinca: Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), 300 All. des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Bahram Ghorbani: Faculty of Engineering Modern Technologies, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol 4615664616, Iran

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-28

Abstract: In this paper, a novel process is developed to cogenerate 4741 kg/h of methanol, 297.7 kW of electricity, and 35.73 ton/h of hot water, including a hydrogen purification system, an absorption–compression refrigeration cycle (ACRC), a regenerative Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), and parabolic solar troughs. The heat produced in the methanol reactor is recovered in the ORC and ACRC. Parabolic solar troughs provide thermal power to the methanol distillation tower. Thermal efficiencies of the integrated structure and the liquid methanol production cycle are 78.14% and 60.91%, respectively. The process’s total exergy efficiency and irreversibility are 89.45% and 16.89 MW. The solar thermal collectors take the largest share of exergy destruction (34%), followed by heat exchangers (30%) and mixers (19%). Based on the sensitivity analysis, D17 (mixture of H 2 and low-pressure fuel gas before separation) was the most influential stream affecting the performance of the process. With the temperature decline of stream D17 from −139 to −149 °C, the methanol production rate and the total thermal efficiency rose to 4741.2 kg/h and 61.02%, respectively. Moreover, the growth in the hydrogen content from 55% to 80% molar of the feed gas, the flow rate of liquid methanol, and the total exergy efficiency declined to 4487 kg/h and 86.05%.

Keywords: integrated structure; hydrogen purification; methanol production; absorption–compression refrigeration unit; parabolic solar trough; regenerative Organic Rankine cycle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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