AN AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE-COLUMN GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF METHANOL SYNTHESIS REACTION MIXTURES

A multiple-column automatic process chromatographic analysis is described for handling the diverse products encountered during the synthesis of methanol by CO hydrogenation. The required separations present a rather complex analytical problem, because the reaction mix samples may contain CO, CO2, light paraffins, lightolefins, alcohols, water, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, and esters in major or minor amounts. The technique of column switching and sample fractionation described results in a very satisfactory onstream, one-sample analysis of effluent product. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.