A BENCH SCALE STUDY OF REVERSED FLOW METHANOL SYNTHESIS

The reversed flow operation of a bench scale catalytic reactor was applied to the synthesis of methanol from CO-CO2-H2 mixtures at 50 bar, over a ICI copper-based commercial catalyst. Temperature and concentration profiles develop and wander back and forth through the reactor, depending upon the direction of the flow. The relaxation characteristics of the different reaction pathways on the catalytic surface are also responsible for the significant transients generated in the gas-phase composition. The experimental results lead to considerable insight into the mechanism of methanol synthesis. The influence of the cycle length, flow rate, and inlet temperature on the reactor performance are also reported.