Effect of In-situ Membrane Removal of H2O on Methanol Conversion during Dimethyl Ether Synthesis Reaction

An adiabatic tubular fixed bed reactor with and without a membrane was modeled and simulated to study the effect of in-situ H2O membrane removal on methanol conversion during dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis. An optimization approach was implemented to determine the best feed conditions for maximum conversion. A steady state one dimensional reactor model was used to process 100,000 tons per year of methanol over ?-Al2O3 pellets as reaction catalyst using a novel kinetic model. Pressure, temperature, conversion, and components molar flow rates profiles along the reactor were predicted. Results showed that methanol conversion exceeded the thermodynamic equilibrium limits when a membrane fixed bed reactor is used instead of a traditional fixed bed reactor. Methanol conversion reached 96% at optimum feed conditions in the fixed bed reactor with a membrane