Removal of 1% water from methanol using 3A molecular sieve
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Our company currently has several by-products, with specific compositions of 70% methanol, 28% MTBE, and 1–2% water, and the production volume is around 2 tons per hour. Could molecular sieves be used for dehydration? How is its operating cycle calculated? How can the phenomenon of excessive temperature rise during the molecular sieve dehydration process be explained? If the water content is reduced to 0.5%, how much will operating costs or initial investment be reduced?
Theoretically feasible; the rise in temperature is caused by heat generation during adsorption, and sometimes the adsorption process is cooled. More information requires design by a professional company
1. Dehydration can likely be achieved using 3A molecular sieve. 2. Operating cycle: Based on a flow rate of 2 tons per hour, and assuming that the time required for the adsorption bed to become saturated is greater than 30 minutes, the volume of the adsorption tank can be determined. From this, the amount of molecular sieve needed can be calculated. The adsorption capacity of the molecular sieve is taken to be 5%-8%; when the moisture content in the medium is 2%, it is possible to determine how long it takes for the molecular sieve to reach saturation. 3. The phenomenon of excessive temperature rise during the dehydration process of molecular sieves may be caused by switching to the adsorption mode before the temperature has fully dropped after regeneration, or by starting heating before all residual substances have been completely removed from the molecular sieves. Various factors are involved, and a detailed analysis requires an understanding of the specific operating conditions. 4. If the moisture content at the inlet is 0.5%, using molecular sieves for dehydration results in only a modest reduction in equipment investment, but it can reduce operating costs by several times.
There is one point I may not have explained clearly: by using adsorption for dehydration, if I can reduce the water content to 0.5%, it is considered acceptable. Does this result in lower operating costs?
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Is there a significant difference in the dehydration effects of 3A and 4A?
The difference is certainly significant; 3A molecular sieves remove substances with a molecular diameter smaller than 3A, while 4A molecular sieves remove those with a diameter of 4A or less. The molecular diameter of methanol is around 4A.