Synthetic naphtha has a high methane content, and crude methanol has a high ethanol content
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Based on operational experience, when the methane content in the composition of the synthesized gas is high, the ethanol content in the resulting crude methanol increases. Why is this?
The accumulation of inert gases and by-products simply indicates that your purge gas volume is too low.
The fundamental reason is actually that the concentration of carbon monoxide in the feed gas is too high. A high level of carbon monoxide, combined with too little vent gas and an accumulation of inert gases, leads to the generation and buildup of large amounts of methane in the system. On the other hand, if there is too much carbon monoxide in the mixture, side reactions become more intense, and the amount of ethanol produced also increases. This creates the illusion you mentioned. You can try increasing the release amount to reduce methane in the system, or appropriately raising the hydrogen content in the components.
Regarding the conditions for methanol synthesis, methanation is difficult; it merely indicates that accumulation has occurred