The issue of methane conversion rate
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Are there any other methods to adjust the methane conversion rate in methanol production from coke oven gas, aside from increasing the bed temperature? What if the preheating furnace has low capacity?
My opinion is that the conversion reaction of methane is endothermic and involves an increase in volume; raising the temperature of the bed facilitates the forward progression of the reaction. Increasing the water vapor concentration (a reactant) and reducing the reaction pressure also help to shift the reaction equilibrium in the direction of the forward reaction. However, an excessive increase in water vapor contributes little to the reaction. Excessive pressure reduction can result in a large size for the equipment. Another important aspect is the protection of the catalyst; on one hand, attention must be paid to the issue of sulfur poisoning, and on the other hand, to the rates of temperature and pressure changes, in order to prevent the catalyst from deteriorating or becoming degraded prematurely. Just a personal opinion.
There are 3 other methods: 1. Appropriately reduce the system pressure (since this is a reversible reaction with an increase in volume, reducing pressure facilitates movement in the direction of hardening)； 2. Reducing the space velocity and increasing the residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction bed helps to improve the conversion rate ； 3. Increasing the water-to-carbon ratio appropriately helps to improve methane conversion efficiency ；
In fact, there are many methods for adjustment, and the most important one is to adjust the water-to-carbon ratio, as this ratio is the easiest to adjust. Other methods such as increasing temperature, reducing pressure, and raising space velocity have very limited scope for adjustment. Additionally, it is essential to prevent catalyst poisoning and ensure uniformity during catalyst loading.