DESIGN AND OPERATION OF A FLUIDIZED-BED REACTOR MINI-PILOT PLANT FOR GASOLINE SYNTHESIS

Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) process is an excellent process which produ ces aromatics-rich gasoline from methanol over the ZSM-5 catalyst. The methanol feed in this process is usually derived from coal or natural gas based syngas. The dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether (DME) is a key intermediate step in converting methanol into gasoline. The substitution of syngas-to-methanol step in the MTG process by the dire ct one stage conversion of syngas-to-DME is thus a very attractive opt ion. This substitution is particularly justified on the basis of the f act that DME results in virtually identical hydrocarbon product distri bution as methanol. Synthesis of gasoline via this direct DME route ha s several significant advantages over the MTG process, in the areas of product yield, selectivity, overall syngas conversion, exothermicity, and reactor size. The conceptual advantages of this DME-to-gasoline ( DTG) process can be demonstrated in a laboratory scale fluidized bed g asoline synthesis unit. This paper discusses the design philosophy of the fluidized bed reactor unit and its peripherals. The fabrication, a ssembly, and operation of the unit have also been discussed in detail.