Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Presented by,
Arnab Kumar Roy -(B15/12)
Uddipta Kumar Talukdar -(B15/06)
Ajay Kumar Das -(B15/63)
Kundal Kashyap -(B15/91)
ASSAM PETRO-CHEMICAL LIMITED, NAMRUP
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS
1. INTRODCTION
2. METHANOL
3. APPLICATIONS
4. METHANOL PLANT FLOW PATH
a. COMPRESSION
b. DESULPHURIZATION
c. REFORMATION
d. REACTOR REACTION
e. DISTILLATION
5. REACTIONS INVOLVED IN METHANOL PRODUCTION
6. SCHEMATICS AND FLOW DAIGRAM OF METHANOL PLANT
7. FORMALIN
8. FLOW PATH OF FORMALIN PLANT
9. FORMALIN PLANT REACTIONS
10. FORMALIN PLANT FLOW DIAGRAM
11. SAFETY , PRECAUTIONS & TPM
12. CONCLUSION
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INTRODUCTION
Assam Petro-Chemical industry (APL) was set up
in 1971 in Namrup.
The basic agenda of its inception was to utilize the
huge reserve of natural gas in Upper Assam .
It has come up as one of the most successful industry
in terms of gross profit and mass production of
methanol and formalin .
The potential of methanol being used as substitute for
LPG is one worth mentioning .
CAPACITY
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METHANOL
Natural gas is the most economical and widely used feedstock for methanol
production
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APPLICATIONS OF METHANOL
Formaldehyde Fertilizers
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MAIN PROCESSES IN METHANOL PRODUCTION
2. Reformation- In this step the natural gas (CH4) is converted to CO , CO2 and H2.
4.Distillation- Distillation is done to get pure refined product with 99.9% purity.
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METHANOL PLANT FLOW PATH
1.The natural gas first enters the NGBC (Natural gas booster compressor) which is a kind
of reciprocating compressor.
2.Then it is passed through desulphuriser where sulphur impurities are removed using
catalyst like Zn . It is done because sulphur act as a poison for Ni catalyst which is used
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3. The compressed gas is then passed into reforming tower. Here breakdown of
higher hydrocarbon into synthetic gas occurs which results in the formation of
gases like CO, CO2, H2 and small amount of methane and ethane .
4. The flue gas produced in this process is at almost 870o C. This temperature is used up
by the boilers to produce steam. Consequently, the temperature of flue gas is bought
down to almost 180o C when it is removed out as per the Environment Regulation Acts.
5. The gases formed in the reforming section are passed on for the initial Distillation
for initial distillation and to bring down the temperature of the gases to around 400oC
and also for the heating of the boilers needed for initial boiling of the feed stream and
then the flue gas is passed onto compressor in which the pressure of the gas is further
increased so that it is optimal for reaction from which it is taken down to the reactor.
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6. In the reactor various reactions takes place to produce crude methanol. The reaction to
feed ratio is around 14% and the remaining amount is taken back to the reflux drum
for furthur recycling of the reactants and the remaining is taken into the first storage
tank.
7. In this stage the Methanol is called ‘Sweet Methanol’ as it is not pure and contains lots
of impurities, after primary settling and then the feed is send to Distillation column for
final treatment.
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MAIN PROCESSES OF METHNOL PRODUCTION :
Feedstock Compression
Feedstock Desulphurisation
Reforming –
•Steam gas mixing
•Reformer Furnace
•Fuel systems and Firing Control
•Combustion Air and Flue gas systems
•Make gas cooling
Methanol synthesis
Distillation
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a. Feedstock compression
Natural gas at a pressure of 15-19 kg/ cm2 enters the reciprocating compressor.
In APL the gas is supplied from AGCL, Duliajan. The gas is further compressed under high
pressure to about 29.1 kg/cm2 before flowing on to the desulphurisation stage.
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b. Feedstock Desulphurisation
The gas for process feedstock from the compressor flows on to a natural
gas heater, located in the convection section of the furnace, where it is
heated to about 400®c . This gas then enters a Desulphuriser which
contains a bed of zinc oxide absorbent for the removal of sulphur
compounds . The useful life of the zinc oxide absorbent is limited by the
weight of sulphur is therefore directly related to the percentage of
sulphur in the feed gas as well as the quantity of gas processed.
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Fig- Desulphurizer Unit
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c. Reforming –
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Flow Chart for Desulphurization and Reforming
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•Steam gas mixing : The mixed steam and natural gas than flows to the reactants
pre heater at temperature of about 400 c and a pressure of about 25.2 kg/cm² which is
located in the convection section in the reformer furnace, and heat the reformer gas up to
about 510 c.
•Reformer furnace : In the reformer furnace, process gas flows over a reforming
steam. The catalyst is packed in vertical tubes supported in the furnace and heat necessary
for the reaction is absorbed by the gas through the walls of the tubes. The process gas or
‘make gas’ leaves the tubes at 20 kg/cm² and at a temperature upto 875 c depending on the
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c. Fuel systems and firing control: The purge gas and the flash gas flow
from the methanol loop to the main fuel header where they are mixed with the natural
gas. The burners are designed to handle the wide range of gas mixtures expected, varying
from 90 mol % CH₄ upto 77 mol % H₂
d. Combustion air and flue gas systems :Combustion air is sent to the
furnace by an electrically driven combustion Air fan. The air is heated to 360®c by a
combustion Air heater, and is delivered to the burners via a main header and three
sub- headers.
e. Make gas cooling: The hot process gas leaving the reforming furnace is first
cooled in a boiler to about 288®c by heat exchange with water boiling at 243®c. The boiler
is of the fixed tubesheet, fire tube type, with water on the shell side. The water flow is by
natural circulation and is therefore located relatively close to end below the steam drum
and is made of C and Mo and Cr steels with internal refractory lining of the inlet channel.
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d.Reactor
Syngas at 18.2 kg/cm² and 40®c is delivered to the methanol synthesis loop by a pair of
electrically driven reciprocating syngas compressors. Each machine is designed for 55%
of plant flowsheet capacity and so under normal operating conditions both machine will
be operating. Syngas is compressed to about 68.2 kg/cm².
The synthesis loop is that section of the plant where part of the synthesis gas is
converted into methanol.
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e. Distillation
therowells located at various intervals. The normal working pressures at the top and
buttom of the tower are in the order of 1.53 and 1.82 kg/cm² respectively. A flow of 366
kg/h of water is added to the crude feed. This is a portion of water bottoms recycled to
Bottoms from the light ends column are withdrawn and fed to a heavy ends column by a
heavy ends column feed pump. It contains 93 sieve-trays, with feed inlets provided at trays
37, 40 and 43. Tray no 40 is normally found to be the optimum feed tray. The tower top and
steady material balance to keep the product methanol on specification. In order to achieve
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Flow Chart For Reactor and Distillation
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