Patent ID: 9045708
Filing Date: 2015-06-02
Classification: B01J,C07C,C10L

Abstract:
1. A method of making a methane-rich gas from synthesis gas, the method comprising the steps of: dividing a catalyst bed in a reactor into a plurality of methanation stages arranged one downstream of the other; providing in the reactor upstream of the furthest upstream methanation stage a CO conversion stage with a CO conversion catalyst; splitting an incoming stream of synthesis gas containing CO and H feeding the one partial syngas stream to the reactor upstream of the CO conversion stage; feeding each of the other partial syngas streams to the reactor upstream of a respective one of the methanation stages such that gas exits each stage and passes through the next downstream methanation stage and the gas exiting the furthest downstream methanation stage forms a product-gas stream; splitting from the product gas stream a plurality of partial product-gas streams; feeding each of the partial product-gas streams to the reactor upstream of a respective one of the methanation stages such that the gas that exits the methanation stages and that has been heated up by methanation reactions therein mixes with and is cooled by the respective partial syngas stream fed to the following methanation stage and the resulting mixed gas stream passes through the subsequent methanation stage as a feed gas.