Patent ID: 6328854
Filing Date: 2001-12-11
Classification: B01F,B01J,C01B,C07C,C12C,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing methanol from methane including the steps of:providing a tubular source of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined outside diameter;providing a porous tube having an inside diameter larger than the outside diameter of the tubular radiation source;positioning the porous tube coaxially with respect to and in axial alignment with the tubular radiation source thereby providing an annulus between the exterior of the tubular radiation source and the interior of the porous tube;causing a liquid to flow through the annulus between the porous tube and the tubular radiation source;directing methane through the porous tube and into the annulus between the porous tube and the tubular radiation source concurrently with the flow of liquid through the annulus;causing a high relative velocity between the interior surface of the porous tube and the liquid flowing through the annulus between the porous tube and the tubular radiation source, thereby forming the methane flowing through the porous tube into submicron size bubbles;utilizing radiation from the source to form hydroxyl radicals from the liquid flowing in the annulus between the porous tube and the tubular radiation source;the hydroxyl radicals combining with the methane to form methanol;providing a quantity of particles comprising a photocatalytic material;entraining the particles of photocatalytic material in the liquid flowing through the annulus between the porous tube and the tubular radiation source;thereby circulating the particles of photocatalytic material through the annulus between the porous tube and the tubular source.