Patent ID: 8293186

Claim:
An apparatus for producing methanol, comprising: a reactor having first and second methane-containing gas inputs and an oxygen-containing gas input, said reactor configured to facilitate a multi-stage partial oxidation reaction of heated methane-containing gas by oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas; a first methane-containing gas supply coupled to the first methane-containing gas input; an oxygen-containing gas supply coupled to the oxygen-containing gas input; a second methane-containing gas supply coupled to the second methane-containing gas input to provide a methane-containing gas to be directly mixed with a mixture of the methane-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas within the reactor at a later stage of the reaction, wherein said later stage is at a location in said reactor where formation of methanol and formaldehyde is substantially completed; and a condenser in communication with the reactor, the condenser operating at isobaric conditions to reduce product temperature.