Patent ID: 8202915

Claim:
A method of preparing methanol, comprising the steps of reacting a synthesis gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in a fixed bed reactor of methanol synthesis catalyst particles being indirectly cooled with a cooling agent, and condensing methanol as it is formed on a cooling surface by adjusting pressure of the cooling agent to provide a boiling point (TBW) of the cooling agent between 60° C. and 170° C., and maintaining the catalyst temperature above dew point of the methanol by adjusting area of the cooling surface (ACOOL) in such a way that ratio (Z) of settled catalyst bulk volume (VCAT) to multiplication product of area of the cooling surface (ACCOL) and equivalent diameter of the catalyst (DEQ) is between 2.0 and 30, where the equivalent diameter of the catalyst is calculated by means of the following equations: DEQ 1 =(6*(volume of a particle of the methanol synthesis catalyst[m 3 ]/3.14) 0.33 with catalyst particles of the same size, or DEQ 2 =(Σ w ( i )*(DEQ( i ) 3 )) 0.33 , where: w(i) is the weight fraction of catalyst particles with an equivalent diameter of DEQ(i)[m].