Modelling and Simulation of Methanol Synthesis Reactor for Algerian Methanol Complex Case Study

Boutekrabt, Zineddine and Chemini, Rachida and Djabeur, Mansour and Aiouache, Farid (2026) Modelling and Simulation of Methanol Synthesis Reactor for Algerian Methanol Complex Case Study. Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. ISSN 1021-9986

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Abstract

The growing economic importance of methanol has led to increased scientific interest in improving derivative products, such as formaldehyde and olefines, which represent the largest markets for methanol. At the industrial scale, methanol is produced from syngas mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen at low-pressure, using copper-based catalysts and operated under adiabatic or isothermal conditions. In this context, the present study investigates, through simulation, the effectiveness of two types of reactors: an adiabatic quench reactor currently operating at methanol plant in Arzew, Algeria, and a proposed multi-tubular isothermal reactor proposed as an alternative. The performance of both reactors is assessed by observations of the concentration and temperature profiles. The results reveal an increase in methanol production in the multi-tubular reactor compared to the adiabatic quench reactor. A comparison of methanol production was analyzed, under the same operating conditions. The CO2 conversion in the pseudo-isothermal reactor is 37.59% higher than the conversion rate obtained in the adiabatic reactor 7.79%. Methanol production is more efficient in isothermal technology, with 213 tons per day, compared to 41 tons per day in the adiabatic reactor.