Download - Revamps for Ageing Methanol Plants
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Revamps for Ageing Methanol Plants
By Gerard B. Hawkins
Managing Director, CEO
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Introduction
This presentation highlights some of the retrofits that can be applied to • Improve efficiency • Increase production
Safe
ty
Effic
ienc
y
Rel
iabi
lity
Thro
ughp
ut
Envi
ronm
ent
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Introduction
For older methanol plants, efficiency is worse than for a modern plant
To maximize profit must improve either • Plant efficiency • Plant production rate
This presentation highlights some of the retrofits that can be applied to improve efficiency or production
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Plant Limitations
Need to address plant limitations, such as • Reformer pressure drop • Maximum tube wall temperature • Coil design temperatures in duct • Fan capacity • Compressor/Circulator limitations • High loop pressure drop • Low carbon efficiency
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Basis for Study
Foster Wheeler furnace - 560 tubes Steam to carbon of 3.0
• No saturator Duct heat recovery is feed preheat and
steam raising 100 bar loop with no heat recovery 4 Bed ‘Quench Lozenge Converter’
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Reformer Revamps Addition of Secondary
Either in parallel or in series • Parallel has less impact on the main
plant Main plant can run when secondary off line
Allows for optimization of Synthesis Gas composition
Can increase production rate by 23% Require an oxygen plant (10 mt/hr)
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Addition of an ATR
Existing
Reformer
NG Preheater NG/Steam Preheater
MUG Cooler
Oxygen Preheater
Steam Drum
MP Boiler
Natural Gas Make Up Gas
Condensate
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Addition of a Pre-Reformer
To obtain maximum benefit require reheat of effluent
Can achieve very high preheat and reheat temperature with latest generation of pre-reforming catalyst, which can be operated up to 540°C
Can recover more heat from duct and reduce furnace duty significantly • Must model effect on duct to ensure that existing
demands for heat are fulfilled (HP Steam Raising)
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Addition of a Pre-Reformer
MP Steam
Existing Reformer
Natural Gas
Synthesis Gas
Pre-reformer
New Reheat Coil
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Addition of Saturator
Recovers heat from loop into front end Maximizes quality and quantity Quantity depends on existing loop
equipment Can use refining column bottoms as
feed water Can feed fusel oil into circuit and
recycle carbon back into process For Base Case up to 40 mt/hr of
steam could be raised in the saturator
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Addition of a Saturator
MP Steam
Existing Reformer
Natural Gas
Synthesis Gas
Heater
Saturator
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Combustion Air Preheat
Allows for improvement in heat recovery from the duct
Most suitable for top fired furnaces but can be applied to side fired furnaces • Cost is higher due to complexity of ducting
Will reduce fluegas flow and therefore heat available in the duct - must model this carefully
Greater benefit than preheating the fuel gas
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Effect of Combustion Air Preheat
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
0 200 400 600Combustion Air Preheat Temperature
NG F
uel R
ate
(km
ol/h
r)
1116
1118
1120
1122
1124
1126
1128
Flue
gas
Flow
(km
ol/h
r)
NG Fuel RateFluegas Flow
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Reformer Retube
Can improve production rate by up to 18% • If additional feed gas available • If sufficient capacity on synthesis gas machine
Alternatively can increase exit temperature if exit headers allow • Reduces methane slip • Production rate increased by 3%
Also reduce pressure drop across primary reformer • This partially offsets increased pressure drop in other
front end equipment items
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MUG Compressor Converter
Addition of a converter between stages of synthesis gas machine drops flowrate through the machine
Allows for • Reduction in power • Or increased throughput (+5.5%)
whilst maintaining machine power
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Addition of Purge Converter
Can use either a Tube Cooled Converter or Steam Raising Converter
Can be single pass or multiple pass • Single pass is cheaper • Production increase of 2% • Multiple pass more expensive but
production increase is greater • Production increase of 3%
Best improvement occurs if more feed gas or CO2 addition is used in conjunction
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Purge Converter
MUG
Flash Drum
Tube-cooled Converter
Cooler
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Parallel Converter
Installing a parallel steam raising converter allows • Marginal production (1%) increases if no
addition synthesis gas is available • Large increases (4%) if additional
synthesis gas is available either from a front end rate increase or by CO2 addition
Especially beneficial if recycle gas rate is low • Loop pressure drop is decreased and
therefore a higher recycle flow can be achieved
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Parallel Converter
MUG
Separator
New Interchanger
Crude
Purge New Steam Raising Converter
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Replace Exiting Converter with Steam Raising Converter
Lower operating temperature of a steam raising converter equates to higher end of life activity
With a steam raising converter, all the gas is passed over all of the catalyst
Production rates are therefore higher - in this case 2.1%
If loop is less efficient then production increase will be greater
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CO2 Addition to Reformer/Loop If local source of CO2 is available then can
be added to either reformer or the loop Addition to the reformer does mean
synthesis gas composition will be more carbon rich • Potential issues with metal dusting
downstream of the reformer in waste heat boiler
In either case, molecular weight of circulating gas is increased and circulation rate will be reduced • Often this effect is overlooked and in
reality predicted production rates will not be achieved
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CO2 Addition to Reformer/Loop There is an optimum amount of CO2
that can be added As more CO2 is added then carbon
efficiency does drop But production steadily increases
• However, the reduction in recycle ratio can be so large that the production rate is reduced
• Effect is worse if recycle ratio is low to start with
CO2 addition to the reformer will produce more incremental methanol per ton of CO2
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Effect of CO2 Addition
1250
1300
1350
1400
1450
1500
1550
0 200 400 600
CO2 Addition Rate (kmol/hr)
MeO
H P
rodu
ctio
n (m
tdp)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
R R
atio Production
R Ratio
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Other Options
AGHR in parallel/replacement of WHB H2 recovery when loop is operating below
stiochiometry Ammonia cooling of purge/letdown gases to
recover methanol Water washing of purge/letdown gases to
recover methanol CO2 recovery from fluegas Add CO rich gases Spike feed with higher hydrocarbons Add POx unit
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Plant Revamp Methanol – Capacity Increases
What capacity increase is required ?
>15%
Front End Change SC ratio CA preheat Fuel preheat Increase exit temp
<5%
Front End Change catalyst Add pre-reformer
5-15%
Compression/Loop MUG Converter* Chill Syn Gas
Compression/Loop ARC converter* IMC converter* Purge converter* Parallel converter* Catchpot chiller
Front End Parallel secondary Re-tube
Compression/Loop CO2 addition
* - Additional synthesis gas will allow for much bigger increases in capacity
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Plant Revamp Methanol – Efficiency Improvements
What efficiency improvement is required ?
>1 GJ/t
Front End Chill syngas MUG converter
<0.1 GJ/t
Front End Fuel gas preheat Saturator Pre-reformer
0.1-1 GJ/t Front End Combustion air preheat
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Problems and Pitfalls Contractor and Contract
Must carefully select partners • Must have domain knowledge
Design and operations • Must have correct tools • Must be able to supply correct level of detail
for study Must select appropriate contract type
• LSTK or Reimbursable • Both have advantages and disadvantages
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Problems and Pitfalls Modelling Capability
Must use correct tools Model the whole plant using a
flowsheeting package • Must include all unit operations • Must develop a robust base case • Must validate against plant data • Must understand deviations • Then develop the retrofit case
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Problems and Pitfalls Retrofit Details
The customer and engineering contractor must determine • Precise scope for retrofit • Responsibilities • Key deliverables • A detailed and consistent design basis • Time scale and milestones • Review schedules
Summarize as Good Project Management
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Problems and Pitfalls Design Basis
Engineering contractor must conduct on site visit • Must work with client • Collect representative plant data • Model and understand plant data • Discuss discrepancies and eliminate • Identify bottlenecks • Identify opportunities for improvement
These form the core of the design basis
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Problems and Pitfalls HAZOPs and Commissioning
Must use systematic review method to highlight potential problems with retrofit • HAZOPs are a well proven system • Requires time and buy in from all parties • Results as good as quality of people !
Retrofit will change plant parameters • Must update PFDs and P&IDs • Must update operating instructions • Must take additional care during start up
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What Can GBHE Catalysts Offer?
Detail catalyst unit operation models such as the industry leading VULCAN REFORMER SIMULATION program • Also models for other catalyst unit
operations Detail non-catalyst unit operation
models such as • Heat exchange programs • Finite Element Analysis • CFD modelling
One stop shop
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What Can GBHE Catalysts Offer?
Domain Knowledge • Operations
Many staff have operations background
Troubleshooting clients plants • Design
Many staff have detailed engineering background
Engineers work on design daily Work with leading contractors on front end and detailed design issues
Catalysts
Consulting Services
Domain Knowledge
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What Can GBHE Catalysts Offer?
Can supply any level of detail for retrofit
Scoping studies • Front End • What are the best options
Front End Engineering • Flowsheets and design of key components
Detailed Engineering • Design of all components of retrofit
A one stop shop for your revamp requirements
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One Stop Shop Case Study Re-tube – Present Model
Plant Operator
Concept Engineer
Tube Supplier
Catalyst Vendor
Tube Installer
Catalyst Handler
No Communication
Detailed Engineer
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One Stop Shop Case Study Re-tube – “One Stop Shop” Model
Plant Operator
GBHE Concept Engineer
Tube Supplier
Tube Installer
Catalyst Handler
Detailed Engineer
Seamless Minimum Cost
Maximum Benefit
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Case Study How GBHE Catalysts Works
Strong position due to credibility from previous work
Uprate projects • Feasibility Process Uprate study on Naphtha 115%,
130% or 150% cases • FEEP (Front End Engineering Package, what would be
needed?)
115% FEEP adopted • Option evaluations and natural gas feed conversion
Followed by full Engineering Detail Design Also additional design work on Desulpurisation
Design Study
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Conclusions
A number of retrofits have been presented that are suitable for application to methanol plants
They address all the key limitations that methanol plants typically suffer from
To take full benefit from some of these retrofits, others may also be required
GBHE Catalysts has all the right expertise and knowledge to develop and design retrofits
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