Process Gas Cooler for Methanol Plant

Process Gas Cooler for Methanol Plant

The process gas cooler plays a vital role in the methanol production process. It is mainly used to cool the high temperature process gas generated from different process stages.

Temperature regulation: cooling the high temperature gas to a suitable temperature to meet the requirements of the subsequent process steps. For example, in some reaction stages, too high temperatures may affect the selectivity and conversion of the reaction, and the reaction conditions can be optimised by cooling.

Recovery of heat: During the cooling process, the heat in the process gas can be recovered for use in other process steps or for generating steam, etc., to improve the efficiency of energy use.

Protecting equipment: Preventing high temperature gases from damaging subsequent equipment, such as pipelines, valves, compressors, etc. High temperature may lead to aging, deformation or even damage of equipment materials, and the cooled gas can extend the service life of the equipment.

The process gas cooler usually adopts indirect cooling. Common cooling media are water, air or other coolants. The cooling medium flows inside the cooler and exchanges heat with the high-temperature process gas, thus reducing the temperature of the process gas. The heat exchange can be counterflow, downflow or crossflow, depending on the design of the cooler and the process requirements.

Common Types:

Shell and tube cooler: It is composed of shell, tube bundle and head. Process gas flows in the tube, the cooling medium in the shell flow. This type of cooler has the advantages of compact structure, high heat transfer efficiency, adaptability and so on, widely used in methanol plants and other chemical fields.

Plate cooler: composed of a series of metal plates, process gas and cooling medium flow between the plates for heat exchange. Plate cooler has the characteristics of high heat transfer efficiency, small footprint, light weight, etc., but the cleanliness of the medium is required to be higher.

Air cooler: using air as the cooling medium, the process gas is cooled by blowing air through the tube bundle or fins through the fan. Air cooler is suitable for the occasions of water shortage or high requirements for water quality, but the cooling effect is greatly affected by the ambient temperature.