Project Logs Page

Project scope and deliverables were reviewed with the mentor. Market research on CO₂ and methanol applications was conducted by Linh and Sophia to assess economic relevance. Research on CO₂ hydrogenation for methanol synthesis was also performed, leading to the selection of Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ as the catalyst due to its industrial use and strong literature support. A Python model using Jean-François et al. kinetics under ideal gas assumptions was developed, but results diverged from literature trends due to high-pressure operating conditions (10-60 bar) where ideal gas behavior is no longer valid. As a result, ASPEN HYSYS modeling was identified as necessary to account for non-ideal gas effects and ensure accuracy.

After extensive troubleshooting, a working ASPEN HYSYS model was developed using Van den Bussche and Froment kinetics from Jean-François et al., following the reactor configuration outlined by Shi, with the addition of a recycle stream to enhance methanol yield. Next steps include designing a downflow separation system to optimize the recycle loop. Proposal and update presentations were drafted and revised to reflect deliverables and current progress, and a project timeline was created in Notion.

An update on project progress was presented to mentor, and project proposal was finalized to establish and confirm the direction of the methanol production pathway, which will involve a synthesis step followed by separation to achieve a 70 mass% crude methanol mixture, whereupon the treated feed will be sent to a central processing facility. Extensive and rigorous market research and expected pricing analyses were performed by Sophia and Linh to determine the economic and market feasibility of a green methanol process and to ascertain a target production cost necessary to ensure market competitiveness. Tentative deadlines were also proposed and determined by Sophia and Linh.

Case studies iterating through reactor operating conditions (temperature: 200–300 °C, pressure: 1 × 10³–2 × 10⁴ kPa) and reactor lengths (2–14 m), while monitoring outlet CO, CO₂, and MeOH molar flows and compositions, were performed to determine optimal reactor conditions. To meet modular specifications, a reactor length of 8.75 m operating at a temperature of 200 °C and a pressure of 2.00 × 10⁴ kPa was selected to achieve maximum MeOH selectivity (low CO content in the outlet flow) while maximizing CO₂ conversion. A separation system was developed using phase separation to remove H₂ gas from the mixture, followed by distillation to achieve a 99.5 mol% MeOH product, utilizing a distillation tower with 40 trays, a reboiler pressure of 120 kPa, and a condenser pressure of 101.3 kPa -- resulting in a pressure drop of .4675 kPa per tray. Prior to the update presentation, the distillation tower design must be further refined to deliver a separation system that meets modular specifications while purifying the reactor effluent to a 70 mass% methanol product.

This is where your update or description goes. It can be multiple sentences long.

This is where your update or description goes. It can be multiple sentences long.

This is where your update or description goes. It can be multiple sentences long.

This is where your update or description goes. It can be multiple sentences long.

This is where your update or description goes. It can be multiple sentences long.

This is where your update or description goes. It can be multiple sentences long.