Abstract

Recently, methanol synthesis with CO2-rich feed has drawn a lot of attention and research is currently aimed at f inding a suitable catalyst for such a task. A pseudo-homogeneous model w as developed for f ixed bed catalytic methanol reactor based on the reaction mechanisms and mass and energy balance equations. The model utilizes the kinetic equation proposed by Vanden Bussche and Froment in 1996. With the proposed mathematical model, the prof ile of methanol molar f low rate, H2 and CO2 conversion, methanol yield, and temperature were achieved through the length of catalytic bed reactor. Good agreement w as found between model results and industrial data. The proposed model used for calculating of reactor output against variation of the inlet molar f low H2/ CO2 in the feed then modeling of the methanol unit by use of artif icial neural networks was done with obtained results f rom mathematical model.