Process Engineering

Generic

MTP Plant

Process Description

MTP
Process Description

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04.07.2003

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08.07.2003

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Process Description
1 The MTP Process

Lurgis MTP process is based on an efficient combination of the most suitable reactor system and a very selective and stable zeolite-based catalyst. Sd-Chemie AG manufactures the fixed-bed catalyst commercially. It provides maximum propylene selectivity, has a low coking tendency, a very low propane yield and also limited byproduct formation. This in turn leads to a simplified purification scheme that requires only a reduced cold box
system as compared to on-spec ethylene/propylene separation.
A MTP plant with a feed of 5000 t/d methanol produces 1410 t/d propylene, 540 t/d MTP-gasoline and 109 t/d
MTP-LPG. In addition, with an extension of the plant 60 t/d of ethylene can be recovered from the purge gas
which is otherwise used as fuel. Approximately 2800 t/d of process water are generated from the methanol.
Both the propylene and the ethylene are of polymer grade. The MTP-gasoline is an excellent blending stock for
refineries due to its total lack of sulfur, low benzene content and its high octane number.
The process can be described along the simplified process flow diagram in section 2 of the document.

1.1 Reaction Section

Methanol is used as feed to the MTP unit. The methanol feed is vaporized, superheated and fed to the DME Reactor. A smaller part of the feed methanol is used as solvent in the purification section for DME removal.
The DME Reactor is a single-stage adiabatic reactor where most of the methanol (MeOH) vapor is converted to
dimethyl ether (DME) on an aluminum oxide catalyst according to the following equation:
2 CH3OH (MeOH)

CH3OCH3 (DME) + H2O

The catalyst features high activity and high selectivity achieving an almost thermodynamic equilibrium. The reaction is exothermic and the reaction equilibrium is nearly independent of the operating pressure.
The DME Reactor is fed with fresh methanol and a recycle methanol stream. This stream is the overhead product of the Methanol Recovery Column, which recovers methanol and DME from aqueous streams.
The product of the DME Reactor is sent to the three MTP Reactors. Of the three MTP Reactors two are in operation and one is in regeneration or in stand-by. Having three MTP reactor trains, each with 50% of the plant capacity, ensures a continuous operation of the plant. To optimize reaction control each MTP Reactor has six beds.
The DME reactor product is split to feed the beds of each MTP Reactor in operation. The DME feed to the first
MTP Reactor bed is mixed with a hydrocarbon recycle stream and dilution steam from the Process Steam Vaporizer. The mixture is further heated and than fed to the MTP Reactors.
In the MTP Reactor the DME/MeOH mixture is converted to olefins on a zeolite-based catalyst. The reaction is
described by the following summary equation:
n CH3OCH3 (DME)

2 Cn H2n + n H2O

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About 85 % of the carbon from the fresh feed (DME or MeOH) reacts to olefins in the range of C2 to C8 with the
peak at propylene.
The above-mentioned high selectivity towards propylene requires operating temperatures around 450C over the
catalyst beds and an operating pressure of 0.15 MPa. Side products from the reactions in the MTP Reactors are
naphthenes, paraffins, aromatic components and light ends. The oxygen chemically bound in the methanol results in process water.
The intermediate reaction product from each catalyst bed is cooled and mixed with additional fresh DME / MeOH
feed before entering the next catalyst bed.
The quantity of fresh DME / MeOH feed to each catalyst bed is adjusted in such a way that the adiabatic temperature rise is almost the same for each bed. This guarantees similar reaction conditions resulting in maximum
overall yield of propylene.
During operation small amounts of heavy hydrocarbons are formed which partly block the active sites of the catalyst. In order to minimize carbonization, process steam is added to the feed of the first MTP catalyst bed. The
steam also serves as a heat sink for the exothermic reaction and thus supports the control of the temperature
rise over the catalyst.
The hydrocarbon recycle to the first MTP reaction stage increases the propylene yield by conversion of olefins
other than propylene to the same product range as the DME feed. In addition, the hydrocarbons serve as a heat
sink for the exothermic reaction, supporting temperature control over the catalyst bed.
The regeneration of the MTP Reactor is performed in situ by controlled combustion of coke with an air / nitrogen
mixture. The catalyst is regenerated at temperatures close to the normal operating temperature, thus keeping the
possible thermal stress to a minimum.

1.2 Water Hydrocarbon Separation Section

The MTP Reactor effluent is cooled in a heat recovery system and finally in the Quench System, where the hydrocarbon product is separated from the bulk of the water. The hydrocarbons leave the Quench System as overhead vapor whereas the water is condensed and sent to the Methanol Recovery Column. There methanol and
DME are recovered and subsequently fed as unconverted fresh feed to the DME Reactor. The stripped water
containing traces of methanol is finally routed as process water to battery limits. It can be easily bio-treated for
use as raw water for the complex (e.g. cooling water make-up).

1.3 Hydrocarbon Compression Section

The hydrocarbon vapor product from the Quench System is compressed to about 2.5 MPa by a multi stage centrifugal compressor. Between the compression stages, the product is cooled and partially condensed. Water and
hydrocarbon liquid are separated from the vapor phase. The vapor phase is further compressed. The condensed
water is recycled to the Quench System whereas hydrocarbon liquid and hydrocarbon vapor are sent to the purification section.
The hydrocarbon streams are dried by molecular sieves before the hydrocarbon liquid is fed to the Debutanizer
column and the hydrocarbon vapor is processed in the DME Removal System.

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1.4 Hydrocarbon Purification Section

The column named Debutanizer separates light boiling components C4- and DME from C4+ hydrocarbons. The
C4+ bottom product is fed to a Dehexanizer distillation column where aromatics and C7+ are separated from the
C6- stream. The major portion of this C6- fraction is sent back to the MTP reaction. The remainder forms with the
C7+ Dehexanizer bottom product the MTP-gasoline product.
The compressed hydrocarbon vapors including light olefins and DME and the overhead C4+ / DME product from
the Debutanizer are fed to the DME Removal System. Here C3-hydrocarbons are separated from
C4+hydrocarbons and oxygenates.
The methanol and DME containing stream is routed to the Methanol Recovery Column so that methanol and
DME can be recycled to the DME Reactor.
The C4 hydrocarbon fraction is recycled to the MTP reaction system for further propylene production. A smaller
portion is purged out of the reaction loop forming the C4 component in the MTP-LPG product.
The C3- product, which is free of DME and any other oxygenates, is fed to the Deethanizer. From the Deethanizer
a C2- stream is recovered as top product. One part of the C2- stream is recycled to the MTP Reactor, the rest is
sent to the ethylene purification unit.
The C3 bottom product, containing propylene (about 97 wt. %) and propane (about 3 wt. %) but no unsaturated
components like methyl acetylene or propadiene, flows through a safeguard bed of activated alumina to the C3Splitter.
The C3-Splitter column separates propane from the polymer grade propylene product. The propane forms the C3
component in the MTP-LPG product.

1.5 Ethylene Purification Section

The ethylene purification is achieved in a two-column system, the Demethanizer and the C2-Splitter column. The
overhead vapors from the Demethanizer contain C1, hydrogen and inert material, while the bottom product C2
(paraffinic and olefinic) is heated up and sent to the C2-Splitter. The C2 stream is split and rectified to polymer
grade ethylene in the overhead system of the C2-Splitter. The ethane stream, which is drawn off from the bottom
section of the splitter column, is mixed with the overhead stream of the Demethanizer and is used internally as
fuel gas for heater firing.
In case no polymer grade ethylene shall be produced the ethylene purification section is not needed, accordingly
the C2- feed stream is used as internal fuel gas and minimizes the fuel requirements of the MTP process plant.

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Generic Information

Project Name

5000 t/d

Methanol

Project No.

H2O

Vaporizer

Dilution
Steam

Methanol
Recovery
Column

DME /
MeOH
Recycle

DME
Reactor

6th bed

5th bed

4th bed

3rd bed

2nd bed

1st bed

MTP
Reactor A

H2O

C4 / C5 / C6+

C2-Splitter

C7+

C5 / C6
Purge

C4
Purge

Propane

C3-Splitter

C5 / C6
Recycle

Dehexanizer

C4
Recycle

DME / MeOH

C4

DME
Removal
System
C4- /
DME

Debutanizer

HC
Liquid
incl. DME

C3

Deethanizer

H2O

Demethanizer

C2C3-

C2Recycle

(4 stages)

HC
Vapour
Compression incl. DME

Quench
System

HC Recycle

Optional

2800 t/d

Process
Water

540 t/d

MTPGasoline

109 t/d

MTP-LPG
(C3/C4)

1410 t/d

Propylene

C2- Purge
(Fuel Gas)

60 t/d

Ethylene

2 Simplified Process Flow Diagram:

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