Overview

It was as long ago as 1931 that Uhde first designed and constructed a methanol plant. This plant employed a high-pressure methanol synthesis process, the syngas feed being generated from coal.

Uhde later constructed the first low-pressure (LP) methanol plant using the copper-based catalyst and providing coal as feedstock. The first modern methanol plant - using steam reforming and a low-pressure synthesis process (50 bar) - was designed and supervised by Uhde in Romania in 1972/1974. Even at that time, the plant had all the characteristic features of a modern methanol plant, i.e.:

• Steam reformer technology
• Waste heat recovery system generating 120-bar steam
• Low-pressure synthesis loop (50 bar)
• Efficient grade AA methanol distillation.

Further commercial-scale methanol plants were subsequently engineered for instance in Bahrain (1,250 mtpd) and Libya (2 x 1,250 mtpd).

Apart from designing and constructing methanol plants, Uhde can facilitate for its customers consulting services and strategic marketing expertise/distribution know-how based upon the partnership with Johnson Matthey Catalysts (JMC).
Based on 50 years of experience in manufacturing methanol synthesis catalysts, design of related processes and operation of methanol plants, Johnson Matthey Catalysts (JMC) has developed a special composition and crystal structure that make for the high activity of its new methanol synthesis catalyst KATALCO 51-8. (KATALCO is a tradename of Johnson Matthey plc).