Flow mal-distribution in the shell side of the gas-cooled conventional reactor (CR) in the mega methanol plant is responsible for producing gas condensate in the catalytic zone. This phenomenon leads to catalyst agglomeration and efficiency reduction in the reactor. In this study, two novel and viable strategies, possible to be implemented in working reactors, are introduced to prevent condensation. In the first strategy, co-current mode (CCM), the reactant flow changes from counter-current into the co-current. In this regard, the feed inlet is replaced from the bottom of the reactor into the top. In the second strategy, changed-bed mode (CBM), the catalyst particles at the last two meters of the reactor are replaced with non-reactive ceramic balls. The results for three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in CR have been validated against previous study and industrial data, indicating close agreement. The main advantage of CCM and CBM is that the sudden temperature drop fails to occur at the end of the reactor. Consequently, the higher temperature of the products prevents water and methanol condensation. In addition, the CCM leads to a milder temperature profile throughout the shell side, which increases catalyst durability.

大型甲醇装置中气冷常规反应器 (CR) 壳侧的流量分布不均是导致催化区产生气体冷凝物的原因。这种现象导致反应器中催化剂结块和效率降低。在这项研究中，引入了两种可能在工作反应器中实施的新颖可行的策略来防止冷凝。在第一种策略，并流模式 (CCM) 中，反应物流动从逆流变为并流。在这点上，进料入口从反应器底部更换到顶部。在第二种策略，改变床模式 (CBM) 中，反应器最后两米处的催化剂颗粒被非反应性陶瓷球取代。CR 中三维计算流体动力学 (CFD) 的结果已根据先前的研究和工业数据进行了验证，表明非常一致。CCM 和 CBM 的主要优点是不会在反应器末端发生突然的温度下降。因此，产品的较高温度可防止水和甲醇冷凝。此外，CCM 导致整个壳侧的温度分布较温和，从而提高了催化剂的耐用性。