1. Methanol Dehydration for Dimethyl Ether. Production for Transportation
Methanol Dehydration for Dimethyl Ether Production for Transportation Thomas Higgins, Adam McCoy, Brandon Musitano Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Hampshire
Introduction
Process Flow Diagram and Material Balance
250,000 gal/day DME production rate
MeOH  DME + Water
No side reactions or byproducts
Quality: wt% DME
Low T acid catalyst (Amberlyst 35)
Market Analysis
Jie, L., et.al., “Regulated and non-regulated Emissions from a DME Powered Compression Ignition Engine”
Safety Considerations
Economic Analysis
Conclusions and Recommendations
DME Sell Price: $0.93/kg or $2.33/gal
Recommend motivating transportation users to switch from low sulfur diesel to DME fuel
There are enough engineered protections to build a safe plant
Recommended to move on for further design analysis
Minimize
Unit size & storage inventory
Substitute
Water as coolant
Mechanical seals & welded pipes
Moderate
T & P drops
Simplify
Use of same equipment
20 year operation
Total capital investment of $10M
DCFRR: 198% .
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. McLarnon as well as the entire Chemical Engineering department for guidance and assistance