Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether from CO Hydrogenation: a Thermodynamic Analysis of the Influence of Wate

Three reactions involved in dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis from CO hydrogenation: methanol synthesis reaction (MSR), methanol dehydration reaction (MDR) and water gas shift reaction (WGSR) are studied by thermodynamic calculation. For demonstrating this process in detail, three models, MSR,MSR+MDR, MSR+MDR+WGSR, are used. Their basic characteristics can be obtained by varying widely the ratios of H2 to CO in the feed (no CO2). Through thermodynamic analysis a chemical synergic effect obviously exists in the second and third models. By comparison between two models it is found that WGSR plays a special role in dimethyl ether synthesis. It is possible for the two models to shift one to the other by regulating CO2 concentration in feed. For Model 2, the selectivity for DME in oxygenates (DME+methanol) does not change with the ratio of H2 to CO.