Coproduction of dimethyl-ether and hydrogen/power from natural gas with no carbon dioxide emissions

A novel, energy integrated process is presented that co-produces dimethyl-ether and hydrogen from natural gas, emits no carbon dioxide, and employs commercially available technologies. The principal technologies employed in the process network include incomplete combustion, steam-methane reforming (SMR), and DME production from CO/CO2 and H2. Thermodynamic analysis, in the context of energetic self-sufficiency, identifies operating limits on the proposed process in terms of the molar flow ratio of oxygen consumed to DME produced. A suitable reaction cluster using the principal technologies is identified and used to produce a feasible process flowsheet. The flowsheet is heat and power integrated to identify suitable energetically self-sufficient operating points, upon which a preliminary operating cost analysis is carried out using current market prices for natural gas, DME, hydrogen, water and electricity.