Techno-economic optimization of shale gas to dimethyl ether production processes via direct and indirect synthesis routes

Abstract The shale gas to dimethyl ether process via direct synthesis route with a syngas H2/CO = 1 has a higher dimethyl ether yield than that via indirect synthesis route. However, the direct synthesis route involves various energy and capital-intensive processes, such as the complicated dimethyl ether separation process, and the CO2 recycle and compression process. In this study, a techno-economic analysis of the shale gas to dimethyl ether process via direct and indirect synthesis routes is performed using Aspen Process Economic Analyzer based on the rigorous process model developed in Aspen Plus®. Effects of different CO2 removal technologies and dimethyl ether synthesis technologies from syngas are evaluated. Both, direct and indirect plants are optimized in Aspen Plus equation oriented environment using the rigorous process models. The effects of key design parameters (i.e. H2/CO in the syngas) as well as investment parameters (i.e. prices of raw materials, products, and utilities, plant scale) on the process economics have been evaluated. The direct dimethyl ether synthesis route processing a syngas with H2/CO = 1 and using the Rectisol process for CO2 capture has the highest overall thermal efficiency on the lower heat value basis of all combinations studied in this work. The equivalent diesel price of the direct dimethyl ether synthesis process is found to be much lower than the current U.S. market diesel price indicating the feasibility of the process.

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