CN219744399U - Device for separating methanol from gaseous mixture and system for producing methanol - Google Patents

Abstract

The present utility model discloses an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture and a system for producing methanol, the apparatus may include: a vertically disposed cylinder; and a plurality of trays horizontally disposed inside the drum, the plurality of trays being arranged vertically such that water injected into the inside of the drum flows inside the drum in a manner of flowing through each tray by gravity, wherein the gaseous mixture circulates through the inside of the drum and contacts the water flowing inside the drum such that gaseous methanol and liquid droplet-shaped methanol in the gaseous mixture are dissolved into the water, wherein adjacent two trays among the plurality of trays respectively extend from diametrically opposite positions of the drum, and the extension length is set such that water flowing away from an upper tray among the two trays falls to a position where a lower tray among the two trays starts to extend.

Description

Device for separating methanol from gaseous mixture and system for producing methanol

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the field of chemical production, in particular to a device for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture and a system for producing the methanol.

Background

The industrial production of methanol is generally accomplished by the following processes: the gaseous mixture for synthesizing methanol is introduced into the synthesis column to complete the synthesis of methanol and, after leaving the synthesis column, is introduced again into the synthesis column, that is to say is introduced into the synthesis column in a cyclic manner to synthesize methanol, wherein the synthesized methanol contained in the gaseous mixture is separated by means of a separation device before being introduced again into the synthesis column.

However, in the conventional separation apparatus, it is difficult to separate mist-like methanol or fine droplet-like methanol having a particle diameter of 0.01 μm to 10 μm contained in the gaseous mixture from the gaseous mixture, and particularly, it is difficult to separate saturated methanol vapor contained in the gaseous mixture from the gaseous mixture. The two parts of methanol not only cause damage to parts of the circulating compressor, but also increase power consumption of the circulating machine, in addition, if the liquid methanol is introduced into the synthesis tower, the liquid methanol is gasified by the uppermost layer in the catalyst layer, the pressure in the tower rises, even the overpressure is forced to be discharged, and the temperature of the uppermost layer in the catalyst layer is rapidly reduced, so that the synthesis reaction is deteriorated.

It is therefore desirable to provide a separation device that is capable of maximizing the separation of methanol from the gaseous mixture, or minimizing the methanol content in the gaseous mixture, ensuring stable operation of the subsequent process.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, it is desirable to provide an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture and a system for producing methanol, which can separate methanol from a gaseous mixture to the maximum extent, fully exert the production capacity of the system for producing methanol, and improve the yield and quality of methanol.

The technical scheme of the utility model is realized as follows:

in a first aspect, embodiments of the present utility model provide an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture, the apparatus comprising:

a vertically disposed cylinder; and

a plurality of trays horizontally disposed inside the cylinder, the plurality of trays being vertically aligned such that water injected into the inside of the cylinder flows inside the cylinder in a manner of flowing through each tray by gravity,

wherein the gaseous mixture flows through the interior of the cylinder and is in contact with water flowing in the interior of the cylinder so that gaseous methanol in the gaseous mixture and liquid-droplet methanol dissolve into the water,

wherein adjacent two of the plurality of trays extend from radially opposite positions of the cylinder, respectively, and the extension length is set so that water flowing away from an upper one of the two trays can fall to a position where a lower one of the two trays starts to extend.

With the apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present utility model, since water flows inside the cylinder in such a manner as to flow through each tray, while the methanol and water are infinitely miscible, not only can the droplet-shaped methanol dissolve into the water, but also the gaseous methanol can dissolve into the water when the gaseous mixture containing the droplet-shaped methanol and the gaseous methanol flows through the inside of the cylinder, so that separation and collection of the methanol in the gaseous mixture can be achieved, and the above-described arrangement of the plurality of trays maximizes the area through which the water flows inside the cylinder, thereby maximizing the contact area between the gaseous mixture and the water, thereby maximizing the dissolution of the droplet-shaped methanol and the gaseous methanol in the gaseous mixture into the water, and in addition, in the case that the gaseous mixture contains particulate solid impurities, the water flowing through the inside of the cylinder can be washed away.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the device further comprises a distributor arranged inside the cylinder and upstream of the plurality of trays in the flow direction of the gaseous mixture, the distributor having a plurality of sets of curved flow channels such that during the flow through the distributor, droplets in the gaseous mixture adhere to the inner walls of the flow channels under centrifugal action and such that after the flow through the distributor, the gaseous mixture is uniformly distributed inside the cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the device further comprises an upstream blade arranged inside the cylinder and between the distributor and the plurality of discs, such that droplets in the gaseous mixture are adsorbed on the upstream blade during circulation past the upstream blade.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the device further comprises a downstream blade arranged inside the cylinder and downstream of the plurality of trays in the flow direction of the gaseous mixture, such that droplets in the gaseous mixture are adsorbed on the downstream blade during flow past the downstream blade.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the device further comprises a mist eliminator arranged inside the cylinder and downstream of the downstream vanes in the flow direction of the gaseous mixture, such that droplets and mist in the gaseous mixture are removed during flow through the mist eliminator.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, the gaseous mixture circulates in a bottom-to-top direction, the apparatus further comprises a liquid-sealing plate provided between a bottom plate body of the plurality of plate bodies and the upstream blade, the liquid-sealing plate being for blocking liquid inside the cylinder from flowing further downward by gravity, and the cylinder being formed with a first outlet for allowing the liquid blocked by the liquid-sealing plate to flow outside the cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, the cylinder is formed with a second outlet at the bottom for flowing the liquid collected at the bottom of the cylinder to the outside of the cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the apparatus further comprises a first washer for washing the mist eliminator, a second washer for washing the downstream blade, and a third washer for washing the upstream blade.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the apparatus further comprises a differential pressure gauge for measuring the pressure differential before and after the gaseous mixture flows through the downstream blade and the mist eliminator, and when the measured pressure differential is greater than a set point, the first scrubber starts cleaning the mist eliminator and the second scrubber starts cleaning the downstream blade.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present utility model provide a system for producing methanol, the system comprising:

the apparatus according to the first aspect;

a reaction chamber;

a passage for circulating the gaseous mixture between the reaction chamber and the barrel to circulate the gaseous mixture through the reaction chamber and produce methanol.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to an embodiment of the utility model;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to another embodiment of the utility model;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to another embodiment of the utility model;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to another embodiment of the utility model;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to another embodiment of the utility model;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to another embodiment of the utility model;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a system for producing methanol according to an embodiment of the utility model.

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present utility model, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the utility model.

Referring to fig. 1, an embodiment of the present utility model provides an apparatus 10 for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture M, where the methanol in the gaseous mixture M, as schematically shown by the solid lines with arrows in fig. 1, may be gaseous, i.e. present in the gaseous mixture M in the form of gaseous methanol GM, where the gaseous methanol GM is schematically shown by the dashed lines with arrows in fig. 1, and may be liquid, i.e. present in the gaseous mixture M in the form of liquid-droplet methanol LM, where the liquid-droplet methanol LM is schematically shown by solid dots in fig. 1, and thus, more precisely, where the gaseous mixture M is an aerosol, i.e. a generally gaseous system of gaseous medium and liquid particles dispersed in the gaseous medium, the apparatus 10 may comprise:

a vertically disposed cylinder 11; and

a plurality of trays 12 horizontally disposed inside the drum 11, as schematically shown by a cross-hatched filled elongated frame in fig. 1, the plurality of trays 12 being arranged vertically such that water W injected into the inside of the drum 11 through a water injection port 11W formed on the drum 11 flows inside the drum 11 in such a manner as to flow through each tray 12 by gravity, wherein a water W flowing inside the drum 11 is schematically shown by a dot filled bar region in fig. 1,

wherein the gaseous mixture M may flow through the inside of the cylinder 11 in a bottom-up direction, as schematically shown by arrows carried by dotted lines and solid lines in fig. 1, in which case the gaseous mixture M may enter the inside of the cylinder 11 through a mixture inlet 11I formed at a lower portion of the cylinder 11 and leave the inside of the cylinder 11 through a mixture outlet 11O formed at an upper portion of the cylinder 11, such that the gaseous mixture M is brought into contact with water W flowing in the inside of the cylinder 11 to dissolve the gaseous methanol GM and the droplet-shaped methanol LM in the gaseous mixture M into the water W, because of infinite mutual solubility between the methanol and the water, and in addition, as shown in fig. 1, the concentration of the gaseous methanol GM and the droplet-shaped methanol LM gradually decreases due to dissolution during the flow of the gaseous mixture M through the plurality of trays 12, such that the recovery of the water W in which methanol is dissolved may achieve the collection of methanol, which will be described in more detail below;

wherein adjacent two of the plurality of trays 12 may extend from radially opposite positions of the cylinder 11, such as an upper tray 121 and a lower tray 122, which are labeled in fig. 1, respectively, and the extending length may be set such that water W flowing away from the upper tray 121 of the two trays can drop to a position where the lower tray 122 of the two trays begins to extend.

With the apparatus 10 according to the above-described embodiment of the present utility model, since the water W flows inside the cylinder 11 in such a manner as to flow through each tray 12 while the methanol and the water W are infinitely miscible, not only the liquid-droplet methanol LM but also the gaseous methanol GM can be dissolved into the water W when the gaseous mixture M containing the liquid-droplet methanol LM and the gaseous methanol GM is circulated through the inside of the cylinder 11, thereby enabling separation and collection of the methanol in the gaseous mixture M, but also the above-described arrangement of the plurality of trays 12 maximizes the area through which the water W flows inside the cylinder 11, thereby maximizing the contact area between the gaseous mixture M and the water W, thereby maximizing the dissolution of the liquid-droplet methanol LM and the gaseous methanol GM in the gaseous mixture M into the water, and in addition, in the case that the gaseous mixture M contains solid impurities in the form of particles, cleaning such impurities can be performed by the water W flowing inside the cylinder 11.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, still referring to fig. 1, the above-described cylinder 11 may be provided on the skirt 11S, the skirt 11S itself may be fixed by the anchor bolts 11SB shown in fig. 1, thereby securing the stability of the cylinder 11 provided on the skirt 11S, and the skirt 11S may be formed with a skirt inspection hole 11SH through which an inspector may enter the inside of the skirt 11S to inspect the skirt 11S and the bottom of the cylinder 11.

In practice, the number of trays 12 may be selected based on the methanol content in the gaseous mixture M and the desired separation effect. Preferably, the number of the plurality of trays 12 may be 5 or more. Further preferably, the number of the plurality of trays 12 may be 10 or 22. The number of trays 12 required can be calculated based on the methanol content in the gaseous mixture M and the desired separation effect design.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, see fig. 2, the device 10 may further comprise a distributor 13 arranged inside the cylinder 11 and upstream of the plurality of trays 12 in the flow direction FD of the gaseous mixture M, wherein in fig. 2 only the gaseous mixture M in the vicinity of the distributor 13 is shown for clarity of the drawing and the flow direction FD is schematically indicated by means of a hollow arrow, in addition the distributor 13 may be directly connected to the mixture inlet 11I of the cylinder 11 as specifically indicated in fig. 2, the distributor 13 may have a plurality of sets of curved flow channels 13P, as schematically indicated in fig. 2 by means of a plurality of vertical line segments, such that during the flow through the distributor 13 the droplets D in the gaseous mixture M adhere to the inner walls of the flow channels 13P under centrifugal action and such that after the flow through the distributor 13 the gaseous mixture M is evenly distributed inside the cylinder 11. Here, the droplets D in the gaseous mixture M include the droplet-shaped methanol LM schematically shown by solid dots and other droplets such as droplet-shaped water other than the droplet-shaped methanol LM schematically shown by hollow dots. Since the distributor 13 is capable of separating the droplets D from the gaseous mixture M, it is possible to separate the droplet-like methanol LM as one type of the droplets D, it is possible to avoid the entry of the liquid component into the synthesis column in the case where the gaseous mixture M is circulated into the synthesis column to generate methanol, and in particular, in the case where the gaseous mixture M just circulated into the interior of the cylinder 11 contains a large number of the droplets D, while the distributor 13 is capable of separating 50% to 70% of the droplets in the gaseous mixture M, that is, the distributor 13 realizes the function of "pre-separating" the droplets D before separating the methanol by means of the water W flowing through the plurality of trays 12, and in addition, it is possible to fully utilize the components which are disposed inside the cylinder 11 and located downstream of the distributor 13 in the circulation direction FD of the gaseous mixture M after uniformly distributing the gaseous mixture M.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, see fig. 3, the device 10 may further comprise upstream vanes 14 arranged inside the cylinder 11 and between the distributor 13 and the plurality of discs 12, such that during the flow through the upstream vanes 14, the droplets D in the gaseous mixture M are adsorbed on the upstream vanes 14. The gaseous mixture M is not shown in fig. 3 for clarity purposes, but is readily understood in connection with fig. 1 and 2. Likewise, since the upstream blade 14 can separate the droplets D from the gaseous mixture M, the droplet-like methanol LM, which is one type of the droplets D, can be separated, and the liquid component can be prevented from entering the synthesis column in the case where the gaseous mixture M is circulated into the synthesis column to generate methanol.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, see fig. 4, the device 10 may further comprise a downstream blade 15 arranged inside the cylinder 11 and downstream of the plurality of trays 12 in the flow direction FD of the gaseous mixture M, such that during the flow through the downstream blade 15, the droplets D in the gaseous mixture M are adsorbed on the downstream blade 15. Wherein in fig. 4 the gaseous mixture M flowing through the downstream blade 15 is not shown for the sake of clarity of the drawing, but is easily understood in connection with fig. 1 and 2, and in addition the flow direction FD is schematically shown by means of a hollow arrow. Likewise, since the downstream blade 15 can separate the droplets D from the gaseous mixture M, the droplet-like methanol LM, which is one type of the droplets D, can be separated, and the liquid component can be prevented from entering the synthesis column in the case where the gaseous mixture M is circulated into the synthesis column to generate methanol.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, still referring to fig. 4, the apparatus 10 may further comprise a mist eliminator 16 arranged inside the cylinder 11 and downstream of the downstream vanes 15 in the flow direction FD of the gaseous mixture M, such that droplets D and mist E in the gaseous mixture M are removed during flow through the mist eliminator 16. Here, the mist E is particles which exist as liquid as the droplets D, but the difference is that the mist E has a smaller particle diameter than the droplets D, which makes it difficult to remove by means of the downstream blade 15, and the mist eliminator 16 can remove the mist E having a smaller particle diameter in addition to the droplets D having a larger particle diameter, and the mist E may be contained in the gaseous mixture M when flowing into the cylinder 11 or may be generated by the water W flowing along the plurality of trays 12. In fig. 4, only the gaseous mixture M in the vicinity of the mist eliminator 16 is shown for the sake of clarity of the drawing, and the entrainment E is schematically shown by the dots forming the hatched area. In this way, finer separation of liquid particles in the gaseous mixture M can be achieved by means of the mist eliminator 16, and thus the droplet-shaped methanol LM, which is one type of entrainment E, can be separated, and entry of liquid particles smaller than the particle diameter of the droplet D into the synthesis column can be avoided in the case where the gaseous mixture M is circulated into the synthesis column to generate methanol.

Preferably, the mist eliminator 16 described above may be a wire mesh mist eliminator.

The gaseous mixture M flowing through the inside of the cylinder 11 may have a methanol content of less than 0.05% by volume after being treated by the distributor 13, the upstream blades 14, the water W flowing through each tray 12, the downstream blades 15, the demister 16 described above.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, referring to fig. 5, the gaseous mixture M may circulate in a bottom-to-top direction as schematically shown by a solid line with arrows, the apparatus 10 may further include a sealing plate 17 provided between a bottom plate 12B of the plurality of plates 12 and the upstream blade 14, the sealing plate 17 serving to block liquid inside the cylinder 11 from flowing further downward by gravity, and the cylinder 11 is formed with a first outlet 11A for allowing the liquid blocked by the sealing plate 17 to flow outside the cylinder 11. It should be noted that the "liquid" may be any liquid that is generated during the above-mentioned separation process and is collected at the sealing disc 17 by gravity, such as water W flowing through the plurality of discs 12, liquid-drop methanol LM dissolved in water W, and liquid-drop D adsorbed on the downstream blade 15. Because the concentration of methanol in the liquid collected at the liquid sealing disc 17 is low, which is commonly called as "diluted alcohol", and the concentration of methanol in the liquid separated by the upstream blade 14 and the distributor 13 is high, which is commonly called as "crude alcohol", the liquid sealing disc 17 can avoid mixing two liquids with different methanol concentrations, and is beneficial to the subsequent treatment of methanol solution. It should be noted that, although the concentration of methanol in the liquid collected at the liquid seal pan 17 is low, it is still possible to reach 50% (by volume).

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, still referring to fig. 5, the cylinder 11 may be formed with a second outlet 11B at the bottom for flowing the liquid collected at the bottom of the cylinder 11 to the outside of the cylinder 11. The droplets separated by the upstream blade 14 and the distributor 13 are converged and flow to the bottom of the cylinder 11 by gravity, as schematically shown in fig. 5 by a hatched area at the bottom of the cylinder 11, to thereby obtain a methanol solution, i.e., the above-mentioned "crude alcohol", and the thus obtained methanol solution may be discharged through the second outlet 11B for the subsequent treatment. As also shown in fig. 5, the second outlet 11B is not formed at the lowermost end of the cylinder 11, so that in the case where the obtained methanol solution contains solid impurities in the form of particles, the impurities may be precipitated at the lowermost end of the cylinder 11 and not discharged through the second outlet 11B, whereby a relatively pure methanol solution can be obtained. In this case, the cylinder 11 may be formed with a purge port 11E at the lowermost end, and the purge port 11E may be opened to purge impurities when the precipitated impurities need to be cleaned.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, still referring to fig. 5, the device 10 may further comprise a level gauge 19B, which level gauge 19B is adapted to measure the level of liquid converging at the bottom of the bowl 11. Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the bowl 11 may be formed with a first gauge opening 19B1 and a second gauge opening 19B2, both above and below the level of the liquid or methanol solution, respectively, that collect at the bottom of the bowl 11, and the gauge 19B may sense the pressure at the first gauge opening 19B1 and the pressure at the second gauge opening 19B2 and thereby obtain the level of the liquid or methanol solution.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, still referring to fig. 5, the apparatus 10 may further include a first washer 18A for washing the mist eliminator 16, a second washer 18B for washing the downstream blade 15, and a third washer 18C for washing the upstream blade 14, as specifically shown in fig. 5, the first washer 18A, the second washer 18B, the third washer 18C may be disposed opposite the mist eliminator 16, the downstream blade 15, the upstream blade 14, respectively, in the radial direction of the cylinder 11. In this way, impurities accumulated on the demister 16, the downstream blade 15, and the upstream blade 14 during the circulation of the gaseous mixture M through the inside of the cylinder 11 can be removed, ensuring the normal circulation of the gaseous mixture M.

In a preferred embodiment of the utility model, still referring to fig. 5, the apparatus 10 may further comprise a differential pressure gauge 19A for measuring the pressure differential across the downstream vane 15 and the mist eliminator 16 before and after the gaseous mixture M flows past the downstream vane 15 and when the measured pressure differential is greater than a set point, the first scrubber 18A begins to scrub the mist eliminator 16 and the second scrubber 18B begins to scrub the downstream vane 15. Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the cylinder 11 may be formed with a first pressure differential gauge opening 19A1 and a second pressure differential gauge opening 19A2, which are respectively located on different sides of the whole of the downstream blade 15 and the demister 16, and the pressure differential gauge 19A may sense the pressure at the first pressure differential gauge opening 19A1 and the pressure at the second pressure differential gauge opening 19A2 and thereby obtain the pressure differential. Since the differential pressure greater than the set value may correspond to the accumulation of impurities on the downstream blade 15 and the demister 16 to a certain extent, it is possible to achieve the removal of impurities from the downstream blade 15 and the demister 16 when impurities are accumulated to a certain extent, and to achieve the controllability in the production process.

Preferably, the third washer 18C may wash the upstream blade 14 at regular intervals to maintain stability of the separation effect of the droplets D.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, referring to fig. 6, the cylinder 11 may be formed with openings such as the above-described mixture inlet 11I, mixture outlet 11O, water injection port 11W, first outlet 11A, and the like, in addition to: a first man hole 11M1 at a position corresponding to the downstream blade 15, the first man hole 11M1 for a worker to enter the inside of the cylinder 11 so as to perform operations such as inspection or maintenance; a second manhole 11M2 at a position corresponding to the upstream blade 14, the second manhole 11M2 being also used for the operator to enter the inside of the cylinder 11 so as to perform operations such as inspection or maintenance; a spare opening 11U, the spare opening 11U being used to perform potential operations on the interior of the cylinder 11.

In a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, still referring to fig. 6, the demister 16 may be fixed inside the drum 11 by means of the first frame F1 and the second frame F2, the downstream blade 15 may be fixed inside the drum 11 by means of the second frame F2 and the third frame F3, the upstream blade 14 may be fixed inside the drum 11 by means of the fourth frame F4 and the fifth frame F5, the liquid droplets D adsorbed on the downstream blade 15 may flow to the top tray 12T of the plurality of trays 12 under the guidance of the first downcomer FP1, and the liquid droplets D adsorbed on the upstream blade 14 may flow to the bottom of the drum 11 under the guidance of the second downcomer FP2, as shown in fig. 6.

Referring to fig. 7, an embodiment of the present utility model also provides a system 1 for producing methanol, the system 1 may include:

apparatus 10 for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture M according to embodiments of the present utility model;

a reaction chamber 20;

a channel 30 for circulating the gaseous mixture M between the reaction chamber 20 and the cylinder 11 as schematically shown by the dashed arrow line in fig. 7 to circulate the gaseous mixture M through the reaction chamber 20 and to generate methanol.

Specifically, for example in the device 10 shown in fig. 7, the channel 30 may be connected to the mixture inlet 11I of the cylinder 11 so that the gaseous mixture M from the reaction chamber 20 enters the interior of the cylinder 11, and the channel 30 may also be connected to the mixture outlet 11O of the cylinder 11 so that the gaseous mixture M exits the interior of the cylinder 11.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present utility model, and the present utility model is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions easily contemplated by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present utility model should be included in the present utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the present utility model shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (10)

1. An apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture, the apparatus comprising:

a vertically disposed cylinder; and

a plurality of trays horizontally disposed inside the cylinder, the plurality of trays being vertically aligned such that water injected into the inside of the cylinder flows inside the cylinder in a manner of flowing through each tray by gravity,

wherein the gaseous mixture flows through the interior of the cylinder and is in contact with water flowing in the interior of the cylinder so that gaseous methanol in the gaseous mixture and liquid-droplet methanol dissolve into the water,

wherein adjacent two of the plurality of trays extend from radially opposite positions of the cylinder, respectively, and the extension length is set so that water flowing away from an upper one of the two trays can fall to a position where a lower one of the two trays starts to extend.

2. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to claim 1, further comprising a distributor disposed inside the cylinder and upstream of the plurality of trays in a flow direction of the gaseous mixture, the distributor having a plurality of groups of curved flow passages such that droplets in the gaseous mixture adhere to inner walls of the flow passages by centrifugation during flow through the distributor, and such that the gaseous mixture is uniformly distributed inside the cylinder after flow through the distributor.

3. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to claim 2, further comprising an upstream vane disposed inside the barrel and between the distributor and the plurality of trays such that droplets in the gaseous mixture are adsorbed on the upstream vane during circulation past the upstream vane.

4. A device for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to claim 3, further comprising downstream vanes disposed inside the cylinder and downstream of the plurality of trays in the direction of flow of the gaseous mixture such that droplets in the gaseous mixture are adsorbed on the downstream vanes during flow past the downstream vanes.

5. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to claim 4, further comprising a mist eliminator disposed inside the cylinder and downstream of the downstream vanes in the flow direction of the gaseous mixture, such that droplets and mist in the gaseous mixture are removed during flow through the mist eliminator.

6. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to claim 5, wherein the gaseous mixture circulates in a bottom-to-top direction, the apparatus further comprising a liquid sealing plate provided between a bottom plate body of the plurality of plate bodies and the upstream blade, the liquid sealing plate being for blocking liquid inside the cylinder from flowing further downward by gravity, and the cylinder being formed with a first outlet for flowing the liquid blocked by the liquid sealing plate to outside the cylinder.

7. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to claim 6, wherein the cylinder is formed with a second outlet at the bottom for flowing the liquid collected at the bottom of the cylinder to the outside of the cylinder.

8. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture of claim 5, further comprising a first scrubber for scrubbing the mist eliminator, a second scrubber for scrubbing the downstream blade, and a third scrubber for scrubbing the upstream blade.

9. The apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture of claim 8, further comprising a differential pressure gauge for measuring a pressure differential across the downstream vane and the mist eliminator, and wherein the first scrubber begins cleaning the mist eliminator and the second scrubber begins cleaning the downstream vane when the measured pressure differential is greater than a set point.

10. A system for producing methanol, the system comprising:

apparatus for separating methanol from a gaseous mixture according to any one of claims 1 to 9;

a reaction chamber;

a passage for circulating the gaseous mixture between the reaction chamber and the barrel to circulate the gaseous mixture through the reaction chamber and produce methanol.