Methanol (CH₃OH) is an alcohol, light, volatile, colourless and flammable, commonly used as a laboratory solvent. It is widely utilized in making other chemicals, about 40% of methanol is converted to formaldehyde and from there into a variety of products like plastics, plywood, paints and explosives.

In the methanol production process, the synthesis gas is most commonly produced from the methane component in natural gas rather than from coal.
Methane reacts with steam (steam-methane reforming) on a nickel catalyst to produce syngas at 4 MPa and 850 °C producing carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
In a secondary reaction at 5-10 MPa and 250 °C carbon monoxide and hydrogen react on a different catalyst (mixture of cooper, zinc oxide and alumina) to produce methanol.

The main licensors for the methanol process are Topsoe and Methanol Casale, for which VRV is an approved vendor.
VRV provides the following components in a methanol production plant,:

• Methanol Reactor
• Boiler Feed Water
• Heaters