Methane coupling by membrane reactor. Quarterly technical progress report, March 25, 1995--June 24, 1995

Research focus, for the development of a radial flow catalytic membrane reactor for studying methane coupling concentrated on understanding the effects of pore size on improving the hydrocarbon selectivity for the reaction. The effect of pressure on the reaction was also investigated. Experimental results from the catalytic studies of oxidative coupling of methane in the radial flow membrane reactors presented in this report augment earlier work on membranes of pore diameters of 2.0{mu}m, 0.2{mu}m, and 0.02{mu}m, indicating better performance with the larger pore diameter membranes. Higher operating pressures seem to enhance gas phase non-selective reactions during methane coupling. The chemistry of oxygen conducting materials that could be used as dense membranes in the membrane reactors was investigated by studying the catalytic activity of several oxygen conducting perovskites for methane coupling. Heavy metal oxides of lanthanum, strontium and iron, which form good oxygen conductors, showed very poor methane coupling activity. Perovskites of the Strontium-Cerium-Yttribium series showed moderate activity for methane coupling. These could serve as candidates for dense membrane synthesis, since they also have moderate oxygen conduction properties