Methyl chloride via oxyhydrochlorination of methane. Quarterly technical progress report No. 11, April--June 1994

The purpose of this contract is to develop a process for converting light alkane gases to methyl chloride via oxyhydrochlorination using highly selective, stable catalysts in fixed-bed reactors designed to remove the large amount of heat generated, so as to control the reaction temperature. Further, the objective is to obtain the engineering data base necessary for developing a commercially feasible process and to evaluate the economics of the process. Significant progress was made in catalyst and PDU development this quarter. The key points of these developments are: Initial discussions have taken place with a catalyst supplier. United Catalysts, Inc. UCI came up with some good catalyst development suggestions and has agreed to produce a batch of catalyst for the PDU; previous plans for supply of methane for the PDU have fallen through. New options. including getting gas from Carrollton Utilities, are being evaluated; and PDU equipment installation is completed. and piping is 40% complete. The electrical work is close to being finished, and the instrumentation is underway