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Parametric investigation of oxidative coupling of methane in a heat‐exchange integrated microchannel reactor
Author(s) -
Tezcan Idil,
Avci Ahmet K.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.4493
Subject(s) - microreactor , exothermic reaction , microchannel , oxidative coupling of methane , endothermic process , methane , coolant , chemistry , heat transfer , yield (engineering) , thermodynamics , product distribution , materials science , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , catalysis , nanotechnology , composite material , adsorption , engineering , physics
BACKGROUND Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) to C 2 hydrocarbons is strongly exothermic and requires careful management of the dissipated heat. Running OCM in microchannel reactors offers fast heat transfer rates that enable controlled distribution of reaction temperature and product composition. This study involves modeling and simulation of OCM in a heat exchange integrated microchannel reactor involving parallel reaction and cooling channels separated by solid walls. RESULTS Using separating wall with high thermal conductivity and thickness above 5 × 10 ‐4 m regulates temperature distribution along the reaction channel and improves C 2 yield. Increasing the methane‐to‐oxygen ratio decreases the reaction temperature and conversion immediately. Coolant inlet temperature affects the trade‐off between methane conversion and selective production of ethane and ethylene. Exothermic heat release and C 2 hydrocarbon loss by oxidation are pronounced at higher reactant mass flow rates, whereas C 2 yield is improved at higher coolant mass flow rates that dampen the reaction temperature. CONCLUSION Effective heat transfer and improved temperature control can be obtained in the microchannel geometry. The results provide insight into the potential use of microreactors, novel units known to have robust heat transfer properties, in controlling the temperature of the OCM process, which is one of the key design targets affecting product selectivity. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry