In
this work, a silicalite membrane reactor was used for the propane
dehydrogenation (PDH) reaction for different operating conditions
such as 550–650 °C for temperature and 1–5 atm
for pressure, respectively. Packed bed membrane reactors (PBMRs) were
allowed to achieve higher performance than packed bed reactors, thereby
overcoming thermodynamic limitations that are prevalent in dehydrogenation
reactions. Removal of one of the reaction products (H2)
during the reaction from the reaction side helped in improving PDH
reaction performance of PBMR. Pt/Al2O3 catalysts
were used with the silicalite membrane to explore the impact of operating
conditions on the PDH reaction. Increasing reaction temperature accelerated
the reaction rate, which led to an increase in propane conversion.
Increasing reaction pressure led to an increase in H2 permeation
across the membrane, which resulted in considerable improvement in
the propane conversion. The highest propane conversion, propylene
selectivity, and propylene yield achieved were 49, 97, and 47%, respectively,
at 600 °C and 5 atm in the PBMR mode. The selective removal of
H2 from the reaction side through the membrane was also
found to significantly reduce the side products such as methane. A
one-dimensional plug flow model was developed and found to work well
for simulating the PDH reaction.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.