The role of mass and heat transfer in the design of novel reactors for oxidative coupling of methane

Vandewalle, Laurien; Vijver, Ruben Van de; Geem, Kevin Van; Marin, Guy

doi:10.1016/j.ces.2018.09.022

Cited by 58 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 144 publications

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“…Despite 30 years of studies on the OCM process investigating the optimal reaction conditions, different reactor designs and catalyst formulations [5][6][7][8][9][10] there are still limiting factors for the industrial implementation of the OCM technology. One of the main challenges in methane activation is related to the fact that the desired products (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

et al. 2021

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

et al. 2021

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“…Furthermore, the overall reaction is exothermic, leading to the possible formation of hotspots that lower the reactor yield unless a proper reactor cooling and heat management is carried out, as experimentally demonstrated in conventional packed bed reactors, widely studied for OCM [6]. There are many alternatives proposed in the open literature to deal with it [7], and they suggest that a deeper understanding of the mass and heat transfer in the system is required to accordingly modify the conventional reactor designs [8][9][10]. On the other hand, the heat generated in the OCM reaction system can be turned into an advantage if it is properly handled, as the energy released can be used to produce energy/heat, thus reducing the need of electricity import [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative Coupling of Methane in Membrane Reactors; A Techno-Economic Assessment

et al. 2020

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Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is a process to directly convert methane into ethylene. However, its ethylene yield is limited in conventional reactors by the nature of the reaction system. In this work, the integration of different membranes to increase the overall performance of the large-scale oxidative coupling of methane process has been investigated from a techno-economic point of view. A 1D membrane reactor model has been developed, and the results show that the OCM reactor yield is significantly improved when integrating either porous or dense membranes in packed bed reactors. These higher yields have a positive impact on the economics and performance of the downstream separation, resulting in a cost of ethylene production of 595–625 €/tonC2H4 depending on the type of membranes employed, 25–30% lower than the benchmark technology based on oil as feedstock (naphtha steam cracking). Despite the use of a cryogenic separation unit, the porous membranes configuration shows generally better results than dense ones because of the much larger membrane area required in the dense membranes case. In addition, the CO2 emissions of the OCM studied processes are also much lower than the benchmark technology (total CO2 emissions are reduced by 96% in the dense membranes case and by 88% in the porous membranes case, with respect to naphtha steam cracking), where the high direct CO2 emissions have a major impact on the process. However, the scalability and the issues associated with it seem to be the main constraints to the industrial application of the process, since experimental studies of these membrane reactor technologies have been carried out just on a very small scale.

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“…The GVU and GSVU studies explored and demonstrated various process intensification capabilities of vortex units. Based on a full hydrodynamic study of the GSVUs, research was extended to explore the possibilities of this technology to be used as a GSVR, for example, catalytic cracking, biomass fast pyrolysis, oxidative coupling of methane (OCM), and more. A multi‐inlet vortex reactor which operates on similar principles as that of the GSVRs, has been shown useful in production of functional nanoparticles .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental and numerical study of the suppression of jets, counterflow, and backflow in vortex units

et al. 2019

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Vortex units are commonly considered for various single and multiphase applications due to their process intensification capabilities. The transition from gas-only flow to gas-solid flow remains largely unexplored nonetheless. During this transition, primary flow phenomenon, jets, and secondary flow phenomena, counterflow and backflow, are substantially reduced, before a rotating solids bed is established.This transitional flow regime is referred to as the vortex suppression regime. In the present work, this flow transition is identified and validated through experimental and computational studies in two vortex units with a scale differing by a factor of 2, using spherical aluminum and alumina particles. This experimental data supports the proposed theoretical particle monolayer solids loading that allows estimation of vortex suppression regime solids capacity for any vortex unit. It is shown that the vortex suppression regime is established at a solids loading theoretically corresponding to a monolayer being formed in the unit for 1g-Geldart D-and 1g-Geldart B-type particles. The model closely agrees with experimental vortex suppression range for both aluminum and alumina particles. The model, as well as the experimental data, shows that the flow suppression regime depends on unit dimensions, particle diameter, and particle density but is independent of gas flow rate.This combined study, based on experimental and computational data and on a theoretical model, reveals the vortex suppression to be one of the basic operational parameters to study flow in a vortex unit and that a simple monolayer model allows to estimate the needed solids loading for any vortex device to induce this flow transition. K E Y W O R D Sgas-solid vortex reactor, gas-solid vortex units, monolayer model, process intensification, vortex suppression regime Abbreviations: GSVR, gas-solid vortex reactor; GSVU, gas-solid vortex unit; GVU, gasvortex unit; HDPE, high density polyethylene.

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The role of mass and heat transfer in the design of novel reactors for oxidative coupling of methane

Cited by 58 publications

References 144 publications

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

Oxidative Coupling of Methane in Membrane Reactors; A Techno-Economic Assessment

An experimental and numerical study of the suppression of jets, counterflow, and backflow in vortex units

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The role of mass and heat transfer in the design of novel reactors for oxidative coupling of methane

Cited by 58 publications

References 144 publications

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO2 catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO2 catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

Oxidative Coupling of Methane in Membrane Reactors; A Techno-Economic Assessment

An experimental and numerical study of the suppression of jets, counterflow, and backflow in vortex units

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Product

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Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

Effect of thermal treatment on the stability of Na–Mn–W/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane