Individual and network feeding policies for the Methane Oxidative Coupling reactors

In this paper, the performance of methane oxidative coupling (OCM) process in four different reactor concepts including plug flow reactor (PFR), two types of membrane reactors (PPBMR and CPBMR) and the network of these reactors is investigated using commercial simulator (Aspen-Plus) and detailed developed code (MATLAB simulation). A comparative study between these four different reactor feeding policies is carried out by measuring the selectivity, yield and the conversion of the OCM process resulted from each of these reactors. In the Aspen-Plus simulator, the membrane reactor concept was visualized using the sequence of reactor-membrane modules. Simulation results in both simulators qualitatively show the same trend regard to the performance of the reactor concepts. Each of these three individual reactor concepts (PFR, PPBMR and CPBMR) is outstanding in a specific performance aspect(s) namely selectivity, yield, and conversion. Where PFR with co-feeding policy, shows the highest conversion, CPBMR in which oxygen is added into the reaction side through the shell side, performs the highest selectivity, and PPBMR with the same feeding policy as PFR, performs moderately in case of both the selectivity and conversion. The network in which exploiting the advantage of each reactor feeding policy is focused, shows a simultaneous enhancement in both the yield and selectivity for OCM process.

Individual and network feeding policies for the Methane Oxidative Coupling reactors Keywords:

OCM Process , Network of reactors , Packed bed membrane reactor , Reactor feeding policy