OXIDATIVE COUPLING OF METHANE IN THE GAS-PHASE - KINETIC SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL-VERIFICATION

The conversion of methane and oxygen was simulated using kinetic data available from the literature. Such temperatures and partial pressures of oxygen and methane were applied, which result experimentally in the formation of mainly ethane and ethylene and minor amounts of C3hydrocarbons as coupling products and of carbon oxides as total oxidation products: 1.84 ≤ PCH4/bar ≤ 8, 0.18 ≤ Po2/bar ≤ 0.8,878 ≤ T/K ≤ 1071. There was good agreement between simulated and experimental data on product selectivities above 1000 K. The selectivity to C2+hydrocarbons increases with temperature and CH4/O2ratio, while that to the carbon oxides decreases correspondingly. The dependence of C2+selectivity on pressure is only minor; however, the C2H4/C2H6ratio decreases with increasing pressure. Maximum C2+selectivities are on the order of 50%. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.