KINETICS AND MECHANISM OF REACTION BETWEEN STEAM AND HYDROCARBONS OVER NICKEL CATALYSTS IN TEMPERATURE RANGE 350 DEGREES C TO 500 DEGREES C .1.

The reactions of n-heptane and n-hexane with steam over a nickel-alumina catalyst powder were investigated at 200 psig over a temperature range of 360-450 °C. For most of this range, the reaction rate was proportional to (hydrocarbon pressure)0.3 · (H2O)0 and the activation energy for the reaction was 21 ± 1 kcal. The results were interpreted by a Langmuir kinetics mechanism, and it was shown that the relative reaction rates of hexane and heptane in mixtures depended primarily on the relative adsorption coefficients of the reactants. © 1969.