Oxidative Coupling of Methane: Optimal Operating Policies for a Membrane Reactor Network

The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM), in which methane is turned into ethylene and ethane, presents an opportunity for using natural gas to produce desired C2 hydrocarbons. The main challenge for the successful implementation of the process is the reduction of undesired by-products, such as CO2. This contribution deals with the optimization of a membrane reactor network for the OCM process with the goal of maximizing yield while maintaining simultaneously a high selectivity in C2 products. The network consists of a plug flow/fixed-bed reactor, a conventional packed-bed membrane reactor and a so-called proposed packed-bed membrane reactor.