Simultaneous reaction and separation of chemicals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020283293-A1
Application number	US-201816764226-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Nov 16, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The reaction rate of hydrocarbon pyrolysis can be increased to produce solid carbon and hydrogen by the use of molten materials which have catalytic functionality to increase the rate of reaction and physical properties that facilitate the formation and contamination-free separation of the solid carbon. Processes, materials, reactor configurations, and conditions are disclosed whereby methane and other hydrocarbons can be decomposed at high reaction rates into hydrogen gas and carbon products without any carbon oxides in a single reaction step. The process also makes use of specific properties of selected materials with unique solubilities and/or wettability of products into (and/or by) the molten phase to facilitate generation of purified products and increased conversion in more general reactions.

First claim

1 .- 42 . (canceled)

43 . A multiphase reaction system comprising:
a feed stream comprising one or more hydrocarbon gas phase reactants; a liquid phase comprising a molten salt; a solid phase disposed within the liquid phase; and one or more products, wherein the one or more products comprise solid carbon and hydrogen.

44 . The system of claim 43 , wherein the solid comprises a solid phase catalyst.

45 . The system of claim 43 , wherein the solid phase is assembled as a packed bed of solid particles, pellets, or structure with the liquid phase between the solid particles, and wherein the solid particles have catalytic activity to the one or more gas phase reactants.

46 . The system of claim 43 , wherein the solid phase comprises a metal, wherein the metal comprises nickel, iron, cobalt, copper, platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, or any combination thereof.

47 . The system of claim 43 , wherein the solid phase comprises a mixed metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide comprises titanium oxide, zirconia, tungsten oxide, or any combination thereof.

48 . The system of claim 47 , wherein the solid phase is supported on alumina, silica, zirconia, or any combination thereof.

49 . The system of claim 43 , wherein the molten salt comprises NaCl, NaBr, KCl, KBr, LiCl, LiBr, CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 , CaBr 2 , MgBr 2 and combinations thereof.

50 . A multiphase reaction method, the method comprising:
contacting one or more gas phase reactants with a solid phase disposed within a liquid phase in a reactor, wherein the one or more gas phase reactants comprise a hydrocarbon, and wherein the liquid phase comprises a molten salt, and wherein the solid phase comprises a solid phase catalyst; and producing one or more reaction products in response to contacting the one or more gas phase reactants with the solid phase, wherein the reaction products comprise solid carbon and hydrogen.

51 . The method of claim 50 , further comprising:
solvating at least a portion of the one or more reaction products in the liquid phase, wherein the one or more gas phase reactants are less soluble in the liquid phase than the portion of the one or more reaction products; and separating at least the portion of the one or more reaction products from the one or more gas phase reactants in response to the solvating.

52 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the solid phase is assembled as a packed bed of solid particles, pellets, or structure with the liquid phase between the solid particles, and wherein the solid particles have catalytic activity to the one or more gas phase reactants.

53 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the solid phase comprises a metal, wherein the metal comprises nickel, iron, cobalt, copper, platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, or any combination thereof.

54 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the solid phase comprises a mixed metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide comprises titanium oxide, zirconia, tungsten oxide, or any combination thereof.

55 . The method of claim 53 , wherein the solid phase is supported on alumina, silica, zirconia, or any combination thereof.

56 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the molten salt comprises NaCl, NaBr, KCl, KBr, LiCl, LiBr, CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 , CaBr 2 , MgBr 2 and combinations thereof.

57 . A multiphase reaction method, the method comprising:
contacting one or more gas phase reactants with a solid phase disposed within a reactor, wherein the one or more gas phase reactants comprise a hydrocarbon, and wherein the solid phase comprises a solid phase catalyst; producing one or more reaction products in response to contacting the one or more gas phase reactants with the solid phase, wherein the reaction products comprise solid carbon and hydrogen, wherein the solid carbon is disposed on the solid phase; contacting a liquid phase with the solid phase in the reactor; and removing at least a portion of the solid carbon from the solid phase using the liquid phase.

58 . The method of claim 57 , wherein the liquid phase comprises a molten metal.

59 . The method of claim 57 , further comprising:
solvating at least a portion of the one or more reaction products in the liquid phase, wherein the one or more gas phase reactants are less soluble in the liquid phase than the portion of the one or more reaction products; and separating at least the portion of the one or more reaction products from the one or more gas phase reactants in response to the solvating.

60 . The method of claim 57 , wherein the solid phase is formed in a packed bed of solid particles with the liquid phase between the solid particles, and wherein the solid particles have catalytic activity to the one or more gas phase reactants.

61 . The method of claim 57 , wherein the solid phase comprises a metal, wherein the metal comprises nickel, iron, cobalt, copper, platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, or any combination thereof.

62 . The method of claim 57 , wherein the solid phase comprises a mixed metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide comprises titanium oxide, zirconia, tungsten oxide, or any combination thereof.

63 . The method of claim 61 , wherein the solid phase is supported on alumina, silica, zirconia, or any combination thereof.

64 . The method of claim 57 , wherein the liquid phase comprises a molten salt, and wherein the molten salt comprises NaCl, NaBr, KCl, KBr, LiCl, LiBr, CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 , CaBr 2 , MgBr 2 and combinations thereof.

65 . The method of claim 43 , further comprising:
introducing a gas stream into a reactor above the liquid phase; entraining at least a portion of the solid carbon in the gas stream; and removing the portion of the solid carbon from the reactor in the gas stream.

66 . The system of claim 43 , wherein the liquid phase comprises a molten metal or a metalloid.

67 . The system of claim 66 , wherein the liquid phase comprises the molten metal, and wherein the molten metal comprises Ni, Co, Fe, Pd, Cu, Pt, Al, Sn, Pb, Au, Ag, In, Ga, Te, Bi, Sb, or any mixture thereof.

68 . The system of claim 66 , wherein the molten metal or the metalloid has catalytic properties towards the reaction of the one or more hydrocarbon gas phase reactants.

69 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the liquid phase comprises a molten metal or a metalloid.

70 . The method of claim 69 , wherein the liquid phase comprises the molten metal, and wherein the molten metal comprises Ni, Co, Fe, Pd, Cu, Pt, Al, Sn, Pb, Au, Ag, In, Ga, Te, Bi, Sb, or any mixture thereof.

71 . The method of claim 69 , wherein the molten metal or the metalloid has catalytic properties towards the reaction of the one or more hydrocarbon gas phase reactants.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Mcfarland Eric W
• Upham Ches
• Zeng Jiren
• Palmer Clarke
• Su Shizhao
• Mannini Davide
• Kang Dohyung
• Rahimi Nazanin
• Metiu Horia
• Gordon Michael

Classifications

• B01J2208/00203

  Coils · CPC title

• B01J8/06

  in tube reactors; the solid particles being arranged in tubes · CPC title

• B01J27/0576

  Tellurium; Compounds thereof · CPC title

• B01J23/8437

  Bismuth · CPC title

• B01J23/835

  with germanium, tin or lead · CPC title