Methane conversion apparatus and process using a supersonic flow reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656229-B2
Application number	US-201313967334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2013
Priority date	Aug 21, 2012
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for converting methane in a feed stream to acetylene. A hydrocarbon stream is introduced into a supersonic reactor and pyrolyzed to convert at least a portion of the methane to acetylene. The reactor effluent stream may be treated to convert acetylene to another hydrocarbon process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing acetylene from a feed stream comprising methane comprising:
a supersonic reactor for receiving the methane feed stream and heating the methane feed stream to a pyrolysis temperature;
a reactor shell of the supersonic reactor for defining a reactor chamber wherein the reaction chamber operates at a temperature from about 1200 to about 4000° C.;
a combustion zone of the supersonic reactor for combusting a fuel source to provide a high temperature carrier gas passing through the reactor space at supersonic speeds to heat and accelerate the methane feed stream to a pyrolysis temperature; and
the reactor shell comprising a material having a thermal conductivity of between about 300 and about 450 W/m-K for conducting heat from the reactor chamber and having a melting temperature of between about 500 and about 2000° C.; the material being at least copper chrome, or copper chrome zinc, or copper chrome niobium, or copper zirconium or copper silver zirconium; or mixtures thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material further comprises aluminum, or zirconium, or niobium, or silver, and alloys thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material has a melting temperature of between about 800 and about 1300 C.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an active cooling system for maintaining the reactor portion at a temperature below the melting temperature thereof.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Bedard Robert L
• Naunheimer Christopher
• Towler Gavin P
• Leonard Laura E
• Dudebout Rodolphe
• Woodcock Gregory O
• Mittendorf Donald L

Classifications

• B01J6/008 Primary

  Pyrolysis reactions (of hydrocarbons C10G9/00) · CPC title

• C10G2400/24

  Acetylene and homologues · CPC title

• C10G2300/1025

  Natural gas · CPC title

• C10G50/00

  Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from lower carbon number hydrocarbons, e.g. by oligomerisation · CPC title

• B01J19/26

  Nozzle-type reactors, i.e. the distribution of the initial reactants within the reactor is effected by their introduction or injection through nozzles · CPC title