Process for producing acetylene and ethylene

A process for converting a carbon oxide into methane in an acetylene or ethylene production process, the process comprising:

• combusting a fuel stream in a combustion zone of a supersonic reactor to produce a combustion gas effluent stream;
• pyrolyzing a feed stream in a pyrolysis zone of the supersonic reactor in the presence of the combustion gas effluent stream to produce a pyrolysis zone effluent stream;
• quenching the pyrolysis zone effluent stream to produce a supersonic reactor effluent;
• separating the supersonic reactor effluent from the supersonic reactor in a solvent separation column to provide a product stream comprising acetylene, or ethylene, or both and a net gas stream comprising hydrogen, methane and at least one carbon oxide;
• sending a first portion of the net gas stream to a pressure swing adsorption zone to recover hydrogen to produce a hydrogen stream;
• sending a second portion of the net gas stream to a methanation reactor to convert at least one carbon oxide of the second portion of the net gas stream into methane and producing a methanation reactor effluent;
• removing a carbon dioxide stream from the methanation reactor effluent in an amine scrubber generating a methane containing stream;
• and
• recycling the methane containing stream to the supersonic reactor,
• wherein a mole ratio of oxygen to fuel and feed in the supersonic reactor varies between 0.223-0.26.