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US 2017/0015606 A1Published application
Methane conversion apparatus and process using a supersonic flow reactor
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsRobert L. Bedard, Christopher Naunheimer, Gavin P. Towler, Laura E. Leonard, Rodolphe Dudebout, Gregory O. Woodcock, Donald L. Mittendorf
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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.
Claims9
A method for producing acetylene comprising:
- introducing a fuel stream into a combustion zone of a supersonic reactor;
- combusting the fuel stream to provide a high temperature carrier stream traveling at a supersonic speed;
- introducing a feed stream portion of a hydrocarbon stream comprising methane into the supersonic reactor;
- mixing the feed stream portion with the carrier stream to form a reactor stream;
- expanding the reactor stream to reduce the speed and increase the temperature of the reactor stream to a pyrolysis temperature to pyrolyze the stream;
- maintaining pressure inside the reactor shell by providing an outer shell of at least a portion of the reactor shell;
- and
- restricting deterioration of the reactor shell due to operating conditions by providing an inner shell having a thermal conductivity of between about 200 and about 500 W/m-K inside at least a portion of the outer shell.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.