Reverse flow reactors for propylene and aromatics production

A process comprising:

• providing a reverse flow regenerative reactor comprising separate first and second zones and a combustion zone between said first and second zones, both of said first and second zones having first and second ends, and comprising a plurality of channels and wherein said first zone is configured to transfer heat to or from gases passing therethrough, and at least a portion of said second zone comprises a dehydrogenation catalyst;
• passing at least two components of a combustible gas mixture in a first direction through said first zone, wherein substantially all of the at least two components are passed as a mixture and not passed separately through mutually exclusive channels;
• combusting said combustible gas mixture with the aid of a selective combustion catalyst disposed in said combustion zone to form hot combustion products wherein the selective combustion catalyst is disposed on channels at the second end of the first zone, in a catalyst bed downstream of the second end of the first zone, or on a support at the first end of the second zone separated from and upstream of the portion of the second zone comprising a dehydrogenation catalyst;
• passing said hot combustion products through said second zone to transfer heat from said hot combustion products to said dehydrogenation catalyst, so as to heat said dehydrogenation catalyst to a selected temperature;
• and
• exhausting said combustion products from said second zone,
• wherein a ratio of combustion activity to hydrogenation activity for the selective combustion catalyst is greater than 2.5, and
• wherein the selective combustion catalyst results in a combustion of at least 40% of a fuel gas in the combustible gas mixture.