Assessment of Initial Pressure and Oxygen Concentration Effects on Optimal Temperature Profile in an OCM Plug Flow Reactor and its Performance

In this study the effects of the total pressure and the initial oxygen concentration on the optimal temperature profile for obtaining the highest amount of ethylene production in a fixed bed plug flow reactor of oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) were determined and analyzed from chemical reactions point of view. It was observed that the optimal temperature profile stretched in horizontal direction and its minimum point grew a little in case of decreasing in the total pressure or growing in concentration of oxygen. More over when initial oxygen mole fraction (concentration) improved, ethylene molar flux grew from 2 (mole/(m 2 .s)) at y0 oz=0.15 but Selectivity of ethylene turned down from 52.95%at y° oz = 0.1 to 46.77% at y°oz= 0.15 Furthermore, when total pressure grew to 130 kPa (from 110 kPa) ethylene molar flux improved from 2.21 (mole/(m 2 .s)) to 2.35 (mole/(m 2 .s)) and the selectivity of ethylene improved from 44.76% to 46.77% .