Sensitivity analysis for oxydehydrogenation of ethane in fixed bed reactor

Abstract

Oxydehydrogenation reaction of ethane into ethylene is underdevelopment as another route for ethane production by thermal cracking of hydrocarbons process that takes place at high temperature and requires an expensive separation operation due to formation of many by-products. Exploring the effect of operating parameters on the performance of multitubular fixed bed reactor using oxydehydrogenation of ethane process is carried out by the development of a simple one dimensional homogeneous model to get global view on obtained conversion, selectivity and yield out of this process. The simulation study is then carried out using the following operating parameters: temperature, pressure, oxygen, water and ethylene mole fractions in the feed. Mild oxidation products yields (ethylene and acetic acid) can be increased by increasing pressure, oxygen, ethylene and addition of steam. Lower temperatures favor mild oxidation products at the expense of the size of the reactor.