Overall Reaction Rate Study of Thermal Methane Cracking in Non-Isothermal Conditions

Abstract

The thermal cracking of methane (TMC) is a significant reaction occurring above 850°C, which proceeds in two stages: non-isothermally and isothermally. However, most existing studies have focused on obtaining reaction rates under isothermal conditions [1], limiting their applicability to practical industrial reactor conditions. This novel research aims to determine the overall thermal decomposition rate of methane to hydrogen and carbon in adiabatic conditions, covering the range of unstable industrial reactor temperatures (850 to 1200°C). The Coats and Redfern model-fitting method was employed to calculate the reaction rate under non-isothermal conditions, and the resulting models were compared with experimental data. The findings reveal the Contracting Cylinder model as the best-fit mathematical representation with less than ±2.8% error. By extending the kinetic model to non-isothermal conditions, this approach addresses a critical aspect of real-world applications.