Numerical analysis of production of C2 olefins from methane in Partially Decoupled process

Abstract

Ethylene (CH) and acetylene (CH) are crucial materials in the petrochemical industry, obtained through various processes utilizing natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. In this research, the Partially Decoupled Process (PDP) has been investigated through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to analyze the effects of different parameters on the production of acetylene and ethylene. The evaluated parameters included the mass flow rate ratio, fuel preheating temperature, the addition of ethane and propane to the fuel, the addition of H, CO, and HO to the inlet feed and, reducing the jet inlet diameter. The results showed that an increase in the mass flow rate leads to an increase in the mole fraction of C (CH + CH) in the reactor outlet. Furthermore, the substitution of 30 % methane with a combination of 20 % ethane and 10 % propane has resulted in a 6 % increase in the mole fraction of CH, a 43 % reduction in the mole fraction of CH, and a 5.6 % increase in the mole fraction of H at the outlet of the reactor. It was also observed that by decreasing the diameter of the side tubes from 43.3 mm to 20 mm, methane conversion decreases by 1.14 %, and C yield decreases by 46.8 %.