Catalytic Ethane Dehydrogenation Using a Porcupine Heating Element in a Joule-Heated Reactor
Date
2025-05-03
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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Abstract
A Joule-heated reactor containing a porous catalyst film deposited on a FeCrAl porcupine coil as the heating element was assembled and evaluated. The catalytic ethane dehydrogenation reaction was investigated utilizing a ZSM-5-supported MnOx catalyst. The system achieved an ethylene production rate of 31.3 mmolC2H4 gcat–1 h–1 with an ethylene selectivity exceeding 99% and 98 + % carbon balance and has a larger volumetric catalyst inventory than other Joule-heated reactor configurations reported to date. Despite ample insulation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using ANSYS-CFX revealed axial and radial temperature gradients within the reactor, reducing the catalyst utilization effectiveness. The simulations demonstrate that adiabatic operation (perfect insulation and reflecting radiative heat back into the system) could double the ethylene production rate while improving energy efficiency. Mass and heat transfer resistances did not affect rates for catalyst layer thicknesses up to 135 μm. Analysis of the flow pattern revealed that buoyancy effects are significant at low inlet gas velocities (υin = 0.53 cm s–1 or Reinlet = 1.7), leading to reverse flows near the front and back coil terminals. These insights provide a foundation for optimizing Joule-heated reactor geometry, configuration, and performance.
Description
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research , copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5c00479.
This article will be embargoed until 05/03/2026.
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Citation
Burentugs, Enerelt, and Raul F. Lobo. “Catalytic Ethane Dehydrogenation Using a Porcupine Heating Element in a Joule-Heated Reactor.” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 64, no. 19 (May 14, 2025): 9835–46. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5c00479.