The technology of hydraulic fracturing, collectively called fracking, has revolutionized the oil and gas industry in the United States in recent years. These domestic fossil fuel resources extracted through the application of fracking, is positioning the United States at the head of a far-reaching global transformation in energy supply and production. The low cost associated with this abundant supply of domestic natural gas has resulted in a resurgence of the United States chemical industry. Domestic and international companies have begun or have planned the construction and operation of chemical plants that take advantage of the inexpensive fuel either for energy or as a raw material or both. In addition to chemical companies, domestic electrical utilities have shifted to using natural gas in their boilers. With its higher hydrogen to carbon ratio, not only does a given amount of natural gas has a higher energy content than the same amount of coal, it also generates lower greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of our research is to examine the partial oxidation performance of natural gas blends using a tubular-flow reactor. We discuss the effects of natural gas composition on peak temperature, carbon oxides emissions, and production of high-value hydrocarbons. In this study, natural gas is considered to be composed of only methane, ethane, and propane. Different blends of natural gas with varying amounts of methane, ethane, and propane are used to investigate compositional effects and all are compared to a natural gas containing only pure methane.

Gas-phase partial oxidation of natural gas blends in a tubular-flow reactor

255th National Meeting (2018)

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