Process for producing olefins from natural gas

• Main Authors: CHARLES CAMERON, ALAIN ROBINE, QUANG DANG VU, HUBERT MIMOUN, PATRICK CHAUMETTE, SERGE BONNAUDET
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 25.07.1990
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMISTRY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

Olefins are produced from natural gas as follows: the natural gas (2) is mainly fractionated (1) into methane (3) and higher hydrocarbons (4), the latter being then mainly fractionated (17, 20) into propane (9) and ethane (7). The methane (3) admixed with oxygen (6), passes through an oxidation reactor (5), receives the ethane (7) and the obtained mixture passes through a pyrolysis reactor (8). The effluent coming out of reactor (8) receives the propane (9) and the obtained mixture passes through a pyrolysis reactor (10). A hydrocarbon flow comprising olefins (12), more particularly ethylene and propene, is recovered. ……