Feasibility of Hydrogen Separating Membranes for Non-Oxidative Dehydrogenation of n-Butane
: an Experimental and Modelling study

  • Fabrice W.A. Fontein

Student thesis: Master

Abstract

In this work, the non-oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane to 1,3-butadiene is studied. The non-oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane is in essence a fairly simple reaction, but the industrial application of the direct dehydrogenation reaction is limited due to thermodynamic constraints. The reaction is reversible, prone to volume expansion and highly endothermic; higher temperatures and lower pressures favor forward reactions. Membrane technology for the dehydrogenation of alkanes, which combines the reaction process and hydrogen removal, makes it possible to increase feedstock conversion into olefins. A sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the effect of hydrogen removal from the reaction zone on the reactor operating conditions and the downstream separation of the product. High temperatures in dehydrogenation reactions promote side reactions such as C–C bond scission, isomerization and over dehydrogenation that leads to coke deposition. Coke deposition does not only increase catalyst deactivation, but additionally induces a loss in hydrogen permeation through a membrane. This study reports the performance characterization of a novel PdAg supported membrane with a porous protective layer.
Date of Award29 Apr 2020
Original languageEnglish
SupervisorFausto Gallucci (Supervisor 1), M.F. (Fernanda) Neira d'Angelo (Supervisor 2), José A. Medrano (Supervisor 2) & Camilla Brencio (Supervisor 2)

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