Oxidative coupling of methane with La2O3–CeO2 nanofiber fabrics: A reaction engineering study

•The OCM reaction performance of La2O3–CeO2 nanofiber fabric catalysts in a packed bed reactor were studied.•C2+ selectivities and yields of up to 70% and 18% respectively were attained.•The rates of the OCM reaction are largely dominated by mass transfer limitations.•Short contact times are preferred for increasing C2+ selectivities.

The effects of changes in various operating conditions were explored on the performance of an oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction using La2O3–CeO2 nanofiber fabric catalysts in a packed bed reactor. The operating conditions were: 1 atm pressure, CH4/O2 ratio 4–7, feed flow rate 80–320 sccm, catalyst loading 5–20 mg, feed gas temperature 300–620 °C. These studies revealed that the rates of the OCM reaction is largely dominated by mass transfer limitations as evidenced by increases in reactor bed temperatures with increasing feed flow rates. C2+ selectivities and yields of up to 70% and 18% respectively were also attained. Experiments with different catalyst loadings indicated that short catalytic beds are preferred for increasing C2+ selectivities in OCM reactors.

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