A process (100, 200, 300) for the production of ethylene is proposed in which a first feed gas (A) and a second feed gas (B) are fed to a reactor (1) and processed therein by vapour cracking to obtain a product mixture (C), the first feed gas (A) comprising more than 90 weight percent saturated hydrocarbons and more than 80 weight percent ethane, and wherein the product mixture (C) or a part thereof is subjected to a treatment (2, 3, 4) and the resulting mixture (F) or a part thereof is subjected to a separation (10) to obtain a resulting mixture (F) containing hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene and hydrocarbons having three, four and at least five carbon atoms. The separation (10) being provided in that it comprises an ethylene separation step (7) to which at least the ethane, the ethylene and the hydrocarbons having three carbon atoms from the succeeding mixture (F) or a part thereof are fed unseparated from each other in a common separation insert (S, V, X), in which in the ethylene separation step (7) a light fraction (K) containing more than 95 mole percent ethylene is fed, and a heavy fraction (T, W, Y) containing at least a portion of the ethane from the separation insert (S, V, X) and at least 15% by weight of the hydrocarbons having three and four carbon atoms from the separation insert (S, V, X), and wherein the heavy separation product (T, W, Y) from the ethylene separation step (7) or a portion thereof is used as part or to form the second feed gas (B). A corresponding annex is also the subject of this invention.

Steam cracking of ethane, a non-catalytic thermochemical process, remains the dominant means of ethylene production. The severe reaction conditions and energy expenditure involved in this process incentivize the search for alternative reaction pathways and reactor designs which maximize ethylene yield while minimizing cost and energy input. According to the present invention, ethylene yields as high as 68% were obtained with a quartz open tube reactor without the use of a catalyst or a cofed stream of oxidizing agents. The open tube reactor design promotes simplicity, low cost, and negligible coke formation. Reactor designs can be optimized to improve the conversion of ethane to ethylene via non-oxidative dehydrogenation, an approach which shows promise for decentralized production of ethylene from natural gas deposits.

Steam cracking of ethane, a non-catalytic thermochemical process, remains the dominant means of ethylene production. The severe reaction conditions and energy expenditure involved in this process incentivize the search for alternative reaction pathways and reactor designs which maximize ethylene yield while minimizing cost and energy input. According to the present invention, ethylene yields as high as 68% were obtained with a quartz open tube reactor without the use of a catalyst or a cofed stream of oxidizing agents. The open tube reactor design promotes simplicity, low cost, and negligible coke formation. Reactor designs can be optimized to improve the conversion of ethane to ethylene via non-oxidative dehydrogenation, an approach which shows promise for decentralized production of ethylene from natural gas deposits.

Steam cracking of ethane, a non-catalytic thermochemical process, remains the dominant means of ethylene production. The severe reaction conditions and energy expenditure involved in this process incentivize the search for alternative reaction pathways and reactor designs which maximize ethylene yield while minimizing cost and energy input. According to the present invention, ethylene yields as high as 68% were obtained with a quartz open tube reactor without the use of a catalyst or a cofed stream of oxidizing agents. The open tube reactor design promotes simplicity, low cost, and negligible coke formation. Reactor designs can be optimized to improve the conversion of ethane to ethylene via non-oxidative dehydrogenation, an approach which shows promise for decentralized production of ethylene from natural gas deposits.

A system and a method are provided for producing aromatics. Such a system includes a cracker unit configured to convert a light alkane into an olefin-containing hydrocarbon comprising at least one alkene, and an aromatization unit. The light alkane is selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and a combination thereof. The cracker unit is configured to at least partially feed the olefin-containing hydrocarbon into the aromatization unit. Such an olefin-containing hydrocarbon comprises at least 40 wt. % of the at least one alkene. The aromatization unit is used to convert the olefin-containing hydrocarbon therein into a product stream, which includes an aromatic hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, xylenes, and a combination thereof.

A system and a method are provided for producing aromatics. Such a system includes a cracker unit configured to convert a light alkane into an olefin-containing hydrocarbon comprising at least one alkene, and an aromatization unit. The light alkane is selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and a combination thereof. The cracker unit is configured to at least partially feed the olefin-containing hydrocarbon into the aromatization unit. Such an olefin-containing hydrocarbon comprises at least 40 wt. % of the at least one alkene. The aromatization unit is used to convert the olefin-containing hydrocarbon therein into a product stream, which includes an aromatic hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, xylenes, and a combination thereof.

A system and a method are provided for producing aromatics. Such a system includes a cracker unit configured to convert a light alkane into an olefin-containing hydrocarbon comprising at least one alkene, and an aromatization unit. The light alkane is selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and a combination thereof. The cracker unit is configured to at least partially feed the olefin-containing hydrocarbon into the aromatization unit. Such an olefin-containing hydrocarbon comprises at least 40 wt. % of the at least one alkene. The aromatization unit is used to convert the olefin-containing hydrocarbon therein into a product stream, which includes an aromatic hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, xylenes, and a combination thereof.

The invention is directed to a chemical reactor (100) having (a) two or more gas reactor elements (12) with each gas reactor element (12) having (i) a first reaction chamber (38), and (ii) a feed assembly unit (36), (b) a second reaction chamber (20) coupled with each of the two or more gas reactor elements (12) and configured to independently receive two or more product streams from the two or more gas reactor elements (12); and optionally, (c) a gas converging section (40) located downstream to the second reaction chamber (20). The invention is further directed to a method of producing chemical products using the chemical reactor (100) of the present invention.

The invention is directed to a chemical reactor (100) having (a) two or more gas reactor elements (12) with each gas reactor element (12) having (i) a first reaction chamber (38), and (ii) a feed assembly unit (36), (b) a second reaction chamber (20) coupled with each of the two or more gas reactor elements (12) and configured to independently receive two or more product streams from the two or more gas reactor elements (12); and optionally, (c) a gas converging section (40) located downstream to the second reaction chamber (20). The invention is further directed to a method of producing chemical products using the chemical reactor (100) of the present invention.

Systems, devices, and methods for a reactor feed distribution system. In some aspects, a multi-section pipe and an orifice plate. The multi-section pipe includes a first pipe section that defines a first channel and a second pipe section that defines a second channel. Second pipe section includes a first portion extending along a first longitudinal axis, a second portion extending along a second longitudinal axis that is angularly disposed relative to the first longitudinal axis, and a curved portion connecting the first portion to the second portion. The orifice plate is configured to be positioned at an inlet or a first outlet of the first pipe section. The orifice plate includes a maximum transverse dimension that is less than a minimum transverse dimension of each of the first and second channel.