A comparison of H-2 addition to 3 ms partial oxidation reactions

We compare the effects of adding large amounts of H-2 to 3 ms partial oxida tion reactions, ethane to ethylene, propane to olefins, and methane and amm onia to HCN. It is found that H-2 can be safely added at the 2/1 H-2/O-2 st oichiometry in the presence of these fuels without any homogeneous reaction s, flames, or explosions. For all of these systems the addition of H-2 incr eases the selectivities to the desired products while strongly decreasing C O and CO2. Addition of H-2 forces water formation near the front face of th e catalyst which consumes O-2 and allows dehydrogenation processes to domin ate. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.