Process for oxidative conversion of methane to ethylene

Abstract

A process for producing ethylene and syngas comprising reacting, via OCM, first reactant mixture (CH&O) in first reaction zone comprising OCM catalyst to produce first product mixture comprising ethylene, ethane, hydrogen, CO, CO, and unreacted methane; introducing second reactant mixture comprising first product mixture to second reaction zone excluding catalyst to produce second product mixture comprising ethylene, ethane, hydrogen, CO, CO, and unreacted methane, wherein a common reactor comprises both the first and second reaction zones, wherein ethane of second reactant mixture undergoes cracking to ethylene, wherein COof second reactant mixture undergoes hydrogenation to CO, and wherein an amount of ethylene in the second product mixture is greater than in the first product mixture; recovering methane stream, ethane stream, COstream, ethylene stream, and syngas stream (CO&H) from the second product mixture; and recycling the ethane stream and the carbon dioxide stream to second reaction zone.