Microwave processing improvements for methane conversion to ethylene
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States)
This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The project`s objective was to investigate microwave enhanced catalysis. Published work by others had demonstrated improved selectivity in microwave-driven catalytic conversion of 2-methylpentane to its isomers. We reproduced their experiment, discovering that there is no improvement in selectivity using microwaves. The selectivity at a given conversion was the same for both microwave heated and conventionally heated catalyst beds. Meetings with the authors of the previously published work led to the conjecture that their catalyst was not being prepared properly, leading to anomalously low selectivity for their conventional heating runs. An optical temperature diagnostic suitable for use on a microwave applicator was developed and characterized in this project. This pyrometer can measure the temperature of small scale features on the catalyst bed, and it has a fast response that can follow the rapid heating often encountered in a microwave processing system. The behavior of the microwave applicator system was studied, and theoretical models were developed to yield insight about the stability and control of the system.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 517005
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-97-2167; ON: DE97008592
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: [1997]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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