-
The conversion of methanol over ZSM-5 was first investigated by Chang and Silvestry
at Mobil Corporation. They discovered that the MTG reaction first produces dimethyl ether.
With increasing space time ether is converted to light olefins, and these are finally
converted to paraffins and aromatics. The reaction path of zeolite-catalyzed hydrocarbon
formation from methanol may be viewed essentially as composed of three key steps:
ether formation, initial C-C bond formation, and aromatization with H-transfer.
-
Our study examines the effects of varying temperature and space time on the product
composition. The temperature and space time for optimal results
had been previously determined by Chang to be 371oC
and about one hour respectively. We incorporated these in our approach.
|
-
Important assumptions have been made. The flow rate of methanol was assumed to remain
constant, which more accurately means negligible disruption during refills. The reactor is
assumed to run at steady state, with negligible temperature variations within the reactor.
|
|
