Modeling and Optimization of Methane Dehydroaromatization Coupled with Chemical Looping and Temperature Swing Adsorption

Natural gas at remote locations would greatly benefit from on-site processing using modular technologies such as dehydroaromatization (DHA). This work models an intensified DHA process to increase product yield and methane conversion by coupling the reactor with a chemical looping unit that effectively separates hydrogen through a redox cycle and a temperature swing adsorption process to remove the aromatics and water and recycle unconverted methane. We postulate dynamic models and steady-state surrogate models to analyze and optimize the production of the aromatic product. The optimum methane conversion of 48% and the aromatic yield of 42% occur at a recycle ratio of 0.47 and a reactor temperature of 725 degrees C.