Methanation surfaces

A point which has not been examined is the nature of the surface during exchange reactions carried out at high temperatures such as those required for the exchange of methane. Surface carbides may be formed under these conditions. The inactivity of iron films and the comparatively small activity of cobalt films at 300° for the exchange of ethane 19) may possibly be due to the tendency of these metals to form not only surface but also bulk carbides. 

We conclude, therefore, that the mechanisms of catalytic cracking reactions on nickel metal and nickel carbide are closely comparable, but that the latter process is subject to an additional constraint, since a mechanism is required for the removal of deposited carbon from the active surfaces of the catalyst. Two phases are present during reactions on the carbide, the relative proportions of which may be influenced by the composition of the gaseous reactant present, but it is not known whether the contribution from reactions on the carbide phase is appreciable. Since reactions involving nickel carbide yielded products other than methane, surface processes involved intermediates other than those mentioned in Scheme I, although there is also the possibility that if cracking reactions were confined to the metal present, entirely different chemical changes may proceed on the surface of nickel carbide. 

The bubble point equation can be used to back calculate/estimate interfacial temperature. Using the effective pore diameter for a 325 x 2300 screen from Chapter 4, the methane surface tension curve fitting parameters, and the experimental bubble point data using the three different pressurant gases from the current chapter, one can estimate the interfacial temperature ... 

The method described in CIRIA Report 152 assmned that the actual entry rate of methane into the cupboard was the diffusion rate of methane from the adjacent landfill. However, this possibly does not adequately represent the rate at which methane will enter a cupboard. A more realistic indicator of methane surface emissions into the cupboard can be gained using borehole flow rates or calculated surface emission rafes. One mefhod of doing fhis, if there is a sufficient data set, is by xmdertaking statistical analysis of the gas monitoring results (see Box 6.5). 

Two other examples will sufhce. Methane physisorbs on NaCl(lOO) and an early study showed that the symmetrical, IR-inactive v mode could now be observed [97]. In more recent work, polarized FTIR rehection spectroscopy was used to determine that on being adsorbed, the three-fold degeneracies of the vs and v modes were partially removed [98]. This hnding allowed consideration of possible adsorbate-adsorbent geometries one was that of a tripod with three of the methane hydrogens on the surface. The systems were at between 4 and 40 K so that the equilibrium pressure was very low, about 10 atm. 

Beebe T P, Goodman D W, Kay B D and Yates J T Jr 1987 Kinetics of the activated dissociation adsorption of methane on low index planes of nickel single crystal surfaces J. Chem. Phys. 87 2305... 

Hollenstein H, Marquardt R, Quack M and Suhm M A 1994 Dipole moment function and equilibrium structure of methane In an analytical, anharmonic nine-dimenslonal potential surface related to experimental rotational constants and transition moments by quantum Monte Carlo calculations J. Chem. Phys. 101 3588-602... 

When we consider sources of methane we have to add old methane methane that was formed millions of years ago but became trapped beneath the earth s surface to the new methane just de scribed Firedamp an explosion hazard to miners oc curs in layers of coal and is mostly methane Petroleum deposits formed by microbial decomposi tion of plant material under anaerobic conditions are always accompanied by pockets of natural gas which IS mostly methane... 

The enhanced concentration at the surface accounts, in part, for the catalytic activity shown by many solid surfaces, and it is also the basis of the application of adsorbents for low pressure storage of permanent gases such as methane. However, most of the important applications of adsorption depend on the selectivity, ie, the difference in the affinity of the surface for different components. As a result of this selectivity, adsorption offers, at least in principle, a relatively straightforward means of purification (removal of an undesirable trace component from a fluid mixture) and a potentially useflil means of bulk separation. 

Many simple systems that could be expected to form ideal Hquid mixtures are reasonably predicted by extending pure-species adsorption equiUbrium data to a multicomponent equation. The potential theory has been extended to binary mixtures of several hydrocarbons on activated carbon by assuming an ideal mixture (99) and to hydrocarbons on activated carbon and carbon molecular sieves, and to O2 and N2 on 5A and lOX zeoHtes (100). Mixture isotherms predicted by lAST agree with experimental data for methane + ethane and for ethylene + CO2 on activated carbon, and for CO + O2 and for propane + propylene on siUca gel (36). A statistical thermodynamic model has been successfully appHed to equiUbrium isotherms of several nonpolar species on 5A zeoHte, to predict multicomponent sorption equiUbria from the Henry constants for the pure components (26). A set of equations that incorporate surface heterogeneity into the lAST model provides a means for predicting multicomponent equiUbria, but the agreement is only good up to 50% surface saturation (9). 

Properties. The physical properties of aHphatic fluorine compounds containing chlorine are similar to those of the PECs or HECs (3,5). They usually have high densities and low boiling points, viscosities, and surface tensions. The irregularity in the boiling points of the fluorinated methanes, however, does not appear in the chlorofluorocarbons. Their boiling points consistently increase with the number of chlorines present. The properties of some CECs and HCECs are shown in Tables 3 and 4. 

Catalytic methanation processes include (/) fixed or fluidized catalyst-bed reactors where temperature rise is controlled by heat exchange or by direct cooling using product gas recycle (2) through wall-cooled reactor where temperature is controlled by heat removal through the walls of catalyst-filled tubes (J) tube-wall reactors where a nickel—aluminum alloy is flame-sprayed and treated to form a Raney-nickel catalyst bonded to the reactor tube heat-exchange surface and (4) slurry or Hquid-phase (oil) methanation. 

A typical oxidation is conducted at 700°C (113). Methyl radicals generated on the surface are effectively injected into the vapor space before further reaction occurs (114). Under these conditions, methyl radicals are not very reactive with oxygen and tend to dimerize. Ethane and its oxidation product ethylene can be produced in good efficiencies but maximum yield is limited to ca 20%. This limitation is imposed by the susceptibiUty of the intermediates to further oxidation (see Figs. 2 and 3). A conservative estimate of the lower limit of the oxidation rate constant ratio for ethane and ethylene with respect to methane is one, and the ratio for methanol may be at least 20 (115). 

Hydrogen atoms also react -with a graphite surface at elevated temperatures to produce methane and acetylene (124,125). 

Plasma Carburizing. Plasma carburizing generates carbon atoms at the surface by ionization of a carbon-containing gas, eg, methane. The process is similar to that described for ion nitriding. Because the process is carried out in partial vacuum, there is less chance of oxidation. 

Biomedical. Heart-valve parts are fabricated from pyrolytic carbon, which is compatible with living tissue. Such parts are produced by high temperature pyrolysis of gases such as methane. Other potential biomedical apphcations are dental implants and other prostheses where a seal between the implant and the living biological surface is essential. Plasma and arc-wire sprayed coatings are used on prosthetic devices, eg, hip implants, to achieve better bone/tissue attachments (see Prosthetic and BiOLffiDiCALdevices). 

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