Catalysis of Organic..

Kocal 441metallurgy in parts of the unit. With maturity and experience, the costs for this newtechnology are expected to decrease. UOP is currently developing an improvedcatalyst and process that will further reduce the cost of the Alkylene process therebymaking it more economically competitive with hydrofluoric acid technology.Commercial operation of this technology is expected in 2008.Stage 2 of UOP’s roadmap entails process intensification which involvessubstantial simplification to minimize process steps, reduce capital costs, andimprove product yields. Early efforts in process intensification included combiningprocess steps such as reaction and separation. Reactive distillation has beeneffectively demonstrated in commercial environments for methylacetate and MTBEproduction, respectively (5, 6). In these cases separation during reaction also allowshigh conversion to be achieved by eliminating the equilibrium constraints at processconditions. This process intensification via combining process steps usually leads tolower capital and operating costs and many time improved yields, more efficient useof feedstock, minimization of by-products, and lower energy requirements. Again itis a step in the right direction, but not sustainable.Process intensification has recently involved miniaturization of the reactor inorder to greatly reduce heat and mass transfer resistances. Dramatic changes intechnology can occur with the advent of order of magnitude increases in the rates ofheat and mass transfer. Distributed production of power and chemicals would berealized as a direct result of effective miniaturization. Process intensification wouldallow precise control of reaction conditions that could dramatically impact productyields and purity. These improvements lead to reduced use of raw materials,decreased cost of purification and waste handling, and lower energy consumption.Because total volume is dramatically reduced, difficult to produce or hazardouschemicals can be produced as needed and in a distributed way at point of use. Thisminimizes the inherent handling problems or environmental and safety issuesresulting from transportation of these materials. Distributed production of hydrogenis a prime example of this miniaturization for distributed production. In theHythane TM process, mini-reformers are used to convert methane to hydrogen or ahydrogen/natural gas blend for fuel use in cities around the world, includingChicago, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs (7).Miniaturization might also be used in the distributed production of chemicals.Two examples include the safe production of hydrogen peroxide from hydrogen andoxygen or the production of chemicals or fuels from synthesis gas. More detailedstudy into the potential improvements in product yields, waste minimization, andcosts are required to fully understand the impact of miniaturization. At this time itoffers the potential to produce hazardous materials or conduct potentially dangerousoxidation reactions on a small scale that is inherently safer.Stage 3 shifts the source of hydrocarbon for transportation and chemicals tomethane. Methane currently is reformed at elevated temperatures and pressures tosynthesis gas. This mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide can then be convertedvia the well-known technologies of methanol synthesis and Fischer-Tropschsynthesis to eventually produce a variety of chemicals and fuels. In this stage, focus