Partial oxidation of methane to syngas in different reactor types

Most of the reported work on catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of methane to syngas has concentration on catalyst development and testing in fixed bed reactors at atmospheric pressure. Very few workers have investigated CPO in fluidized bed reactors or at elevated pressures. All results reported for high pressure experiments were obtained either with diluted (with excess steam or inert gas) or non-stoichlormetric (low oxygen) feeds and are therefore not Indicative of the performance under conditions required for a commercial plant. In this paper we report the results obtained in fixed and fluidised bed reactors at atmospheric and elevated pressures with a methane to oxygen ratio of 2. These results are discussed in the context of further development of the CPO process.