Hexagonal boron nitride catalyst in a fixed-bed reactor for exothermic propane oxidation dehydrogenation

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with high thermal conductivity is potentially an effective catalyst for highly exothermic propane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reaction. Here, we report our experimental and theoretic studies of such a catalyst for propane ODH in a fixed-bed reactor. Based on the computational fluid dynamics calculation (CFD) results, the catalyst bed temperature increases by less than 1 °C in the h-BN catalyst bed which is much smaller than that (8 °C) in the VOx/γ-Al2O3 catalyst bed at a similar propane conversion (25%) using a micro-tubular reactor with a diameter of 6 mm. Even in an industrially relevant reactor with an inner diameter of 60 mm, a uniform temperature profile can still be maintained using the h-BN catalyst bed due to its excellent thermal conductivity as opposed to a temperature gradient of 47 °C in the VOx/γ-Al2O3 catalyst bed. The results reported here provide useful information for potential application of h-BN catalyst in propane ODH.