The removal of acetylene from hydrocarbon gases

✍ Scribed by Bowen, B. E. V. ;Howlett, J. ;Wood, W. L.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1950
• Weight: 603 KB
• Volume: 69
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0368-4075
• DOI: 10.1002/jctb.5000690301

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The presence of acetylene in gas mixtures from vapour‐phase cracking of petroleum is a complication in the use of hydroxy‐alkylamine solutions of cuprous salts for concentration of ethylene.^1^ Acetylene is frequently also a deleterious impurity in ethylene separated from such gases by other methods of gas separation. Two methods arc described for eliminating the acetylene from ethylene‐containing gases, one for ethylene fractions containing no more than traces of hydrogen, the other for mixtures containing hydrogen in substantial amounts. In the absence of hydrogen the acetylene impurity can be preferentially oxidized, using copper as catalyst, the small amount of residual excess oxygen which is necessarily added reacting with ethylene on the same catalyst and at the same temperature to give a gas free from both acetylene and oxygen. When hydrogen is present in amounts in excess of 4% (molar), small amounts of acetylene impurity, such as 0·5 to 1·0% (molar), can be preferentially hydrogenated without affecting the ethylene by the use of a reduced nickel‐chrome catalyst, the preparation of which is described. The efficiency of this catalyst is adversely affected by the presence of certain sulphur bodies.