| Abstract: | The purpose of this study is to understand the reactions on the catalyst surface and in the gas phase during the catalytic pyrolysis of light hydrocarbons. To avoid the complexity of internal pore diffusion and heat transfer limitation, nickel mesh without pore structure was used as a catalyst for the catalytic pyrolysis of a commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sample in a quartz tube reactor and in a wire‐mesh reactor over a temperature range of 600–850°C. With a Ni mesh catalyst, no catalyst deactivation associated with coke formation was observed at high gas flow rate. Our experimental results indicate that the desorption of radicals from the catalyst surface is an important process in the catalytic pyrolysis of LPG using the Ni mesh catalyst. The desorption of radicals across the gas–catalyst interface is greatly facilitated by increasing gas flow rate passing through the mesh. The desorbed radicals would initiate and/or enhance the gas‐phase radical chain reactions and lead to improved reaction rates for the pyrolysis of LPG although the product selectivities remained unchanged. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 637–646, 2003 |
