Thermodynamic Analysis of the Oxidation of Ethane to Ethylene with Carbon Dioxide

Abstract The ack of existing literature on the systematic thermodynamic research of the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene with CO 2 is evident. The standard enthalpies and free energies of the reactions involved in this complex system were calculated in detail. The equilibrium compositions for the complex system were also calculated by varying pressure, temperature, and the initial feed composition. The dehydrogenation of ethane was enhanced by the reverse water–gas shift reaction, and the reverse Boudouard reaction had the potential to facilitate the reduction of carbon deposits at high temperature. The better conditions for the reaction system were atmospheric pressure, a temperature range of 1050–1250 K, and a molar ratio of CO 2 :C 2 H 6 ≤ 1.5 in the feed.