PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FORMALDEHYDE AND METHANOL BY OXIDATION OF METHANE

摘要

The invention is a process for the oxidation of methane to methanol and formaldehyde in a combustion tube under pressure. Preheated methane or a methane inert gas mixture is introduced into a combustion tube and oxidising gas, for example air, is introduced concentrically into the combustion tube for reaction with the methane. The methane stream has a velocity of from 1 to 15m. sec-1, the oxidising gas stream has a velocity from 50 to 300m. sec-1 greater than the velocity of the methane stream, and the volume of the methane stream is from 3 to 100 times greater than that of the stream of oxidising gas.