Production of olefins

1. A process for the production of a mono-olefin from a feedstock comprising a paraffinic hydrocarbon which process comprises

a) partially combusting at a pressure of 15 to 28 barg a mixture of the selected from the group consisting of ethane, propane, butane(s) and mixtures thereof; hydrocarbon feed and a molecular oxygen-containing gas in contact with a catalyst capable of supporting combustion beyond the normal fuel rich limit of flammability where they are reacted to form a product comprising one or more mono-olefin(s), carbon monoxide and hydrogen and

b) separating at a pressure of at least 15 barg the product from step (a) into a stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen and a stream comprising one or more olefins and recovering the one or more olefin(s);

wherein the product produced in step (a) comprises carbon dioxide, wherein prior to step (b) the carbon dioxide is removed from the product stream and wherein the selectivity to olefin is at least 55%.

2. A process according to claim 1 comprising step (c) passing the stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen separated in step (b) to a Fischer-Tropsch reactor containing a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst wherein at least part of said stream is converted to hydrocarbons, and thereafter recovering at least a part of the hydrocarbon product.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein the product produced in step (a) comprises one or more mono-olefin(s), carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane and step (b) separates the product from step (a) into a stream comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane which is then passed to the Fischer-Tropsch reactor in step (c).

4. A process according to claim 1 which comprises removing carbon dioxide from the product stream of step (a),

(b) separating the product stream of step (a) into a stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide and a stream comprising one or more olefins, and recovering the olefin(s),

(c) combining the stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide with the carbon dioxide removed from the product stream of step (a) and passing the resultant stream over a low temperature water gas shift catalyst to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into carbon monoxide and water,

(d) passing carbon monoxide from step (c) and hydrogen to a Fischer-Tropsch reactor containing a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst wherein at least part of the carbon monoxide and hydrogen is converted to hydrocarbons, and thereafter recovering at least a part of the hydrocarbon product.

5. A process according to claim 1 wherein an additional co-feed of hydrogen is used in step (a).

6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock is ethane.

7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock is preheated to a temperature of between 50-450° C.

8. A process according to claim 1 wherein the molecular oxygen containing gas is preheated to a temperature of between 50-250° C.

9. A process according to claim 1 wherein the molecular oxygen-containing gas is pre-mixed with the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock prior to contact with the catalyst.

10. A process according to claim 1 wherein step (a) is operated at an elevated pressure of at least 20 barg.

11. A process according to claim 1 wherein step (a) is operated at a temperature greater than 500° C.

12. A process according to claim 1 wherein the carbon dioxide is removed from the product stream of step (b) using an amine-based absorption system.

13. A process according to claim 4 wherein the low temperature water gas shift catalyst is an iron oxide catalyst.

14. A process according to claim 4 wherein the stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen is combined with the carbon dioxide and passed over the low temperature water gas shift catalyst at a temperature between 350-500° C.

15. A process according to claim 2 wherein the stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen which is passed to the Fischer-Tropsch reactor has a hydrogen/carbon monoxide molar ratio between 1.8:1 to 2.1:1.

16. A process according to claim 2 wherein the stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen is passed over the Fischer-Tropsch catalyst at a temperature between 160-350° C.

17. A process according to claim 2 wherein the stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen is passed over the Fischer-Tropsch catalyst at a pressure between 15-40 barg.

18. A process according to claim 2 wherein the Fischer-Tropsch reaction is carried out batchwise or continuously, in a fixed bed, fluidised bed or slurry phase reactor.

19. A process according to claim 12 wherein the amine-based absorption system is MEA, TEA or mixtures of both.