Inherently safe ODH operation

1. A process for the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of one or more C 2-4 alkanes comprising at least two pre-reactors and one or more downstream main oxidative dehydrogenation reactors comprising:

i) passing a feed stream comprising said one or more C 2-4 alkanes through a first pre-reactor containing a dehydrogenation catalyst that is saturated with reactive oxygen;

ii) reacting the feed stream with the dehydrogenation catalyst that is saturated with reactive oxygen at a temperature from about 300° C. to about 500° C. and a pressure from about 0.5 to about 100 psig to produce a partially dehydrogenated stream comprising unreacted C 2-4 alkanes;

iii) passing the partially dehydrogenated stream together with additional oxygen feed to one or more downstream main oxidative dehydrogenation reactors;

iv) oxidatively dehydrogenating the partially dehydrogenated stream at a temperature from about 300° C. to about 500° C. and a pressure from about 0.5 to about 100 psig to produce a product stream;

v) removing the product stream from said one or more downstream main oxidative dehydrogenation reactors comprising corresponding C 2-4 alkenes, unreacted C 2-4 alkanes, unreacted oxygen and water vapor;

vi) passing the product stream through a second pre-reactor comprising a second dehydrogenation catalyst that is depleted of reactive oxygen;

vii) reacting the product stream, with the dehydrogenation catalyst depleted of reactive oxygen at a temperature from about 50° C. to about 270° C. and a pressure from about 0.5 to about 100 psig to complex the oxygen depleting oxygen from the product stream and regenerating oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst by increasing the saturation with reactive oxygen; and

viii) recovering a product stream depleted of oxygen;

ix) continuing step (i) to (viii) until either:

a) the pre-reactor comprising the first dehydrogenation catalyst and through which the feed stream is being passed is depleted of reactive oxygen or is more depleted of reactive oxygen than another pre-reactor; or

b) the pre-reactor comprising the second oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst through which the product stream is being passed is substantially saturated with reactive oxygen;

x) when condition (a) is achieved the feed stream is diverted from the first pre-reactor to another pre reactor comprising a dehydrogenation catalyst that is saturated with reactive oxygen and the process continues from step (ii) on;

xi) when condition (b) is achieved the product stream is diverted from the second to another pre reactor comprising a second dehydrogenation catalyst depleted of reactive oxygen and the process continues from step (viii) on.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst in any reactor is independently selected from:

i) catalysts of the formula

V x Mo y Nb z Te m Me n O p

wherein Me is a metal selected from Ta, Ti, W, Hf, Zr, Sb and mixtures thereof; and

x is from about 0.1 to about 3 provided that when Me is absent x is greater than 0.5;

y is from about 0.5 to about 1.5;

z is from about 0.001 to about 3;

m is from about 0.001 to about 5;

n is from 0 to about 2; and

p is a number to satisfy the valence state of the mixed oxide catalyst; and

ii) catalysts of the formula

Mo a V b Nb c Te c O d

wherein:

a is from about 0.75 to about 1.25;

b is from about 0.1 to about 0.5;

c is from about 0.1 to about 0.5;

e is from about 0.1 to about 0.3; and

d is a number to satisfy the valence state of the mixed oxide catalyst.

3. The process according to claim 2 ,

wherein said one or more downstream main oxidative dehydrogenation reactors are operated at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) from about 500 to about 30000 h −1 .

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the catalyst in the main reactor is supported on an inert metal oxide support having a surface area of less than about 5 m 2 /g.

5. The process according to claim 4 , wherein the pre-reactors are fixed bed reactors and the oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst is supported on an inert metal oxide support having a surface area of not less than about 100 m 2 /g.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein said one or more downstream main oxidative dehydrogenation reactors are selected from fixed bed reactors, fluidized or ebullated bed reactors, and ceramic membrane reactors.

7. The process according to claim 6 , having a selectivity for said one or more C 2-4 alkenes of greater than about 85%.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein said one or more C 2-4 alkanes is ethane.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the catalyst in said pre-reactors is of formula (ii) and wherein:

a is from about 0.90 to about 1.10;

b is from about 0.25 to about 0.3;

c is from about 0.1 to about 0.3;

e is from about 0.1 to about 0.2; and

d is a number to satisfy the valence state of the mixed oxide catalyst.

10. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising a third pre-reactor comprising an oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst that can accept the feed stream when enriched with oxygen or accept the product stream when substantially depleted of oxygen.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein in step (vi) the product stream from said downstream main oxidative dehydrogenation reactors is passed sequentially through two or more pre-reactors in which the first of these sequential pre-reactors has a higher amount of reactive oxygen in the oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst than in the subsequent pre-reactors.