Patent ID: 7226574

Claim:
A process for converting a hydrocarbon reactant to a partial oxidation reaction product comprising CO and H 2 in a microchannel reactor, the microchannel reactor comprising at least one process microchannel and at least one partial oxidation reaction catalyst in the at least one process microchannel, the process comprising: (A) mixing a reactant composition comprising the hydrocarbon reactant and oxygen or a source of oxygen in the at least one process microchannel and flowing the resulting mixture in the at least one process microchannel in contact with the at least one partial oxidation reaction catalyst under partial oxidation reaction conditions to form the product, the hydrocarbon reactant comprising methane, the contact time for the reactant composition within the at least one process microchannel being up to about 500 milliseconds, the temperature of the reactant composition and product within the at least one process microchannel being up to about 1500° C., the conversion of the hydrocarbon reactant being at least about 50%.