Patent ID: 8766026

Claim:
A process for producing aromatic hydrocarbons which comprises: (a) contacting a lower alkane feed, wherein the majority of the feed is ethane and propane, with a solid particulate aromatic hydrocarbon conversion catalyst in a fixed bed reaction zone to produce aromatic hydrocarbons and other products from ethane and propane, whereby the catalyst is at least partially deactivated by the formation of undesirable coke deposits, (b) periodically regenerating the catalyst under regeneration conditions, (c) separating aromatic hydrocarbons from the other products and unreacted lower alkanes, and (d) optionally recycling unreacted lower alkanes to the reaction zone wherein the fixed bed reaction zone additionally comprises a volume of a catalytically inactive solid particles interspersed with the catalyst particles to establish a heat balance between the reaction step and the regeneration step.