The model simulation study has shown that the anaerobic process of oxidative dehydrogenation of propane under periodic alteration of feeding between propane and air may be realized in adiabatic catalyst beds in a stable continuous cyclic mode in a two-reactor scheme. In the case of an appropriate choice of process parameters (cycle duration and feeding flow rates) the process appears to be autothermal, i.e. it does not require any inlet gas preheating for stable operation. Compared with a similar steady-state adiabatic process, the proposed process is characterized with much lower maximum catalyst temperatures, giving the way to process pure propane without diluting it with inert gases, thus simplifying the downstream procedure of product separation. Predicted propylene yield is competitive with the one for the steady-state adiabatic process, while sufficient technological benefits of the new technology are expected (decrease in energy consumption and minimization of heat-exchange environment, process safety improvement, suppression of coke formation and efficient coke incineration). (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.