Four-lump kinetic model for fluid catalytic cracking process

In the fluid catalytic cracking reactor heavy gas oil is cracked into more valuable lighter hydrocarbon products. The reactor input is a mixture of hydrocarbons which makes the reaction kinetics very complicated due to the involved reactions. In this paper, a four-lump model is proposed to describe the process. This model is different from others mainly in that the deposition rate of coke on catalyst can be predicted from gas oil conversion and isolated from the C₁–C₄ gas yield. This is important since coke supplies heat required for endothermic reactions occurring in the reactor. By this model we can also conclude that the C1–C4 gas yield increases with increasing reactor temperature, while production of gasoline and coke decreases.     

Catalytic conversion of canola oil to fuels and chemicals over various cracking catalysts

The catalytic conversion of canola oil to fuels and chemicals was studied over HZSM-5, H-mordenite, H-Y, silicalite, aluminum-pillared clay (AL-PILC) and silica-alumina catalysts in a fixed bed micro-reactor. The reactor was operated at atmospheric pressure, a temperature range of 375?500°C and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 1.8 and 3.6 h^?1. An organic liquid product (OLP), light hydrocarbon gases and water were the major products. The objective was to maximize the amount of OLP and its hydrocarbon content as well as optimize the selectivity for gas phase olefinic hydrocarbons. In addition, the performance of each catalyst in terms of minimizing the coke formation was examined. Among the six catalysts, HZSM-5 gave the highest amount of OLP of 63 mass% at 1.8 WHSV and 400°C. The hydrocarbon content of this OLP product was 83.8 mass%. With the exception of silica-alumina and aluminum-pillared clay catalysts, the other catalysts gave high concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons which ranged between 23.1–95.6 mass% of OLP. The gas products consisted mostly C₃ and C₄ hydrocarbons. Ethylene, propylene and butanes were some of the valuable hydrocarbon gases. The olefin/paraffin ratio of the gas products was highest for AL-PILC catalysts but it never exceeded unity. The results showed that it was possible to significantly alter the yield and selectivity for the different hydrocarbon products by using different catalysts or changing the catalyst functionality such as acidity, pore size and crystallinity. Reaction pathways based on these results are proposed for the conversion of canola oil     

Study on pyrolysis of oil sludge with microalgae residue additive

The pyrolysis of oil sludge (OS) with microalgae residue (MR) additive was conducted with a TGA and a tube furnace. The pyrolysis process of OS with the MR additive can be divided into three stages: 1) water evaporation, 2) the release of light groups of hydrocarbon compounds, the cracking of heavy groups, and carbon decomposition, and 3) minerals decomposition. With the MR addition ratio increasing, the yield of oil and gas increased, and oil to gas ratio increased during OS pyrolysis. The MR addition improved the quality of pyrolysis oil and gas from OS pyrolysis. The proportion of light oil increased from 38 % with a 5 % MR addition ratio to 45 % with a 30 % addition ratio. Major components of pyrolysis gas included H₂, CO, CO₂, and C_xH_y. With the increase of the MR blending ratio, CO and CO₂ contents increased, while H₂ and C_xH_y contents decreased. Adding MR favoured the transformation of heavy hydrocarbons (C₆₊), resulting in a high content of light hydrocarbons. This work can help promote massive synergistic treatment of OS and microalgae biomass.

     

Performance studies of various cracking catalysts in the conversion of canola oil to fuels and chemicals in a fluidized-bed reactor

Studies were conducted at atmospheric pressure at temperatures in the range of 400–500°C and fluidizing gas velocities in the range of 0.37–0.58 m/min (at standard temperature and pressure) to evaluate the performance of various cracking catalysts for canola oil conversion in a fluidized-bed reactor. Results show that canola oil conversions were high (in the range of 78–98 wt%) and increased with an increase in both temperature and catalyst acid site density and with a decrease in fluidizing gas velocity. The product distribution mostly consisted of hydrocarbon gases in the C₁–C₅ range, a mixture of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons in the organic liquid product (OLP) and coke. The yields of C₄ hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons and C₂–C₄ olefins increased with both temperature and catalyst acid site density but decreased with an increase in fluidizing gas velocity. In contrast, the yields of aliphatic and C₅ hydrocarbons followed trends completely opposite to those of C₂–C₄ olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons. A comparison of performance of the catalysts in a fluidized-bed reactor with earlier work in a fixed-bed reactor showed that selectivities for formation of both C₅ and iso-C₄ hydrocarbons in a fluidized-bed reactor were extremely high (maximum of 68.7 and 18 wt% of the gas product) as compared to maximum selectivities of 18 and 16 wt% of the gas product, respectively, in the fixed-bed reactor. Also, selectivity for formation of gas products was higher for runs with the fluidized-bed reactor than for those with the fixed-bed reactor, whereas the selectivity for OLP was higher with the fixed-bed reactor. Furthermore, both temperature and catalyst determined whether the fractions of aromatic hydrocarbons in the OLP were higher in the fluidized-bed or fixed-bed reactor.     

Preparation of bio-fuels by catalytic cracking reaction of vegetable oil sludge

Biofuel production from vegetable oil is potentially a good alternative to conventional fossil derived fuels. Moreover, liquid biofuel offers many environmental benefits since it is free from nitrogen and sulfur compounds. Biofuel can be obtained from biomass (e.g. pyrolysis, gasification) and agricultural sources such as vegetable oil, vegetable oil sludge, rubber seed oil, and soybean oil. One of the most promising sources of biofuel is vegetable oil sludge. This waste is a major byproduct of vegetable oil factories. It consists of triglycerides (61%), free fatty acid (37%) and impurities (2%). The hydrocarbon chains of triglycerides and free fatty acid are mainly made up of C₁₆ (30%) and C₁₈ (36%) hydrocarbons. The others consist of C₁₂-C₁₇ hydrocarbon chains. Transesterification can help in converting vegetable oil sludge into biofuel. The disadvantage of this method is that a large amount of methanol is required. The alternative method for this conversion is catalytic cracking. The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare the pyrolysis process with cracking catalytic reaction of vegetable oil sludge by Micro-activity test MAT 5000 of Zeton-Canada.A ZSM-5/MCM-41 multiporous composite (MC-ZSM-5/MCM-41), was successfully synthesized using silica source extracted from rice husk. The material has the MCM-41 mesoporous structure, and its wall is constructed by ZSM-5 nanozeolite crystals. The porous system of the material includes pores of the following sizes: 5 Å (ZSM-5 zeolite), 40 Å (MCM-41 mesoporous material), and another porous system whose diameter is in the range of 100-500 Å (mesoporous system) formed by the burning of organic compounds that remain in the material during the calcination process. This pore system contributes to an increase in the catalytic performance of synthesized material.The results of vegetable oil sludge cracking reaction show that the product consists of fractions such as dry gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, light cycle oil (LCO), and (heavy cycle oil) HCO, which are similar to those of petroleum cracking process.MC-ZSM-5/MCM-41 catalyst is efficient in the catalytic cracking reaction of vegetable oil sludge as it has higher conversion and selectivity for LPG and gasoline products in comparison to the pyrolysis process. Product distribution (% of oil feed) of cracking reaction over MC-ZSM-5/MCM-41 is coke (3.4), total dry gas (7.0), LPG (31.1), gasoline (42.4), LCO (8.9), HCO (7.2); and that of pyrolysis are coke (19.0), total dry gas (9.3), LPG (16.9), gasoline (28.8), LCO (13.7), and HCO (12.3).These results have indicated a new way to use agricultural waste such as rice husk for the production of promising catalysts and the processing of vegetable oil sludge to obtain biofuel.     

Fuels by pyrolysis of waste plastics from agricultural and packaging sectors in a pilot scale reactor

The pyrolysis of waste plastics (so called chemical recycling) is one perspective way of their utilizations, but the end product properties are a key point of the industrial leading of processes. In this paper a pilot scale pyrolysis process has been investigated. Waste plastics were decomposed in a tube reactor at 520 °C, using hourly feed rate of 9.0 kg. Raw materials were selectively collected wastes from agricultural and packaging industry. For supporting the more intensive cracking of CC bonds of main polymer structure a commercial ZSM-5 catalyst was tested in concentration of 5.0%. Products were separated into gases, gasoline, light and heavy oil by distillation. Plastic wastes could be converted into gasoline and light oil with yields of 20–48% and 17–36% depending on the used parameters. The gas and liquid products had significant content of unsaturated hydrocarbons, principally olefins. In the presence of ZSM-5 catalyst the yields of lighter fractions (especially gasoline) could be considerably increased and the average molecular weight of each fraction has decreased. Gasoline had C₅–C₁₅ hydrocarbons, while light oil had C₁₂–C₂₈. The used catalyst has promoted the formation of i-butane in gases and affected the composition of both gasoline and light oil. Properties of products are advantageous for fuel-like applications, and they are able to increase the productivity of refinery. On the other hand the possibility for further utilization of products from pyrolysis basically was affected by the source and the properties of raw materials. Waste polyethylene from agricultural consisted of some elements from fertilizers (N, S, P and Ca), which could not be removed from the surfaces of raw materials by pre-treatment (e.g. washing). In that case significant concentration of N, S, P and Ca can be measured in all products, but the catalyst has decreased the concentration of impurities. Gasoline, light oil and heavy oil were nitrogen free and sulphur content was below 12 mg/kg in hydrocarbons obtained by the pyrolysis of polypropylene waste from packaging.     

Intensification of the processes of dehydrogenation and dewaxing of middle distillate fractions by redistribution of hydrogen between the units

The dehydrogenation and dewaxing of hydrocarbons of middle-distillate fractions, which proceed in the hydrogen medium, are of great importance in the petrochemical and oil refining industries. They increase oil refining depth and allow producing gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fractions used in the production of hydrocarbon fuels, polymer materials, synthetic detergents, rubbers, etc. Herewith, in the process of dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons of middle distillate fractions (C₉–C₁₄) hydrogen is formed in the reactions between hydrocarbons, and the excess of hydrogen slows the target reaction of olefin formation and causes the shift of thermodynamic equilibrium to the initial substances. Meanwhile, in the process of hydrodewaxing of hydrocarbons of middle distillate fractions (C₅–C₂₇), conversely, hydrogen is a required reagent in the target reaction of hydrocracking of long-chain paraffins, which ensures required feedstock conversion for production of low-freezing diesel fuels. Therefore, in this study we suggest the approach of intensification of the processes of dehydrogenation and dewaxing of middle distillate fractions by means of redistribution of hydrogen between the two units on the base of the influence of hydrogen on the hydrocarbon transformations using mathematical models. In this study we found that with increasing the temperature from 470 °C to 490 °C and decreasing the hydrogen/feedstock molar ratio in the range of 8.5/1.0 to 6.0/1.0 in the dehydrogenation reactor, the production of olefins increased by 1.45–1.55%wt, which makes it possible to reduce hydrogen consumption by 25,000 Nm³/h. Involvement of this additionally available hydrogen in the amount from 10,000 to 50,000 Nm³/h in the dewaxing reactor allows increasing the depth of hydrocracking of long-chain paraffins of middle distillate fractions, and, consequently improving low-temperature properties of produced diesel fraction. In such a way cloud temperature and freezing temperature of produced diesel fraction decrease by 1–4 °C and 10–25 °C (at the temperature of 300 °C and 340 °C respectively). However, when the molar ratio hydrogen/hydrocarbons decreases from 8.5/1.0 to 6.0/1.0 the yield of side products in the dehydrogenation reactor increases: the yield of diolefins increases by 0.1–0.15%wt, the yield of coke increases by 0.07–0.18%wt depending on the feedstock composition, which is due to decrease in the content of hydrogen, which hydrogenates intermediate products of condensation (the coke of amorphous structure). This effect can be compensated by additional water supply in the dehydrogenation reactor, which oxidizes the intermediate products of condensation, preventing catalyst deactivation by coke. The calculations with the use of the model showed that at the supply of water by increasing portions simultaneously with temperature rise, the content of coke on the catalyst by the end of the production cycle comprises 1.25–1.56%wt depending on the feedstock composition, which is by 0.3–0.6%wt lower that in the regime without water supply.     

Prediction of gaseous products from biomass pyrolysis through combined kinetic and thermodynamic simulations

Due to the nonhomogeneous characteristics of biomass constituent, it has been known to be difficult to apply directly any simulation work to the pyrolysis of biomass for a precise prediction of gaseous products. In this study, two computation codes (HSC Chemistry for thermodynamic and Sandia PSR for kinetic simulations) were employed, to consider the integrated effects of thermodynamic and kinetic phenomena occurring in biomass pyrolysis on the distribution of gaseous products. The principle of simulation applied in this study was to extract substitutable gas phase compositions from HSC calculations, which were predicted thermodynamically. Then, the gas phase compositions were inputted into the Sandia PSR code to consider the potential constrains of kinetics involving in the pyrolysis and finally to get the distributions of gas products which should be closer to the realistic situation. Palm oil wastes, a local representative biomass, were studied as sample biomass. The gaseous products obtained from HSC calculations were mainly H₂, CO₂, CO, CH₄ and negligible C₂₊ hydrocarbons. After applying these products into PSR program, the final products developed into H₂, CO₂, CO, CH₄, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ which are more realistic products in the modern fast pyrolysis.     

Pyrolysis of polyolefins in high-boiling solvents

The pyrolysis of polyethylene and polypropylene in vacuum residue and coal-tar pitch solvents was studied in a batch reactor at atmospheric pressure in a temperature range of 380–420°C. Aliphatic hydrocarbons and C₅–C₃₂ normal olefins and isoolefins were the main pyrolysis products of the polyolefins and vacuum residue, which also underwent thermal degradation at these temperatures. The total conversion of a polypropylene-vacuum residue mixture into gaseous and distillate products was nearly additive; upon the pyrolysis of polypropylene in pitch and of polyethylene in vacuum residue and pitch, the yield of distillate products decreased and the paraffin/olefin ratio in these products increased. The observed regularities were explained by hydrogen transfer from the solvents to the intermediate radical products of the thermal decomposition of polymer chains. The reactions of the resulting of olefins with the solvents can also occur to a lesser degree. The greatest deviations from additivity were observed in the pyrolysis of polyethylene in the solvents used.     

Ultrapyrolysis of automobile shredder residue

A fast pyrolysis (Ultrapyrolysis) process was employed to convert automobile shredder residue (ASR) into chemical products. Experiments were conducted at atmospheric pressure and temperatures between 700 and 850°C with residence times between 0.3 and 1.4 seconds. Pyrolysis products included 59 to 68 mass% solid residue, 13 to 23 mass% pyrolysis gas (dry) and 4 to 12 mass% pyrolytic water from a feed containing 39 mass% organic matter and 2 mass% moisture. No measurable amounts of liquid pyrolysis oil were produced. The five most abundant pyrolysis gases, in vol%, were CO (18–29), CO₂ (20–23), CH₄ (17–22), C₂H₄ (20–22) and C₃H₆ (1–11), accounting for more than 90% of the total volume. The use of a higher organic content ASR feed (58 mass%) resulted in less solid residue and more pyrolysis gas. However, no significant changes were noted in the composition of the pyrolysis gas.     

Study on characterization of pyrolysis and hydrolysis products of poly(vinyl chloride) waste

Poly(vinyl chloride) PVC pyrolysis and hydrolysis are conducted in a fixed bed reactor and in an autoclave, respectively, under different operating conditions such as the temperature and time. The product distribution is studied. For the PVC pyrolysis process, the main gas product is HCl (55% at 340°C), there is 9% hydrocarbon gas (C₁–C₅), the liquid product fraction is about 5% (at 340°C), and the solid residue fraction is about 31% (at 340°C). For the hydrolysis process, the main gas product is HCl (55.8% at 240°C) and the solid residue is about 49.6% (at 240°C). The pyrolysis liquid product is analyzed by using gas chromatography with magic‐angle spinning. Aromatic hydrocarbons are the main class (90%), of which the major part is benzene (33%). The residue produced through pyrolysis and hydrolysis is investigated by high‐resolution solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR. These details revealed by the high‐field NMR spectra provide importmant information about the chemical changes in the PVC pyrolysis and hydrolysis process. The mechanism of PVC hydrolysis dechlorination is also discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3252–3259, 2003     

Reforming of C6 hydrocarbons on a PtAl2O3 catalyst

Isomerization, dehydrocyclization and hydrocracking of C₆ hydrocarbons on a commercial reforming PtAl₂O₃ catalyst were studied in a tubular reactor. The temperature was varied from 420 to 500°C, the pressure from 1.6 to 16 bar, the molar H₂/hydrocarbon inlet ratios from 1.5 to 20. Reaction rate equations of the Hougen—Watson type, corresponding to a bifunctional mechanism, were found to describe the experimental data. Parameter estimates for the reforming reactions were obtained by application of a generalized least square criterion to the calculated and observed production rates of the gas phase components. Electrobalance experiments showed that both the reforming reaction rates and the coking rate decrease exponentially with coke content. Multiplying the reaction rates with one common exponential deactivation function allowed the prediction of the observed conversions by one single set of kinetic parameters. The coking rate equation was derived by fitting the final coke content profiles obtained in the tubular reactor. The main contribution to coke formation was attributed to Me-cyclopentadienes.     

Simulation Study of a Novel Process Co‐Producing Synthesis Gas and Light Olefins

There are abundant resources of heavy hydrocarbons worldwide, and their utilization is becoming more widespread as time progresses. The present paper proposes a process that combines coke gasification and heavy hydrocarbon pyrolysis, producing synthesis gas and light olefins. Simulation studies on the process are carried out by using Aspen Plus. The results show that the temperature of the gasification‐pyrolysis can be controlled by changing the feed rate of O₂ and steam. In addition, the coke jam problem can be solved by increasing the gasification‐pyrolysis temperature or residence time. The maximum amount of light olefins can be acquired by controlling the gasification‐pyrolysis residence time. More than 37 wt % heavy hydrocarbons are changed to synthesis gas with more than 15 wt % changed to light olefins in the case studied.     

Solids exit discontinuity in slurry bubble columns

The exit discontinuity in slurry bubble columns, i.e., the difference in the apparent solids concentration at the very top of the column (C_t) and the concentration in the effluent (C_e), was studied in a 0.3 m ID bubble column, using air as the gas phase, water, a light hydrocarbon oil (Varsol) and trichloroethylene as liquids and glass beads of different sizes and density as solids. The results showed that the drop in solids concentration occurs in a very small layer at the gas/liquid interface. By changing the column exit configuration and removing the gas/liquid interface the exit discontinuity disappeared. The extent of the exit discontinuity depended on the liquid properties and appeared to be related to the foaming tendency of the liquid. In addition, in those systems where the exit discontinuity was significant, it depended on the solids properties and the gas and liquid superficial velocities.     

Evaluation of two different scrap tires as hydrocarbon source by pyrolysis

The main objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of the polymer types in scrap tires on the pyrolysis products. Two different types of scrap tires (passenger car tire, PCT and truck tire, TT) have been pyrolyzed in a fixed bed reactor at the temperatures of 550, 650 and 800 °C under N₂ atmosphere. Pyrolysis products (gas, oil and carbon black) obtained from PCT and TT were investigated comparatively. The gaseous products were analyzed by GC–TCD. The psychical and chemical properties of pyrolytic oils were characterized by means of GC–FID, GC–MS, ¹H NMR. In addition, boiling point distributions of hydrocarbons in pyrolytic oils were determined by using simulated distillation curves in comparison with commercial diesel fuel. The production of activated carbon from pyrolytic carbon blacks (CBp) was also carried out. The composition of gaseous products from pyrolysis of PCT and TT were similar and they contained mainly hydrocarbons (C₁–C₄). Pyrolytic oils were found lighter than diesel but heavier than naphtha. The physical properties of pyrolytic oils from PCT and TT were similar at the same temperature. However, the composition of aromatic and sulphur content from pyrolysis of PCT was higher than that of TT. Furthermore, TT derived pyrolytic carbon black was found more suitable for the production of activated carbon due to its low ash content.     

Gas evolution during oil shale pyrolysis. 1. Nonisothermal rate measurements

The rate of evolution of CH₄, CO, CO₂, H₂, C₂ hydrocarbons, and C₃ hydrocarbons during pyrolysis of Colorado oil shale between 25 and 900 °C is reported. All experiments were performed nonisothermally using linear heating rates varying from 0.5 to 4.0 °C min^?1. Hydrogen is the major noncondensable gas produced by kerogen pyrolysis. The amount of H₂ released is influenced, via the shift and Boudouard reactions, by the CO₂ evolved from mineral carbonates. Lesser amounts of C₁, C₂, and C₃ hydrocarbons are produced. On the basis of heat content, however, the combined C₁ to C₃ hydrocarbons contribute twice as much as H₂ to the heating value of the pyrolysis gas. The evolution of H₂ and CH₄ involves processes that are interpreted as a ‘primary’ pyrolysis of the kerogen to generate oil, and a higher temperature ‘secondary’ pyrolysis of the carbonaceous residue. The CO formed is a product of the Boudouard reaction; nearly complete conversion of the carbon residue to CO via this reaction is observed.     

H.p.l.c. quantitation of hydrocarbon class types in cracked products

H.p.l.c. was optimized to obtain quantitative compositional data on hydrocarbon class type (saturates, olefins, aromatics plus polars) in cracked products from vacuum gas oil (370–500°C) feed over REY zeolite catalyst in a micro-activity test unit. H.p.l.c. separation was achieved using an amino column, a backflush device and nC₆ as mobile phase. An RI detector was used to obtain total saturates and aromatics and a 200 nm u.v. detector to estimate olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons by ring number. Quantitation was achieved using external standard procedure and standards were prepared from the identical petroleum products to obtain response factors. A considerable variation in the liquid product yield during cracking reactions was noticed, from 40 to 70 wt%. Cracking reactions were also favoured through hydrogen transfer, increasing substantially the aromatic content in the range 50–70 wt%. Olefins were also formed during cracking, ranging from 5 to 10 wt%.     

Thermal degradation of cinnamoylated poly(vinyl alcohol)

Thermogravimetry and pyrolysis in combination with gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy were the experimental techniques applied to the thermal degradation of cinnamoylated poly(vinyl alcohol) samples, constituted from vinyl alcohol-vinyl cinnamate photocrosslinkable copolymers. The thermal decomposition products include gases, liquids and solids. The gases are formed from saturated and unsaturated volatile hydrocarbons C₁? C₄, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The liquid fraction includes aromatic hydrocarbons and some oxygenated organic compounds. The solid product identified in the greatest amount was cinnamic acid. The content in the thermal decomposition products varies considerably both with copolymer composition and temperature.     

Determination of paraffin and aromatic hydrocarbon type chemicals in liquid distillates produced from the pyrolysis process of waste plastics by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry

Isotope dilution mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of composition of paraffins, olefins, naphthenes and aromatics in distilled oil produced from the pyrolysis reaction of mixed waste plastics using labeled hydrocarbon internal standards including octane-d₁₈, dodecane-d₂₆, hexadecane-d₃₄, benzene-d₆, toluene-d₈, ethylbenzene-d₁₀, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene-d₁₂ and naphthalene-d₈. This technique made it possible to thoroughly quantify more than three hundred peaks in plastic-derived pyrolysis oil, classify pyrolysis oil into four hydrocarbon groups of paraffin, olefin, naphthene and aromatic, and determine the weight percent of each hydrocarbon group simultaneously. Compared with commercially available petroleum oil, distilled plastic-derived pyrolysis oil contained much more aromatics amounting to 60-82 wt% of whole hydrocarbons. Toluene (C7-benzene) and trimethylbenzenes (C9-benzenes) were the predominant species amounting to 40-50% of whole hydrocarbons in pyrolysis oil with a gasoline range boiling point and 25-35% of whole hydrocarbons in pyrolysis oil with a diesel range boiling point, respectively.