Hydrocarbon Pyrolysis

Abstract

The invention relates to hydrocarbon pyrolysis, to equipment and materials useful for hydrocarbon pyrolysis, to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon pyrolysis, and to the use of hydrocarbon pyrolysis for, e.g., hydrocarbon upgrading.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A reactor for pyrolysing a hydrocarbon feed under predetermined pyrolysis conditions, the reactor comprising
 (a) an elongated tubular vessel having (i) an internal volume which includes first and second regions and (ii) opposed first and second openings in fluidic communication with the internal volume, the first and second openings being separated by a reactor length (L R ), and   (b) a channeled thermal mass located in the first region, wherein the first channeled thermal mass has a solid density (ρ s )≤12 g/cm 3 , a heat capacity (C p ) ≤0.5 cal/g° C., and an open frontal area (OFA), and wherein
 (i) the first channeled thermal mass includes:
 (A) a first aperture, the first aperture being proximate to the first opening and in fluidic communication with the first opening, 
 (B) at least one internal channel in fluidic communication with the first aperture, and 
 (C) a second aperture, the second aperture being in fluidic communication with the first aperture via a flowpath L 1  through the channel, L 1  being ≥0.1*L R ; and 
 
 (ii) the OFA is determined from the formula:
   ([OFA-1]/OFA)=( t   R *ρ s   *C   p   *R*T   av   *ΔT   av ) −1 *(t P   *X*ΔH*P ), wherein,
 
 (A) R is the feed's Gas Constant and 
 (B) the predetermined pyrolysis conditions include a residence time in the channel (t R )≤1 sec., a feed conversion (X)≥50%, an average total pressure in the channel (P)≥1 bar, an average bulk gas temperature in the channel (T av )≤1500° C. at the start of the pyrolysis, a peak gas temperature (T p ) located in the channel, T p >T av , a pyrolysis step time t P  in the range of from 0.001 sec. to 50 sec., and a change in average bulk gas temperature during the pyrolysis (ΔT av )≤100° C. 
 
   
     
     
         26 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the reactor is a reverse-flow thermal pyrolysis reactor, the reactor further comprising a second thermal mass located in the second region of the internal volume, the second thermal mass having at least one internal channel having at least one in fluidic communication with the internal channel of the first thermal mass. 
     
     
         27 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the OFA≤50%. 
     
     
         28 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the OFA is in the range of from 10% to 50%. 
     
     
         29 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the first thermal mass has a thermal conductivity in the range of from 0.5 W/m° K. to 50 W/m° K., a coefficient of thermal expansion in the range of from 1×10 −7 /° K. to 2×10 −5 /° K., an average wetted surface area per unit volume in the range of from 1 cm −1  to 100 cm −1 , an average wetted surface area per unit volume in the range of from 1 cm −1  to 100 cm −1 ; 
     
     
         30 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the internal channel of the first thermal mass includes a plurality of substantially parallel passages and has a passage density in the range of from 77000/m 2  to 1.3×10 6 /m 2 ; 
     
     
         31 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the first thermal mass comprises a refractory having a specific heat capacity at 300° K.≥0.04 [kj/(° K. kg)] and a mass density ≥3000 kg/m 3 ; 
     
     
         32 . The reactor of  claim 31 , wherein the refractory includes at least one oxide of one or more elements selected from Groups  2 - 14  of the Periodic Table. 
     
     
         33 . The reactor of  claim 31 , wherein the first thermal mass is in the form of at least one monolithic honeycomb having a mass≥1 kg; the refractory's oxide includes oxide of at least one of Al, Si, Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, Ti, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Sc, La, Yt, Zr, and Ce; the refractory's specific heat capacity at 300° K. is in the range of from 0.04 [kj/(° K. kg)] to 1.2 [kj/(° K. kg)]; the refractory's mass density is in the range of from 3000 kg/m 3  to 5000 kg/m3; and t R  is in the range of from 0.01 second to 0.4 second. 
     
     
         34 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the internal channel includes a plurality of substantially parallel passages having a having a passage density in the range of from 77000/m 2  to 1.3×10 6 /m 2 . 
     
     
         35 . The reactor of  claim 25 , wherein the elongated channeled thermal mass includes at least one monolithic honeycomb having a mass ≥1 kg.