THERMAL CONVERSION
PROCESSES
• Thermal Cracking
• Visbreaking
• Coking
• Coke Calcination
• THERMAL CRACKING
The processes is which hydrocarbons are decomposed
at elevated temperatures to from material of lower Mol. wt.
are called thermal conversion process. Any fraction of the
crude from Naphtha to Vac. Residue – can be processed
thermally.
The most important types of thermal conversion process
are thermal cracking, visbreaking and coking.
Thermal cracking is used for conversion of residues and
higher Mol. wt. hydrocarbons into more useful products by
cracking the large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones
at a temp. level of 4500 – 5000C.
Cracking activity varies with the type of hydrocarbons
and decrease in the following order:
n–paraffin > Isoparaffins > cycloparaffins > aromatics >
aromatics / naphthenics > polynuclear aromatics.
Olefins crack to smaller olefins and di-olefins
Important variables in thermal cracking are Temp.;
pressure and residence time.
Cracking reactions begin to occur at Temp. of 315 – 3700C.
Pressure determines the phase in which the cracking
reactions take place. Thermal cracking conversion increases
with temp. and residence time.
Under very severe thermal cracking conditions, there is
tendency for coke formation.
Cracking also generates double bonded hydrocarbons
(olefins). Side reactions like condensation and polymerization
reactions also occur leading to gum formation and tar-like
polymerization products. (To avoid this, gasoline or diesel
blend produced from thermal cracking process are
hydrotreated to make them stable usable product).
Since products of thermal cracking have very poor stability
and require further treatment ; Fluid catalytic cracking FCC
finds more favors with refiners.
• Simplified Thermal Cracking Process :
Simple Thermal cracking process produces gas,
naphtha, middle distillates and thermal tar from almost
all variety of charge stocks from distillates to the
heaviest crude and residual oils.
F Gas oil
Cyclone R
A Heavy Distillate
C + Recycle
Long T
I
Residue O
N
Furnace A Furnace
T
O
Cracked R
Residue
Cracked Residue
Gas+ Gasoline
F
R Gas Oil
A
C
T
Short I
Residue O
N
A
Furnace T
O
R
Cracked Residue
Thermal cracking process
TYPICAL operating conditions and The Yield Patterns in The
SHELL process for Long Residue (Atmospheric Distillation column
bottoms) and Short Residue (Vacuum Distillation column bottoms)
are :
Cracking temperature, 0C 450 – 500
Furnace outlet pressure, kgf/cm2
(a) For residue 4
(b) For heavy residue 20
Typical Yield Pattern
The yield of fractions in the Shell process for long residue and short
residue
Yield, wt. % on feed
Long residue Short residue
Products
(Two furnace operation) (One furnace operation)
C1 – C4 4 2
C5 – 1650C 8.5 4
165 – 3500C 23.5 12
• VISBREAKING
Heater
Gasoline
Reduced
Crude Steam
Charge Gas Oil
Tar
Typical operating condition
Equipment Operating parameter
Furnace
Furnace inlet temp. 0C 3400C
Furnace outlet temp. 0C 470 – 4900C
Furnace inlet pres; kg/cm 2 22
Furnace outlet pres; kg/cm 2 15
Residence time ; minutes 10
Quench temp; 0C 260
Columns
Fractionate Stabilizer
Top temp. 0C 138 50
Bottom temp 0C 360 160
Pressure kg/cm 2 5.5 8.5
Feed temp. 0C - 100
Flash zone temp. 0C 395 -
Typical yield pattern
Naphtha 4
Naphtha
Steam Steam
Gas Oil
Soaker
Drum
Tar
Heater
Residual
Stock
Typical operating condition
Equipment Operating parameter
Soaker Drum
Pre. 5 – 15 bar (g)
Temp. 4400C
Vapour Cracking minimum
Yield Pattern
Product Yield; % of feed
Gas 1.7
Naphtha (80-2000C) 3.1
Light gas oil (200-3500C) 13.2
Heavy gas oil (350-5200C) 27.0
Residue (5200C+) 55.0
Visbreaking is an effective and cost – effective
way to produce more valuable products from heavy
residues. Earlier, it used to reduce the viscosity and/
or pour point of a fuel oil but now it is employed to
obtain Cat. Cracker feed and to reduce fuel oil
production.
• COKING
Coking is the most widely practiced means of reducing
the C – H ratio of residual oils, Of the 2 main process –
delayed coking and fluid coking – more than 90% capacity is
in delayed coking units.
Delayed coking is a thermal cracking process in which a
hydrocarbon feedstock, mainly residue is converted to lighter
and more valuable products and coke.
Main advantage of the process is that it can take residual
stocks from a wide variety of process unit in a Refinery
Coking Furnace and the coke drums are the key elements in
the process. Cracking is initiated in the furnace tubes where
short residence time is allowed. Coking of the feed material
is delayed until it reaches large coking drums with larger
retention time; downstream of the coking heater.
Three types of coke structures can be produced shot,
sponge or needle coke.
Decoking Delayed Coking
Waterjet
Gas
Accumulator
Naphtha
Coke Drum P/A
Steam
Heavy
Steam
gas oil
Steam Gen.
Feed
Condensate
Drum
Coke
Process Description
Fuel Gas
Incinerator Rotary Kiln
&
Boiler
Rotary Cooler