Catalytic Coating for Reduced Coke Formation in Steam Cracking Reactors

Catalytic selective ethane dehydrogenation at low-temperature with low coke formation

Catalytic ethane dehydrogenation (EDH) was investigated to improve the efficient production of ethylene, an extremely important chemical feedstock. The perovskite oxide YCrO₃ was found to be more suitable than earlier reported catalysts because it exhibits greater activity and C₂H₄ selectivity (94.3%) in the presence of steam at 973 K. This catalyst shows the highest activity than ever under kinetic conditions, and shows very high ethane conversion under integral reaction conditions. Comparison with EDH performance under conditions without steam revealed that steam plays an important role in stabilizing the high activity. Raman spectra of spent catalysts indicated that steam prevents coke formation, which is responsible for deactivating YCrO₃. Transmission IR and XPS measurements also revealed a mechanism by which H₂O forms surface oxygen species on YCrO₃, consequently removing C₂H₆-derived coke precursors rapidly and inhibiting coke accumulation.

Catalytic ethane dehydrogenation for improving efficient production of ethylene, an extremely important chemical feedstock.

Symoens S, Olahova N, Reyniers MF, B. Marin G, M. Van Geem K. Alumina-based Coating for Coke Reduction in Steam Crackers

Alumina-based coatings have been claimed as being an advantageous modification in industrial ethylene furnaces. In this work, on-line experimentally measured coking rates of a commercial coating (CoatAlloy™) have pointed out its superiority compared to an uncoated reference material in an electrobalance set-up. Additionally, the effects of presulfiding with 500 ppmw DMDS per H₂O, continuous addition of 41 ppmw S per HC of DMDS, and a combination thereof were evaluated during ethane steam cracking under industrially relevant conditions (T_gasphase = 1173 K, P_tot = 0.1 MPa, X_C2H6 = 70%, dilution δ = 0.33 kg_H2O/kg_HC). The examined samples were further evaluated using online thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy and energy diffractive X-ray for surface and cross-section analysis together with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for surface analysis. The passivating coating illustrated a better performance than the reference Ni-Cr Fe-base alloy after application of an improved pretreatment, followed by piddling changes on the product distribution. Presulfiding of the coating affected negatively the observed coking rates in comparison with the reference alloy, so alternative presulfiding and sulfur addition strategies are recommended when using this barrier coating.

Sustainable innovations in steam cracking: CO2 neutral olefin production

Steam cracking of hydrocarbons is and will be the main process to produce light olefins but emits large quantities of CO₂. Enhancing heat transfer in the radiation section, using green energy and novel furnace designs will be key to substantially reducing CO₂ emissions.

Effect of Long-Term High Temperature Oxidation on the Coking Behavior of Ni-Cr Superalloys

The service time of an industrial cracker is strongly dependent on the long-term coking behavior and microstructure stability of the reactor coil alloy. Super alloys are known to withstand temperatures up to even 1400 K. In this work, several commercially available alloys have been first exposed to a long term oxidation at 1423 K for 500 h, so-called metallurgic aging. Subsequently, their coking behavior was evaluated in situ in a thermogravimetric setup under ethane steam cracking conditions (T_gasphase = 1173 K, P_tot = 0.1 MPa, X_C2H6 = 70%, continuous addition of 41 ppmw S/HC of DMDS, dilution δ = 0.33 kg_H2O/kg_HC) and compared with their unaged coking behavior. The tested samples were also examined using scanning electron microscopy and energy diffractive X-ray for surface and cross-section analysis. The alloys characterized by increased Cr-Ni content or the addition of Al showed improved stability against bulk oxidation and anti-coking behavior after application of metallurgic aging due to the formation of more stable oxides on the top surface.

Shale Gas Implications for C2-C3 Olefin Production: Incumbent and Future Technology

Substantial natural gas liquids recovery from tight shale formations has produced a significant boon for the US chemical industry. As fracking technology improves, shale liquids may represent the same for other geographies. As with any major industry disruption, the advent of shale resources permits both the chemical industry and the community an excellent opportunity to have open, foundational discussions on how both public and private institutions should research, develop, and utilize these resources most sustainably. This review summarizes current chemical industry processes that use ethane and propane from shale gas liquids to produce the two primary chemical olefins of the industry: ethylene and propylene. It also discusses simplified techno-economics related to olefins production from an industry perspective, attempting to provide a mutually beneficial context in which to discuss the next generation of sustainable olefin process development.

Atomic-Level Simulation Study of n-Hexane Pyrolysis on Silicon Carbide Surfaces

Ethylene production plays a key role in the petrochemical industry. The severe operation conditions of ethylene thermal cracking, such as high-temperature and coke-formation, pose challenges for the development of new corrosion-resistant and coking-resistant materials for ethylene reactor radiant coils tubes (RCTs). We investigated the performance of ceramic materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) in severe pyrolysis conditions by using reactive force field molecular dynamics (ReaxFF MD) simulation method. Our results indicate that β-SiC surface remains fully stable at 1500 K, whereas increased temperature results in melted interface. At 2500 K, fully grown cross-linked-graphene-like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon coking structure on SiC surfaces was observed. Such coking was particularly severe in the carbon-side of the surface slab. The coking structures were mainly derived from surface atoms at the initial 3.0 ns, as a result of the loss of interfacial hydroxyl layer and further hydrothermal corrosion. The SiC substrate surface enhances the ethylene cracking rate and also leads to different intermediate-state compounds. Our fundamental research will have significant and broad impact on both petrochemical industry and academic research in materials science, petrochemistry, and combustion chemistry.