Mr. Gray et al., Coupling of mass transfer and reaction in coking of thin films of an Athabasca vacuum residue, IND ENG RES, 40(15), 2001, pp. 3317-3324
The coupling of reaction and mass transfer was investigated for the thermal
cracking of thin films of an Athabasca vacuum residue. Thin films of the v
acuum residue were coated on the interior of a stainless steel tube and the
n heated to 530 degreesC using induction heating. Vapor products were swept
out of the reaction zone with nitrogen, and reactions in the liquid phase
were allowed to proceed to completion. Coke yield, total liquid product, an
d gas make were determined for initial film thicknesses ranging from 10 to
80 mum. Product qualities of the liquid samples were characterized by high-
temperature simulated distillation and microcarbon residue concentration. T
he coke yield decreased as the film thickness was reduced, while the yield
of distillate products (< 524 degreesC boiling point) increased. As the fil
m thickness was reduced, the mode of mass transport shifted from bubbling i
n thick films to diffusion through a stagnant thin film. These results were
consistent with a decrease in the trapping of cracked products in coke as
the film thickness was reduced, because of more effective transport of prod
ucts out of the liquid phase. A mathematical model was developed to analyze
the results and to estimate the diffusivity of gases in the reacting liqui
d phase.