A coupled CFD simulation approach for investigating the pyrolysis process in industrial naphtha thermal cracking furnaces

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2021.03.028

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2022, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 528-542.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2021.03.028

A coupled CFD simulation approach for investigating the pyrolysis process in industrial naphtha thermal cracking furnaces

Mohsen Rezaeimanesh¹, Ali Asghar Ghoreyshi¹, S.M. Peyghambarzadeh², Seyed Hassan Hashemabadi³

1 Chemical Engineering Department, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Shariati Ave., 47148-71167 Babol, Iran;
2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Mahshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahshahr, Iran;
3 Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Research Laboratory, School of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran

Received:2020-09-18 Revised:2021-02-21 Online:2022-06-18 Published:2022-04-28
Contact: Ali Asghar Ghoreyshi,E-mail:aa_ghoreyshi@nit.ac.ir
Supported by:
The authors greatly acknowledge the support of Bandar-e-Imam petrochemical company (BIPC), Iran, which help the authors provide the industrial data and also their technical support to this research.

A coupled CFD simulation approach for investigating the pyrolysis process in industrial naphtha thermal cracking furnaces

Mohsen Rezaeimanesh¹, Ali Asghar Ghoreyshi¹, S.M. Peyghambarzadeh², Seyed Hassan Hashemabadi³

1 Chemical Engineering Department, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Shariati Ave., 47148-71167 Babol, Iran;
2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Mahshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahshahr, Iran;
3 Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Research Laboratory, School of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran

通讯作者: Ali Asghar Ghoreyshi,E-mail:aa_ghoreyshi@nit.ac.ir
基金资助:
The authors greatly acknowledge the support of Bandar-e-Imam petrochemical company (BIPC), Iran, which help the authors provide the industrial data and also their technical support to this research.

Abstract

Abstract: In the steam thermal cracking of naphtha, the hydrocarbon stream flows inside tubular reactors and is exposed to flames of a series of burners in the firebox. In this paper, a full three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to investigate the process variables in the firebox and reactor coil of an industrial naphtha furnace. This comprehensive CFD model consists of a standard k-ε turbulence model accompanied by a molecular kinetic reaction for cracking, detailed combustion model, and radiative properties. In order to improve the steam cracking performance, the model is solved using a proposed iterative algorithm. With respect to temperature, product yield and specially propylene-to-ethylene ratio (P/E), the simulation results agreed well with industrial data obtained from a mega olefin plant of a petrochemical complex. The deviation of P/E results from industrial data was less than 2%. The obtained velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles were used to investigate the residence time, coking rate, coke concentration, and some other findings. The coke concentration at coil exit was 1.9 × 10^-3 %(mass) and the residence time is calculated to be 0.29 s. The results can be used as a scientific guide for process engineers.

Key words: Naphtha thermal cracking, CFD modeling, Systems engineering, Residence time, Product yield

摘要： In the steam thermal cracking of naphtha, the hydrocarbon stream flows inside tubular reactors and is exposed to flames of a series of burners in the firebox. In this paper, a full three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to investigate the process variables in the firebox and reactor coil of an industrial naphtha furnace. This comprehensive CFD model consists of a standard k-ε turbulence model accompanied by a molecular kinetic reaction for cracking, detailed combustion model, and radiative properties. In order to improve the steam cracking performance, the model is solved using a proposed iterative algorithm. With respect to temperature, product yield and specially propylene-to-ethylene ratio (P/E), the simulation results agreed well with industrial data obtained from a mega olefin plant of a petrochemical complex. The deviation of P/E results from industrial data was less than 2%. The obtained velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles were used to investigate the residence time, coking rate, coke concentration, and some other findings. The coke concentration at coil exit was 1.9 × 10^-3 %(mass) and the residence time is calculated to be 0.29 s. The results can be used as a scientific guide for process engineers.

关键词: Naphtha thermal cracking, CFD modeling, Systems engineering, Residence time, Product yield

Mohsen Rezaeimanesh, Ali Asghar Ghoreyshi, S.M. Peyghambarzadeh, Seyed Hassan Hashemabadi. A coupled CFD simulation approach for investigating the pyrolysis process in industrial naphtha thermal cracking furnaces[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2022, 44(4): 528-542.

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A coupled CFD simulation approach for investigating the pyrolysis process in industrial naphtha thermal cracking furnaces

A coupled CFD simulation approach for investigating the pyrolysis process in industrial naphtha thermal cracking furnaces

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