Pyrolysis of hydrocarbons in a heat-carrier flow with fast mixing of the components

A scheme of autothermal pyrolysis of hydrocarbons in a reactor with fast mixing of the feedstock with a high-temperature heat-carrier flow is considered. The possibility of providing fast mixing of the components is verified in a series of aerodynamic experiments in a model setup, where the optimal geometry of the mixer for operation conditions of the pyrolysis reactor is determined. An experimental reactor is designed and manufactured for verification of the concept proposed. A scheme of the propane pyrolysis reactor is given. Products of combustion of a hydrogen-air mixture are used as a heat carrier. Experimental distributions of the flow temperature and concentration of the injected substance at the exit of the reactor agree with results obtained in the model setup. The mixing time is demonstrated to be smaller than the residence time of the mixture in the reactor mixer by more than an order of magnitude, which allows the process to be arranged under controlled conditions. In addition to experimental research, several detailed kinetic schemes of hydrocarbon pyrolysis are tested on the basis of available experimental data. Results of kinetic calculations for the operation conditions of the experimental setup are presented. __________ Translated from Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 44, No. 5, pp. 38–44, September–October, 2008.