TC - Thermal cracking pilot plant
Description
The Thermal Cracking Pilot Plant is a high-temperature, skid-mounted experimental unit designed to study thermal and steam cracking reactions under industrially representative conditions. It enables the evaluation of feedstock behavior, reaction severity, coke formation, and product selectivity to support process development and scale-up of commercial cracking technologies. Hydrocarbon feedstocks are vaporized and diluted with steam prior to entering a tubular radiant cracking reactor. Cracking is performed at high temperature and very short residence time. The reactor effluent is rapidly quenched to suppress secondary reactions, followed by cooling and gas–liquid separation. Gas and liquid products are continuously measured to ensure accurate mass balance closure. The reactor can be periodically decoked using a controlled oxidation procedure.
Features
Tubular cracking reactor operating up to ~950 °C with sub-second residence time
Multi-zone electrically heated furnace with precise axial temperature control
Steam dilution and feed vaporization for coke control and reaction severity adjustment
Broad feedstock flexibility: C₂–C₄ gases, LPG, naphtha, gasoils, waxes
Rapid quench system to suppress secondary reactions
Integrated gas–liquid separation and in-situ decoking capability
Continuous gas and liquid product measurement for full mass balance
PLC/SCADA automation for unattended operation
Skid-mounted, modular design for pilot-scale testing
Benefits
* Generates high-quality, industrially relevant cracking data
* Enables safe testing under severe thermal conditions
* Supports reliable extrapolation to commercial steam crackers
