Investigation on high temperature thermal conductivity of various coke samples

NOVA Chemicals是位于加拿大阿尔伯塔省卡尔加里市的一家领先的化学品和聚合物材料制造商。他们为世界各地生产消费品、工业品和包装产品的客户开发和制造材料。NOVA Chemicals生产工业聚合物的技术之一是烃类热裂解。NOVA Chemicals面临的挑战之一是在裂解反应器中产生焦炭材料。由于热裂解法的操作温度很高（约1000 ℃），在裂解盘管的内表面上会产生焦炭层。这种不希望沉积的材料造成了一些困难，例如减少了从炉表面到处理气体的热传递，并增加了穿过盘管的压降。为了去除焦炭材料，生产线应停止除焦。已经开发了各种方法和技术来减少焦炭的产生;然而，这种不需要的材料的形成仍然是不可避免的。为了优化工艺条件，提高乙烯生产效率，减少焦炭的结焦，研究NOVA化学反应器中热裂解过程中生成焦炭的热性质是非常重要的。卡尔加里大学（UCalgary）团队利用原始Engage Grant设计并制造了一种新的热导率测量系统，能够在惰性气体环境下工作高达1000 C。此外，卡尔加里大学的研究小组还展示了用NOVA化学公司提供的焦炭样品进行高温热导率测量的方法。现在，原始Engage项目的成果使我们能够进一步研究NOVAChemicals热裂解反应器中生产的各种焦炭样品，并使我们能够研究焦炭样品的热导率作为孔隙率和成分的函数。对各种焦炭热性质的全面了解可以为NOVA化学公司优化其热裂解反应器的工艺条件提供很好的思路。因此，这项研究对赞助公司来说非常重要。

NOVA Chemicals is a leading manufacturer of chemicals and polymeric materials in Calgary, Alberta. Theydevelop and manufacture materials for customers worldwide who produce consumer, industrial and packagingproducts. One of the techniques to produce industrial polymers in NOVA Chemicals is thermal cracking ofhydrocarbons.One of the challenges of NOVA Chemicals is the creation of coke material within the cracking reactors. Due tothe very high operating temperature in the thermal cracking method (about 1000C), a coke layer is created onthe internal surface of the cracking coils. This undesirably deposited material creates some difficulties such asdecreasing the heat transfer from furnace surfaces to the processing gas and increasing the pressure drop acrossthe coil. To remove the coke material, the production line should be stopped for decoking. Various methodsand techniques have been developed for reducing the coke generation; however, the formation of this unwantedmaterial has remained inevitable. To optimize the processing condition for more efficient ethylene productionand less decoking, it is very crucial to investigate the thermal properties of the generated coke during thethermal cracking process in NOVA Chemicals reactors. With original Engage Grant, University of Calgary(UCalgary) team has designed and fabricated a new thermal conductivity measurement system capable ofoperating up to 1000C under inert gas environment. In addition, UCalgary team has demonstrated hightemperature thermal conductivity measurements with coke samples provided by NOVA Chemicals. Now, theoutcomes of original Engage Project allow us to further investigate various coke samples produced in NOVAChemicals thermal cracking reactors and enable us to investigate thermal conductivity of coke samples as afunction of porosity and compositions. Comprehensive understanding of thermal properties of various cokesamples may give NOVA Chemicals good ideas how to optimize processing conditions of their thermalcracking reactors. Therefore this proposed study is very vital for the sponsoring company.