Abstract
A continuous-flow chemical reactor is described which uses shock waves to effect pyrolysis of hydrocarbons for the commercial manufacture of olefins. In this reactor, heat is added to an inert carrier gas, which is cooled to sub-pyrolysis temperatures by expansion to supersonic speed, and mixed with a supersonic flow of feedstock. Deceleration of the mixture by a standing shock wave initiates pyrolysis. Short reaction durations and high pyrolysis temperatures result in higher olefin yields than are attainable with conventional reactors. A simulation of ethane pyrolysis using the shock wave reactor predicts a 20% increase in ethylene yield and a 15% decrease in energy consumption compared to conventional reactors.
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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Mattick, A.T., Russell, D.A., Hertzberg, A., Knowlen, C. (1995). Shock-Controlled Chemical Processing. In: Brun, R., Dumitrescu, L.Z. (eds) Shock Waves @ Marseille II. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78832-1_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78832-1_35
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-78834-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-78832-1
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