Pyrolysis technology, industrial application

J. M. Femandez-Baujin and S. M. Solomon, "An Industrial Application of Pyrolysis Technology Lummus SRT-III Module," paper presented at the First Chemical Congress of the North American Continent, Mexico City, Nov. 30—Dec. 5,1975. 

Figure 1 shows a computational framework, representing many years of Braun s research and development efforts in pyrolysis technology. Input to the system is a data base including pilot, commercial and literature sources. The data form the basis of a pyrolysis reactor model consistent with both theoretical and practical considerations. Modern computational techniques are used in the identification of model parameters. The model is then incorporated into a computer system capable of handling a wide range of industrial problems. Some of the applications are reactor design, economic and flexibility studies and process optimization and control. 

Alternatives to oxychlorination have also been proposed as part of a balanced VCM plant. In the past, many vinyl chloride manufacturers used a balanced ethylene—acetylene process for a brief period prior to the commercialization of oxychlorination technology. Addition of HC1 to acetylene was used instead of ethylene oxychlorination to consume the HC1 made in EDC pyrolysis. Since the 1950s, the relative costs of ethylene and acetylene have made this route economically unattractive. Another alternative is HC1 oxidation to chlorine, which can subsequendy be used in direct chlorination (131). The Shell-Deacon (132), Kel-Chlor (133), and MT-Chlor (134) processes, as well as a process recendy developed at the University of Southern California (135) are among the available commercial HC1 oxidation technologies. Each has had very limited industrial application, perhaps because the equilibrium reaction is incomplete and the mixture of HC1, CL, CL, and water presents very challenging separation, purification, and handling requirements. HC1 oxidation does not compare favorably with oxychlorination because it also requires twice the direct chlorination capacity for a balanced vinyl chloride plant. Consequendy, it is doubtful that it will ever displace oxychlorination in the production of vinyl chloride by the balanced ethylene process. 

Fernandez-Baujin, J.M. Solomon, S.M. An industrial application of pyrolysis technology Lummus SRT III module. In Industrial and Laboratory Pyrolysis Albright, L.F., Crynes, B.L., Eds. ACS Symposium Series 32 American Chemical Society Washington, D.C., 1976 Chapter 20. 

An Industrial Application of Pyrolysis Technology Lummus SRT in Module... 

The subject of fluidization and research and development in this field, probably reached its peak in the early 1980 s with extensive work being applied by the petroleum industry in synthetic fuels development such as shale oil, coal gasification, pyrolysis applications. Prior to this, significant development work was done in the petroleum industry for flexicracking and flexicoking operations. Fluidization still remains an area of active research and industry development, and the technology is well established in a variety of industry sectors. 

Modern technology has caused a sharp decline in the value of wood and other cellulosic substances as fuel, but it has produced a significant increase in their application as industrial and constructional materials, and has created a concerted emphasis on the problems of pyrolysis and combustion. 

On the basis of these circumstances, the need for a better solid waste disposal system has stimulated a great deal of interest in the application of pyrolysis to solid wastes instead of the traditional incineration system in our country. Since the Agency of Industrial Science Technology, MITI had launched the national project on development of technology and system of resource recovery from refuse in 1973, more than a dozen processes of PTGL are being developed at the national level, municipal level, and the level of private companies as shown in Table I. 

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