Experiments were carried out in a downer reactor integrated in a circulating fluidized bed combustor to examine the performance of the coal topping process. The effects of reaction temperature and coal particle size on the product distribution and their compositions were determined. The experimental results show that an increase in temperature will increase the yields of gas and liquid product, and the liquid yield decreases with the increase in coal particle size. The experiments exhibit an optimal condition for the liquid product. When the pyrolysis temperature is 660°C and coal particle size is less than 0.28 mm, the yield of light tar (hexanesoluble fraction) reaches 7.5 wt % (dry coal basis). The light tar is composed of acid groups (57.1 wt %), crude gasoline (aliphatics) (12.9 wt %), aromatics (21.4 wt %), and polar and basic groups (8.6 wt %). The experiments indicate that the coal topping process is a promising technology for partially converting coal into liquid fuels and fine chemicals.

No abstract

A detailed kinetic model for a continuous catalytic reforming (CCR) process was developed. The model included 447 naphtha molecules (C1−C12) that underwent 1469 reactions. Paraffin and naphthenic isomers up to C9 components were fully depicted, whereas aromatic isomers were fully described up to C10. Coking kinetics and the corresponding deactivation of the catalyst were integrated into the model. The steady state kinetic parameters were tuned using pilot plant data for a widely used industrial catalyst. To enable the use of commercial plant data, the energy balance and catalyst moving mechanism of typical CCR reactors were also formulated. The model was then used to simulate an industrial unit loaded with the same catalyst after deactivation calibration by adjusting a few deactivation parameters. The results showed that calculated PONA fractions, individual aromatic species, and the temperature drops of each reactor were in good accord with industrial data.

No abstract

No abstract