Design of a Flexible Pilot Plant Reactor for the Steam Cracking Process

A design technique for a pilot plant reactor of single diameter is presented to scale up or down steam cracking coils of different configurations like mono-tubular, classical, and reversed splits. Using dimensional analysis, two criteria are selected in establishing partial similarity between different scales, the mean residence time, and the axial pressure profile in the reactor, in addition to preserving the flow pattern within the turbulent region. The sensitivity and accuracy of the proposed method is compared to another conceivable alternative that focuses on the lateral gradients. The pilot reactor coil is adapted for any large-scale reactor by the adjustment of feed flow rate and the effective length exposed to the firebox heat flux. Simulation results for naphtha cracking in a commercial split coil and also the equivalent pilot plant reactors are used for verification and validation of this method.