Kinetic Characteristics of Thermolysis in Catalytic Cracking Slurry

The high temperature macrokinetics associated with the thermolysis of low sulfur catalytic cracking slurry with the formation of needle coke was studied. The experiments were carried out using a laboratory setup with a quartz microreactor at 450–500°C and a process duration of up to 300 minutes. It was established that the process occurs in two stages, its kinetics obeying the Avrami-Erofeev equation; the rate constant of the process at both stages has a diffusion nature. The second stage involves thermal condensation of polycyclic hydrocarbons with the formation of mesophase and needle coke. The results of the study were confirmed by optical microscopy in polarized light, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electron spectroscopy.