Studies on thermal cracking behavior of vacuum residues in Eureka process

► Thermal cracking of VR in Eureka process results in cracked oil, off-gas, and pitch. ► The quality of the products and yield distribution were investigated. ► Result analysis revealed that the thermal cracking follows first order kinetic. ► Significant increase in the saturate fraction was observed in the cracked oil. ► The stability and compatibility of cracked oils were evaluated. Vacuum residues derived from three Kuwaiti crude oils, both conventional and heavy, were thermally cracked in a pilot-scale semi-batch reactor that simulates the cracking operation performance in the Eureka process. The thermal cracking of the vacuum residues resulted in three products: cracked oil, off-gas, and pitch. The effect of operating conditions (i.e. reaction temperature and residence time) on the quality of the products and yield distribution has been investigated. The study also determines the kinetic parameters from the experimental data and compares them with the ones predicted from a previously developed five-lumps discrete kinetic model [1]. The stabilities of the thermally cracked oils were also evaluated using the oxidation stability test while their compatibility with the crude oils were assessed using the Oil Compatibility Model of Exxon.