Centrifugal Reactive-Molecular Distillation from High-Boiling-Point Petroleum Fractions. 1. Mathematical Modeling, Screening Variables, and Experimental Validation

The modeling and simulation of the reactive-molecular distillation process (centrifugal type-CRMD) to upgrade high-boiling-point petroleum fractions is presented in this work. A case study is presented for an atmospheric petroleum residue (673.15 K+) of “W” crude oil. The use of the Plackett–Burman and fractional factorial designs (2IV 4–1) permitted the evaluation of the effects of the independent variables (evaporator temperature, feed flow rate, percent weight of catalyst, feed temperature, condenser temperature, rotor speed, and system pressure) on the dependent variables: film thickness, surface evaporation rate, distillate mass flow rate, concentration profiles, and velocity profiles. The results showed that the independent variables, the evaporator temperature and the percent weight of catalyst, were relevant operational conditions for the performance of the CRMD process reaching a conversion of the feedstock about 65% at 3 wt % of catalyst and 64% at 5 wt % of catalyst in the distillate stream and 49% at 3 wt % of catalyst and 53% at 5 wt % of catalyst in the residue stream. Due to the rapid temperature rise in the thin liquid film, the thickness of the film rapidly decreased in this region, whereas the amount of distillate mass flow rate from the split molecules continuously increased.