LAUSR

Thermal upgrading of Iranian heavy oil is studied on a laboratory scale. A setup is built to mimic the temperature profiles experienced in industrial cracking apparatus. Normally, raising the feed temperature from 340 to 440 °C requires a temperature profile spanning over 10–20 min in an industrial setting. This includes the residence time required for thermal cracking. In this study, it is observed that, through thermal upgrading, API gravity and kinematic viscosity are improved by 67% and 13×, respectively. Additionally, it is observed that temperature profiles leading to long residence times at temperatures below 400 °C yield products which are heavier than the virgin crude oil. Also, a new approach to kinetic modeling of thermal upgrading processes is presented. The new kinetic model takes into account both thermal cracking and poly condensation reactions through a set of 16 chemical reactions. Also, the new approach accounts for variations in reactor temperature and hence more applicable for industri...