GB843884A - Improvements in or relating to the thermal treatment of hydrocarbons - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0843884/IV(b)/1> A process for pyrolysing hydrocarbons to form less saturated hydrocarbons such as acetylene and ethylene comprises preheating fuel and comburent gases and separately introducing them into the combustion chamber of a pyrolysis furnace in opposing directions forming an angle of at least 90 degrees to one another, at a flow rate of 100 to 200 m. per second, and with substantially equal momenta, the gases being introduced through holes of small diameter arranged in concentric circles with respect to the longitudinal axis of the furnace each hole for introducing fuel gas corresponding to a hole for introducing comburent gas, and the axis of two corresponding holes being inclined to one another at an angle of at least 90 degrees whereby the fuel and comburent are introduced in said opposing directions and form a ring of flame which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the combustion chamber and wherein the hydrocarbon to be pyrolysed is injected into the hot combustion gases formed by the flames and then quenching the flames with water. In a typical example a coke oven gas preheated to 450 DEG C. and comprising 58,9% hydrogen and 25,4% of methane is fed through a pile 6 and a duct 8 and is introduced into the combustion chamber 2 through the holes 121. Oxygen also preheated to 450 DEG C. enters the combustion chamber through a pipe 5 a duct 7 and holes 12. The gaseous reagents impinge upon each other at an angle of 90 degrees and are ignited to form a ring of flame. Steam at a temperature of 700 DEG C. comes from the space 19 and is injected through a slit 20. After quenching by transversely injecting water through the central sprayer 10 the pyrolysis gases contain 9,8% of acetylene and 11,2% of ethylene.