Effects of effluent pressure on the thermal cracking of crude oil: insights from thermal simulation experiments and phase analysis

Abstract

This study discusses the anhydrous glass tube isothermal pyrolysis simulation for a crude oil, in order to explore the effects of effluent pressure on crude oil cracking. The results of gas chromatograph indicate that effluent pressure promotes the cracking of crude oil, increasing yields of C1–C5 saturates but inhibiting the generation of olefins. According to the calibration result of Soave–Redlich–Kwong equation of state, fluid phase transitions occur at very high effluent pressures, resulting in constant effluent pressure with no further increase in cracking efficiency and with invariant yields of pyrolysates. This study suggests that fluid phase transitions should be considered in petroleum exploration, which can help us to precisely determine the type of petroleum resources.