The use of thermogravimetry as a means of predicting the performance of coke in delayed coking of a residue of Venezuelan origin

Abstract

A study, which shows the similarities in the results obtained through this technique and those corresponding to a process of delayed coking at laboratory scale, is presented. Fifteen mixtures with a controlled composition of SARA (saturate, aromatic, resin and asphaltene) fractions which make up the crude were processed both in a delayed coking laboratory unit (DCLU) and in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TG). The comparison of the behavior of the yield of the coke and volatile material obtained through both mediums, DCLU and TG, showed similarities in the mixtures with high aromatic and asphaltene content, but differences in the mixtures with high resin content which would be associated with the formulation of the same, thus indicating the synergy of the fractions within the chemical reaction process taking place, which lead to different reaction pathways depending on the composition of the mixture fed. The similarities in the results obtained through TG and those from DCLU, while not reproducing the exact magnitude of the results, may lead to this technique being a valid reference for the study of changes in the diets used in the process with low resource consumption at both laboratory and industrial scale.