Abstract :
In this study,thermodynamic analysis of hexane cracking was conducted by Gibbs free energy minimization method and second law analysis of overall reactions. By-products were divided into three groups of methane, alkynes and aromatics and their possible production paths were discussed. Effect of operating conditions such as temperature and steam-to-hexane ratio on the cracking performance was also investigated. The principal set of compounds considered in the modelling was hydrogen, water, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, methyl acetylene, butane, butylene and hexane. Results showed that Hexane conversion increased with increase of temperature and steam content. As temperature increased, the equilibrium olefin yield showed a volcano-shaped trend. In the presence of methane, the maximum olefin yield declined and shifted to lower temperatures. When aromatics were considered in the product list, the light olefins yield was negligible. Equilibrium predicted that adding steam to the feed stream led to the decrease of coke deposition through suppressing of aromatization reaction.
