thermal cracking
Quick Summary
Thermal cracking is a chemical process used in petroleum refining to break down heavy hydrocarbon molecules into lighter ones. This is achieved through the application of heat and, often, pressure. It is a crucial method for producing gasoline and diesel fuel.1
The process yields lighter oils, which can be used directly or further refined, as well as gases like methane and ethylene. These gases are valuable raw materials for petrochemical plants, used in the creation of products such as plastics and synthetic rubber.1
The first thermal cracking process was developed in 1913. Later advancements included the use of catalysts to improve the quality of the products and hydrocracking, which utilizes hydrogen gas to enhance the hydrogen-carbon ratio in the cracked molecules. Thermal cracking is distinguished from catalytic cracking by its reliance on heat and pressure alone.12
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- gasoline
Thermal cracking, employing heat and high pressures, was introduced in 1913 but was replaced after 1937 by catalytic cracking, the application of catalysts that facilitate chemical reactions producing more gasoline. Other methods used to improve the quality of gasoline and increase its supply include polymerization,…
Read MoreThermal cracking, employing heat and high pressures, was introduced in 1913 but was replaced after 1937 by catalytic cracking, the application of catalysts that facilitate chemical reactions producing more gasoline. Other methods used to improve the quality of gasoline and increase its supply include polymerization,…
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petroleum refiningConversion to light fuelsThe earliest process, called thermal cracking, consisted of heating heavier oils (for which there was a low market requirement) in pressurized reactors and thereby cracking, or splitting, their large molecules into the smaller ones that form the lighter, more valuable fractions such as gasoline, kerosene, and light industrial fuels.…
Read MoreThe earliest process, called thermal cracking, consisted of heating heavier oils (for which there was a low market requirement) in pressurized reactors and thereby cracking, or splitting, their large molecules into the smaller ones that form the lighter, more valuable fractions such as gasoline, kerosene, and light industrial fuels.…
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petrochemical…from the development of the thermal-cracking process by which crude petroleum was refined. The process yielded gaseous by-products that were at first used only as illuminating gas or as fuel but were found useful as chemical raw materials in the 1920s and ’30s. The introduction of catalytic cracking in 1937…
Read More…from the development of the thermal-cracking process by which crude petroleum was refined. The process yielded gaseous by-products that were at first used only as illuminating gas or as fuel but were found useful as chemical raw materials in the 1920s and ’30s. The introduction of catalytic cracking in 1937…
Read More- petroleum refiningOlefins
The thermal cracking processes developed for refinery processing in the 1920s were focused primarily on increasing the quantity and quality of gasoline components. As a by-product of this process, gases were produced that included a significant proportion of lower-molecular-weight olefins, particularly ethylene, propylene, and butylene.
Read MoreThe thermal cracking processes developed for refinery processing in the 1920s were focused primarily on increasing the quantity and quality of gasoline components. As a by-product of this process, gases were produced that included a significant proportion of lower-molecular-weight olefins, particularly ethylene, propylene, and butylene.
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