Thermal and aerodynamic parameters radiation chambers of the hydrocarbon pyrolysis furnace

THE PURPOSE. To carry out mathematical modeling of interrelated physicochemical processes in radiation chambers of tubular furnaces of pyrolysis of hydrocarbons. Perform numerical calculations of heat and mass transfer in the furnace furnace chamber with a multi-tiered arrangement of wall burners on the side lined walls.METHODS. Using our own package of applied programs based on the numerical solution of a system of differential equations of energy conservation and equations of radiation gas dynamics, the fields of velocities and temperatures of natural gas combustion products in the radiation chamber of a hydrocarbon pyrolysis tubular furnace are calculated. Interrelated processes of natural gas combustion, radiant-convective heat transfer, and turbulent flow of flue gases take place in the radiation chamber. These processes are modeled by two-dimensional equations of the combustion model, energy transfer by radiation, and equations of motion. In the side walls of the radiation chamber on both sides in eight horizontal tiers there are wall burners in the amount of 128 pieces. Combustion products emerging from the nozzles of these burners create complex velocity and temperature fields in the chamber volume. Due to the radiation of flue gases, the smallest soot particles and hot lined walls of the radiation chamber, heat flows are formed to the tubular screen, where hydrocarbons are pyrolyzed to produce ethylene.RESULTS. As a result of calculations, the velocity fields, the temperature in the volume of the radiation chamber and the concentration of the main components of the combustion products were obtained. Local values of surface densities of radiant heat fluxes to reaction pipes for methane and propane pyrolysis furnaces are calculated. Comparisons of some of the results obtained with the readings of the devices of existing technological installations are carried out.CONCLUSION. Calculations show that the developed software package makes it possible to obtain realistic values of local velocities and temperatures in the radiation chambers of tube furnaces, surface densities of convective and radiant heat fluxes to boundary surfaces, and other thermal and gas-dynamic parameters in the furnace volume. With a multi-row arrangement of a large number of wall burners of low thermal power, a complex field of temperature and velocities of combustion products in the furnace volume is formed on the side walls of the radiation chamber of the furnace. At the same time, this arrangement of the burners ensures a fairly uniform distribution of heat flows over the surface of the tubular screen of the hydrocarbon pyrolysis furnace.