Assessment of thermal explosion for an industrial recovery reactor by GC/MS product analysis combined with calorimetric techniques

Highlights: • Hybrid methods were applied to obtain the thermal hazard of oligomerized reaction. • Adsorbent products of coke from oligomerization were revealed by GC/MS. • Results render safer process information for avoiding the over-temperature reactor. • Thermal hazards of real conditions in the reactor were simulated via CFD. - Abstract: The reaction of propylene with adsorbents such as BASF selexsorb CD and UOP of various sizes was studied. Adiabatic runaway tests were conducted on propylene mixed with various adsorbents to obtain knowledge on the thermal profile of each. Thermokinetic data were obtained from non-isothermal calorimetric study from the oligomerized reaction between propylene and various adsorbents. A detailed distribution of sorbent product from the adsorber has been analyzed for carbon product greater than 6 ( >C₆) using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry results. The test revealed oligomerization and carbonaceous deposit formation of the adsorbent products. The reason for over-temperature of the reactor wall can be anticipated from the agglomeration of carbonaceous deposit disrupting the normal flow of propylene stream causing channeling and lowering the carry-away of heat-accumulated. This approach of real conditions, along with the simulation of process design and operation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies, can render safer process information for avoiding the occurrence of similar runaway explosion induced industrial disaster.