| The formation of aerosols of fine droplets or powder in a vapour can contribute to carry over of non-volatile components in process equipment. In the case of fluid cokers for conversion of bitumen and heavy petroleum fractions, operation near the dew point could lead to aerosol formation by heterogeneous condensation. This work evaluates the potential for aerosol formation by heterogeneous condensation due to vapour phase chemical reactions. Due to the complex and undefined nature of the vapour mixtures in the fluid coker, model compounds were selected to represent the major reactive hydrocarbon types in the vapour phase. We assume that the change in the dew point of such mixtures will be comparable to the actual reactor material. By comparing the boundaries for aerosol formation under different operating conditions to the composition of actual coker products, we conclude that vapour phase chemical reactions are unlikely to give aerosol under isothermal operation. |
