Solvent Control for Centrifugation of Steam Cracked Tar

A process for preparing a low particulate liquid hydrocarbon product comprising:

• blending a tar stream comprising particles with a fluid to produce a fluid-feed mixture comprising tar, the particles, and the fluid, wherein the fluid-feed mixture comprises about 30 wt % or greater of the fluid based on a combined weight of the tar stream and the fluid, and
• wherein the fluid-feed mixture comprises >500 ppmw of the particles having a size of greater than 25 μm, based on the weight of the fluid-feed mixture;
• and
• centrifuging the fluid-feed mixture to produce a higher density portion and a lower density portion,
• wherein:
• the lower density portion comprises ≤25% of the particles in the fluid-feed mixture, based on the weight of particles in the feed-fluid mixture, or
• the lower density portion comprises ≤500 ppmw of particles having a size of greater than 25 μm, based on the weight of the lower density portion.

A process for preparing a low particulate liquid hydrocarbon product comprising:

• heat soaking a steam cracker tar stream comprising particles having a size>25 μm;
• then
• blending the steam cracker tar stream with a utility fluid to produce a fluid-feed mixture comprising the steam cracker tar and the fluid, wherein the fluid-feed mixture comprises about 30 wt % to about 70 wt % of the utility fluid based on a combined weight of the steam cracker tar stream and the utility fluid, wherein the fluid-feed mixture comprises ≥500 ppm by weight of the particles in the steam cracker tar having a size>25 μm, and wherein the particles have a specific gravity from about 1.04 to about 1.5;
• and
• centrifuging the fluid-feed mixture to produce a higher density portion and a lower density portion, wherein the lower density portion comprises ≤100 ppmw of particles having a size>25 μm.