Direct heating electric tube for upgrading hydrocarbons with controlled tube material temperature
AssigneeDow Global Technologies LLC
InventorsQuan Yuan, Huan T. Ngo, Georgios Bellos, Deepak Kumar, Albert D. Harvey, III, Lihui Wang, David Burns
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Abstract
A heating apparatus for upgrading a hydrocarbon fluid comprises a current voltage source and has at least one electrically conductive tube, wherein the tube material temperature is controlled with geometries that alter the resistance along the U-shaped portion of the electrically conductive tube such that the resistance is less than the resistance along the straight portions of the electrically conductive tube. The heating apparatus can be used for steam cracking process to produce ethylene.
Claims15
An apparatus for upgrading a hydrocarbon fluid comprising:
- at least one electrically conductive tube comprising a hydrocarbon channel having a centerline and at least one curve, such that the electrically conductive tube comprises a plurality of straight portions and at least one U-shaped portion, wherein the U-shaped portion comprises:
- an outer wall extending between an outer semicircle of the U-shaped portion and the hydrocarbon channel and having a thickness, wUo, and
- an inner wall extending between an inner semicircle of the U-shaped portion and the hydrocarbon channel and having a thickness, wUi, wherein a ratio of wUo to wUi is within greater than or equal to 1.2 and less than or equal to
- 2
- ×
- (
- D
- +
- d
- D
- -
- d
- )
- 2
- ,
- where D is a distance between centerlines of the plurality of straight portions and d is a tube diameter;
- and
- a current voltage source electrically connected to the electrically conductive tube.
An apparatus for upgrading a hydrocarbon fluid comprising:
- a current voltage source;
- and
- at least one electrically conductive tube comprising a hydrocarbon channel having a centerline and at least one curve, such that the electrically conductive tube comprises a plurality of straight portions and at least one U-shaped portion, wherein:
- the current voltage source is electrically connected to the electrically conductive tube, and
- the plurality of straight portions comprise a first straight portion connected to a first end of the U-shaped portion and a second straight portion connected to a second end of the U-shaped portion, such that the first straight portion and the second straight portion are separated by the U-shaped portion;
- and
- at least one electrical coupler electrically connecting the first straight portion and the second straight portion, wherein a resistance of the electrical coupler is less than half a resistance of the U-shaped portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.