Pyrolysis reactor conversion of hydrocarbon feedstocks into higher value hydrocarbons

A process for the manufacture of a hydrocarbon pyrolysis product from a hydrocarbon feed using a regenerative pyrolysis reactor system, wherein the reactor system includes (i) a first reactor comprising a first end and a second end, and (ii) a second reactor comprising primary end and a secondary end, and the first and second reactors are oriented in a series flow relationship with respect to each other such that the secondary end of the second reactor is proximate the second end of the first reactor, the process comprises the steps of:

• (a) heating a nonvolatile-containing hydrocarbon feedstock to a temperature sufficient to form a vapor phase that is essentially free of nonvolatiles and a liquid phase containing the nonvolatiles;
• (b) separating the vapor phase from the liquid phase;
• (c) supplying a first reactant through a first channel in the first reactor and supplying at least a second reactant through a second channel in the first reactor, such that the first and second reactants are supplied to the first reactor from the first end of the first reactor;
• (d) combining the first and second reactants at the second end of the first reactor and reacting the combined first and second reactants to produce a heated reaction product;
• (e) passing the heated reaction product through the second reactor to transfer heat from the reaction product to the second reactor to produce a heated second reactor;
• (f) feeding the separated vapor phase through the heated second reactor to thermally convert the separated vapor phase into a pyrolysis product;
• (g) quenching the pyrolysis product;
• and
• (h) recovering the quenched pyrolysis product from the reactor system.