abstract |
A process for the thermal cracking of hydrocarbons by feeding them into a line together with a fused salt, which comprises: feeding a fused salt mixed with steam into a reaction tube of a thermal cracking furnace of external heating type and further feeding raw hydrocarbons mixed with steam into said reaction tube to thermally crack the raw hydrocarbons; quenching the resulting fluid mixture of the cracking products, fused salt and steam in a quenching device, then dividing the fluid mixture into the fused salt and a gaseous substance, removing sludge and, if necessary, sulfur compounds from thus separated fused salt and recirculating the fused salt to the reaction tube and the quenching device; and dividing thus separated gaseous substance into an oil containing coke, tarry substances and fused salt mist and the intended cracking gas, and subjecting the oil to treatment with steam to convert the coke and tarry substance in the oil into water gas or to partial burning treatment with air or oxygen to divide the same into a useful gas, oil and the fused salt and thereby recovering them. |