A novel semi-empirical kinetic model for predicting softening points of pitch precursors and its application to process optimization

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) 2025-01, Vol.380, p.133144, Article 133144
• Main Authors: Hsiao, Yu-Da, Yen, Hung-Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air-blowing process; Arrhenius equation; First order rate law; Makespan minimization; Pitch precursors; Semi-empirical model; Softening point
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2024.133144

•A novel non-isothermal kinetic model was developed for predicting softening points of pitch precursors.•The proposed method was applied to an industrial air-blowing process with complex operating procedures.•The operating procedure was optimized with the guidance of the proposed model.•Over 25 % savings of makespans and utility usages were achieved. Pyrolysis fuel oil from an industrial naphtha cracker was used to prepare isotropic pitch precursors (IPPs) in a kilogram-scale air-blowing process. Due to its intrinsic nature of batch operations, the available data for model development is extremely limited, making data-driven techniques nearly inapplicable. Therefore, in this work, a novel semi-empirical model based on the first order rate law was proposed and developed to inference the softening points (SPs) of IPPs. The model was proven to be able to accurately predict the SPs by the given operating procedures in a prior to any new batch. Although the number of modeling samples were limited, with the physically interpretable model structure, the proposed model possesses good prediction and extrapolating performances. The model also showed its effectiveness to guide the constrained makespan minimization, and it was validated by real operations that over 25 % of time and utilities were saved for preparing IPPs with same SP level.