Optimization of a Thermal Cracking Reactor Using Genetic Algorithm and Water Cycle Algorithm

With the global production of 150 million tons in 2016, ethylene is one of the most significant building blocks in today's chemical industry. Most ethylene is now produced in cracking furnaces by thermal cracking of fossil feedstocks with steam. This process consumes around 8% of the main energy used in the petrochemical industry, making it the single most energy-intensive process in the chemical industry. This paper studies a tubular thermal cracking reactor fed by propane and the molecular mechanism of the reaction within the reactor. After developing the reaction model, the existing issues, such as the reaction, flow, momentum, and energy, were resolved by applying heat to the outer tube wall.