Cracking of vacuum residue from Athabasca bitumen in a thin film

A novel apparatus for cracking experiments based on very rapid induction heating is described. Oil and catalyst is deposited in a thin film on a metal strip made from a Curie-point alloy and heated rapidly by induction in an induction furnace. The setup offers several advantages, such as rapid heating and quenching, precise control of reaction times and temperatures, and minimization of heat and mass transfer effects. The apparatus is used in a study of the catalytic activity of calcium-modified chabazite for heavy oil cracking. The catalyst was also tested in a conventional setup in cracking of hexadecane to verify its catalytic activity. A clear catalytic effect can be seen for the hexadecane cracking, but the effect is absent for thin film cracking of the vacuum residue.