Agas cracker is any device that splits themolecules in agas orliquid, usually byelectrolysis, intoatoms. The end product is usually a gas. Ahydrocracker is an example of a gas cracker. In nature, molecules are split often, such as in food digestion and microbialdigestion activity. A gas cracker device splits the molecule at a rate much greater than that normally found in nature. In science and industry, gas crackers are used to separate two or more elements in a molecule. For example, liquidwater, orH
2O, is separated into hydrogen and oxygen gases. This is not to be confused with the splitting of thenucleus (nuclear power).
Petrochemicals are usually manufactured in large scale from petroleum feed stocks usingfluid catalytic cracking. Naphtha, natural gas, refinery off-gas and gas from cokers and thermal crackers are good sources. Thus natural gas is one of the most wanted feed stocks for petrochemicals production. The thermal cracking of natural gas proceeds at very high temperature resulting in olefins (Mostly ethylene/propylene). The temperature in agas cracker exceeds 1000°C. For ultimate decomposition of gas into elements more than 1500 °C is required. Thus,acetylene/carbon black production encounters such high temperatures. Usuallyoxy-combustion methods are used for attaining such high temperatures.BASF burners/Kellog burners are available in the market.
Furtherelectro cracking orplasma cracking methods are also available.
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