The invention relates to hydrocarbon pyrolysis, to equipment and materials useful for hydrocarbon pyrolysis, to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon pyrolysis, and to the use of hydrocarbon pyrolysis for, e.g., hydrocarbon upgrading.

Provided herein are absorbent polymers produced from beta-propiolactone, and methods and systems of producing such polymers. The beta-propiolactone may be derived from ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide. The absorbent polymer may be bio-based and/or biodegradable. The absorbent polymers may be used for diapers, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products, as well as for agricultural applications.

Apparatuses and associated methods for forming olefins from saturated hydrocarbon feedstock are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a carrier gas is introduced at a supersonic velocity to a feedstock injector section. A feedstock gas is introduced to the carrier gas stream using feedstock injectors that are offset in the streamwise direction one from another. The upstream feedstock injectors are positioned to inject feedstock gas to create plumes that improve penetration depth of the feedstock gas and reduce pressure losses at the downstream feedstock injectors. The feedstock gas can be regeneratively preheated by cooling the convergent-divergent nozzle. Water, steam and/or hydrogen gas can be injected into the apparatus for cooling the throat of the convergent-divergent nozzle.

A processing system and method of producing a particulate material from a liquid mixture are provided. The processing system generally includes a system inlet connected to one or more gas lines to deliver one or more gases into the processing system, one or more power jet modules adapted to jet a liquid mixture into one or more streams of droplets and to force the one or more streams of droplets into the processing system, and a reaction chamber adapted to deliver the one or more streams of droplets in the presence of the one or more gases and process the one or more streams of droplets into the particulate material. The method includes delivering one or more gases into a processing system, jetting the liquid mixture into one or more first droplets streams using one or more power jet modules of the processing system and into the processing system, and reacting the one or more first droplets streams delivered from the processing chamber inside a reaction chamber of the processing system in the presence of the one or more gases into the particulate material at a first temperature.

There is disclosed a method for cleaning a component of a plasma processing apparatus, a surface of the component being included in a surface that defines an inner space formed in a chamber of the plasma processing apparatus. The cleaning method comprises: forming a film on the surface of the component by supplying a first gas and a second gas into the inner space, wherein a compound forming the film is generated by polymerization of a first compound contained in the first gas and a second compound contained in the second gas, the first compound being isocyanate and the second compound being amine or a compound having a hydroxyl group; and removing, after substrate treatment is performed in the inner space, a deposit formed on the film during the substrate treatment by heating the component so that depolymerization of the compound forming the film occurs.

The invention relates to a method for producing a polymer from a first component and a second component by means of a reactor (50), wherein reaction heat in the reactor (50) is discharged via an evaporative cooler (40), wherein gaseous exhaust vapour in the reactor (50) is supplied to the evaporative cooler (40), and condensed exhaust vapour is guided from the evaporative cooler (40) back into the reactor (50). In this way, the first component and/or second component are supplied at least partially via the evaporative cooler (40) and moved from the evaporative cooler (40) into the reactor (50). The invention also relates to a system for producing a polymer, comprising a reactor (50) and an evaporative cooler (40) for discharging reaction heat in the reactor (50). In addition, the evaporative cooler (40) has at least one filling opening (46) for filling in the first and/or second component.

A system and method combine a first reactant with a second reactant to create a reaction product. A first pump is in fluid communication with a reaction vessel and a source of the first reactant. A second pump is in fluid communication with the reaction vessel and a source of the second reactant. A gas sparger is located in the reaction vessel, and the gas sparger is in fluid communication with a gas source for providing gas to the reaction vessel. A controller is configured to execute a program stored in the controller to: (i) receive a sensor signal based on a force exerted by the reaction vessel in a direction toward the sensor, and (ii) operate the first pump and the second pump to deliver to the reaction vessel the first reactant and the second reactant thereby causing a reaction that creates the reaction product.

The invention relates to hydrocarbon conversion, to equipment and materials useful for hydrocarbon conversion, and to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon conversion, e.g., hydrocarbon pyrolysis processes. The hydrocarbon conversion is carried out in a reactor which includes at least one channeled member that comprises refractory and has an open frontal area 55%. The refractory can include non-oxide ceramic.

The invention relates to approach temperatures and approach temperature ranges that are beneficial in operating a pyrolysis reactor, to pyrolysis reactors exhibiting a beneficial approach temperature, to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon pyrolysis in a pyrolysis reactor having a beneficial approach temperature. The pyrolysis reactor can be, e.g., a reverse-flow pyrolysis reactor, such as a regenerative reverse-flow pyrolysis reactor.

Devices and methods for controlling the properties of chemical species during time-dependent processes. A device includes a reactor for containing one or more chemical species of a time-dependent process, an extraction pump for automatically and continuously extracting an amount of the one or more chemical species from the reactor, one or more detectors for measuring property changes of the one or more extracted chemical species and generating a continuous stream of data related to the one or more property changes to the one or more chemical species during a time interval, and a process controller configured to fit the continuous stream of data to a mathematical function to predict one or more properties of the one or more chemical species at a future time point and make one or more process decisions based on the prediction of one or more properties at the future time point.