Method for carbon black production using preheated feedstock and apparatus for same

1. An apparatus for producing carbon black comprising:

a reactor for combining a heated gas stream and at least one carbon black-yielding feedstock to form a reaction stream in which carbon black is formed in the reactor;

at least one feedstock supply line for supplying the carbon black-yielding feedstock to at least one feedstock introduction point to the reactor to combine the feedstock with the heated gas stream;

at least one feedstock heater operable to preheat the carbon black-yielding feedstock supplied in the at least one feedstock supply line to a temperature of at least about 300 ° C.;

at least one pump operable to pressurize the carbon black-yielding feedstock to a pressure greater than about 10 bar before the feedstock is preheated to at least about 300 ° C. and for providing a feedstock velocity of the feedstock supplied in the at least one feedstock heater of at least 0.2 m/sec, wherein velocity is calculated based on a feedstock density measured at 60° C. at 1 atm and the smallest cross-sectional area of a feedstock line present in said at least one heater; and

a quencher for cooling the carbon black in the reaction stream;

wherein said apparatus is further operable to provide a feedstock residence time in the at least one feedstock heater and the at least one feedstock supply line before introduction to the reactor for the feedstock preheated to at least about 300 ° C. that is less than about 120 minutes, wherein said preheating avoids formation of vapor film in said at least one heater.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feedstock heater comprises a heat exchanger operable to heat the carbon black-yielding feedstock at an average heat flux of greater than about 10 kW/m 2 .

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feedstock heater is positioned within the reactor to be contactable by the reaction stream operable to heat the feedstock to a temperature of at least 300 ° C.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feedstock heater is positioned in contact with at least a portion of the reactor operable to heat the feedstock to a temperature of at least 300 ° C.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feedstock heater comprises a heat exchanger positioned within the reactor downstream of the quencher, wherein said heat exchanger comprises walls adapted to be heated by the reaction stream on a first side thereof and adapted to be contacted by feedstock on an opposite side thereof before the feedstock is supplied to the at least one feedstock supply line, wherein the feedstock is heatable to a temperature of at least 300 ° C. in the heat exchanger.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a heat exchanger for a flowable heat carrier positioned within the reactor to be contactable by the reaction stream, and the at least one feedstock heater is external to the reactor and operable to exchange heat of the flowable heat carrier that has exited the heat exchanger with the feedstock in the feedstock heater to heat the feedstock to a temperature of at least 300 ° C.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feedstock heater is operable to exchange heat from a tail gas stream of the reactor to heat the feedstock to a temperature of at least 300 ° C.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a plasma heater operable for heating a plasma-heatable gas stream for providing at least a portion of the heated gas stream.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising non-catalytic surface on feedstock contacting walls of the feedstock heater and feedstock contacting inner walls of the at least one feedstock supply line, wherein the surface is non-catalytic to cracking or polymerization of hydrocarbons.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising non-catalytic ceramic lining on feedstock contacting walls of the feedstock heater and feedstock contacting inner walls of the at least one feedstock supply line.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one source of purge gas comprising an oxidant for carbon and at least one purge gas introduction point on the at least one feedstock supply line operable to periodically purge the at least one feedstock supply line with the purge gas.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said reactor is operable to combine feedstock and heated gas stream to continuously form carbon black in the reactor for at least about 12 hours.