{
  "abstract": "Steam cracking furnaces are conventionally operated by raising the coil outlet temperature (COT) via increased fuel input, yet this approach yields diminishing selectivity gains while accelerating coking. Using a high-fidelity 3D coupled furnace–reactor model consistent with industrial design parameters, we demonstrate that COT is not the primary control lever. Instead, at a fixed total heat input, the spatial distribution of heat flux along the coil axis governs ethylene yields and cracking severity. By aligning the heat-flux profile with the axial endothermicity of the cracking reactions, relative ethylene yield increases by 5.86% while COT decreases by 3.94 K, effectively decoupling yield enhancement from fuel consumption. The causal effect of the heat-flux profile on ethylene yield makes it a more physically rigorous control variable than COT. This shifts the operational paradigm from temperature-driven to spatial heat-flux-driven control, offering a practical retrofit pathway for current industrial-scale cracking furnaces.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Zhigang Jia"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xu Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yanan Duan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jia Zhigang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2050-1860"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5hv36kdrvka85.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010830/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "5hv36kdrvka85",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010830/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1503|Catalysis and Oxidation Reactions"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223186464",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010830/v1",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5hv36kdrvka85.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010830",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010830/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1503|Catalysis and Oxidation Reactions",
      "subfield": "catalysis"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Enhancing Ethylene Yields and Energy Efficiency in Industrial Cracking Furnaces via Spatial Heat-Flux Optimization",
  "title_text": "Enhancing Ethylene Yields and Energy Efficiency in Industrial Cracking Furnaces via Spatial Heat-Flux Optimization",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5hv36kdrvka85",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}