Development of fixed bed reactor for applications in GTL-FPSO: The effect of dilution material for control of reaction heat

Abstract

The catalyst bed of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis reactor was prepared by the mixing Ru/Co/Al2O3 catalyst with dilution materials (SiC, alumina or glass bead) with different thermal conductivity. The FTS reaction was carried out to investigate the effect of dilution materials for controlling the reaction heat in the shell and tube type fixed bed reactor with an oil circulation system. When the temperature of circulating oil is relatively low, it was found that the reactivity of the FTS reactor is stabilized as the heat conductivity of the diluted material is lower. It was found that when the temperature of circulating oil is slightly lower than or similar to the initiate reaction temperature of FTS reaction which well known as literatures (230 °C), the effect of difference in thermal conductivity of diluent materials in FTS reaction become weaker. Also, based on the CFD simulation results, it can help understanding the tendency of increasing the oil temperature to reduce the catalyst performance difference according to the thermal conductivity of the catalyst bed. It was concluded that if the oil temperature is high enough, the diluent material only act as the dispersion material of the exothermic heat value per unit volume of the catalyst bed in the shell and tube fixed bed FTS reactor system.