DIESEL CONVERSION MAXIMIZATION IN A FT MULTI-BED REACTOR

Abstract

Recently, modeling and simulation of the diesel production process via Fischer Tropsch (FT) have been the subject of study by several re-searchers. However, studies involving the optimiza-tion of FT technology are scarce, principally pro-cesses involving Fixed Bed Reactors (FBR). The present work aims to simulate and optimize a multi-tubular FT FBR in which the goal is to maximize the diesel production. In this way, the modeling, simulation and optimization of FT process were proposed. The reactor model is based on the one-dimensional pseudo-homogeneous model in which mass and energy balances were taken into account. The resultant ordinary differential equation system was solved by the use of the Adams Moulton meth-od, while the Interior Point method was used for the optimization step. The algorithm was then imple-mented into the Scilab solver. Several case studies were performed, evidencing that the temperature of the cooling fluid and H2/CO ratio fluid significantly impacts the conversion of the reaction.