Selection, design and scale up of the Fischer-Tropsch reactor

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the selection, design, and scale up of the Fischer–Tropsch reactor. Middle distillates can be directly distilled from crude oil but can also be produced by converting coal or natural gas using the Fischer–Tropsch reaction. During this process natural gas is first converted into synthesis gas. In the second step, syngas is converted into long chain hydrocarbons. Selective hydrocracking and hydro-isomerization of these long chain hydrocarbons yields marketable middle distillates. One of the most important subjects in the development of the Fischer–Tropsch process is the selection, design, and scale-up of the reactor for the heavy paraffin synthesis. The synthesis can be carried out in both trickle bed reactors and slurry bubble columns. Slurry bubble columns can be operated in two flow regimes—the homogeneous flow regime and the churn turbulent flow regime. In this chapter, the Fischer–Tropsch slurry reactor is simulated and optimized to make a comparison among operations in the homogeneous flow regime and churn turbulent operation. It also compares the performance of the slurry reactor with a simulated performance of the Fischer–Tropsch trickle bed reactor.