381. ------. [CLARK, A.] (Phillips Petroleum Co.). Process and Apparatus for Synthesis of Hydrocarbons. United States Patent 2,500,519, Mar. 14, 1950: appl. filed Oct. 14, 1947. Serial No. 779,673: 10 claims (Cl. 260-449.6). Chem. Abs., vol. 44, 195

Patent Abstracts

381. ------. [CLARK, A.] (Phillips Petroleum Co.). Process and Apparatus for Synthesis of Hydrocarbons. United States Patent 2,500,519, Mar. 14, 1950: appl. filed Oct. 14, 1947. Serial No. 779,673: 10 claims (Cl. 260-449.6). Chem. Abs., vol. 44, 1950. p. 4656.

Process is illustrated by the following example: A gas mixture 30 wt. % H₂:15 CO:55 N₂ CH₄ and other inerts are passed through a Fischer-Tropsch reactor containing 60 to 100 mesh reduced Fe catalyst. The vertical steel reactor is provided internally with vertical cylindrical cooling tubes through which oil is circulated to remove heat of reaction. The temperature is 320º C., pressure 200 p. s. i., space velocity 2,500 gas vol. (STP) per vol. Catalyst per hr. The catalyst near the inlet is satisfactorily fluidized, but further downstream it is not. This is due to normal contraction of the gas during reaction. Large amounts of CH₄, CO₂ and C are formed. The cooling tubes are replaced with cylindrical tubes, each of which has 4 expanded sections equidistantly spaced along the tube axis and at points adjacent to those on the other tubes. The maximum cross-sectional diameter of the expanded sections is 4 times the diameter of the cylindrical part of the tubes. The increased cooling surface and the improved fluidization improves the cooling and increases the efficiency of the reaction. 8 United States patents cited.