TITLE: Effect of Water on the Iron-Catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis.

AUTHOR: C. N. Satterfield;   R. T. Hanlon;   S. E. Tung;   Z. M. Zou;   G. C. Papaefthymiou.

INST.  AUTHOR: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  1985,  38p.

NTIS ORDER NO.: DE86005730/INW

ABSTRACT:

The addition of water vapor to dry synthesis gas to comprise as much as 27 mole % of the feed composition decreased catalyst activity but the effect was completely reversible upon removal of the water vapor.  Reversibility was not complete with water addition to comprise 42 mole % of feed. Water vapor decreased methane selectivity, increased oxygenate selectivity and increased the rate of the water gas shift. However, these effects did not correlate with the relative Fe sub 5 C sub 2 , Fe sub 3 O sub 4 and Fe content of the bulk catalyst as determined by Moessbauer spectroscopy, although the Fe sub 5 C sub 2 content did not change greatly. Molecular weight distribution of the C sub 3 -C sub 7 products was not affected by water. 26 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs. (ERA citation 11:012867)

REPORT  NUMBER: DOE/PC/80015-T1

CONTRACT  NUMBER: AC22-85PC80015