TITLE: Assessment of the Techno-Economic Potential of Fischer-Tropsch Slurry Reactors.

AUTHOR: D. S. Van Vuuren.

INST.  AUTHOR: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria (South Africa).

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: South Africa

SOURCE: Other [$TFSIR],  Jul 87,  33p.  ISBN: 0-7988-3075-1

NTIS ORDER NO.:  PB89-167209/INW

NOTES: Summary in Afrikaans.

ABSTRACT:

Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) slurry reactors have considerable techno-economic potential for the South African synthetic fuels industry, particularly in combination with gasifiers producing a synthesis gas with a low hydrogen content. For this combination, a cost benefit of 19% compared with existing commercial F-T processes is estimated. Slurry reactors make it possible to use low-hydrogen synthesis gas to provide flexibility in the product spectrum and to achieve high conversion per pass with stoichiometric consumption of the feed-gas components. Consequently there is little need for gas recirculation and the generation of a fuel gas fraction can be avoided. Recommendations cover: conceptual design studies of gasifier-slurry reaction combinations; development of F-T slurry reactor technology on a pilot scale; generation of fluid dynamic design information on F-T slurry reactors; development of F-T catalysts for the slurry environment, and consideration of the requirements for upgrading the reactor products.

REPORT  NUMBER: CSIR-CENG-655