Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis of Hydrocarbons

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis of Hydrocarbons - 1983

Lampert, A.
Erickson, J.
Smiley, B.
Vaughan, C.
Sapienza, R.
Slegeir, W.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In the pdf format this document has 56 pages
1-19 400kb	20-39 526kb	40-56 311kb

Table of Contents

Dedication				iii
Abstract				v
1	Summary			1
2	Introduction			3
	2.1	Background		3
	2.2	Previous Work		4
		2.2.1	Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis in Slurry Reactors	4
		2.2.2	Fischer-Tropsch Reaction Kinetics	4
		2.2.3	Product Selectivity	7
		2.2.4	Product Incorporation	8
	2.3	Objectives and Method of Approach		12
3	Apparatus and Procedure			15
	3.1	Slurry CSTR		15
	3.2	Feed and Product Handling System		15
	3.3	Preparation and Reduction of the Iron-Copper Catalyst		15
	3.4	Catalyst Loading		18
	3.5	Solvent Preparation		18
	3.6	Product Analysis		18
	3.7	Error Analysis		20
		3.7.1	Sampling Technique	20
		3.7.2	Gas Chromatography	21
		3.7.3	Peak Integration	21
4	Results and Discussion			23
	4.1	Outline of Experiments Performed		23
	4.2	Steady-State Catalyst Activity		23
	4.3	Mass Transfer Considerations		25
	4.4	Effect of Space Velocity		25
		4.4.1	CO Conversion	25
		4.4.2	H₂ + CO Conversion	27
	4.5	Effect of H₂ to CO Feed Ration		27
	4.6	Product Distribution		30
		4.6.1	Carbon Number Distribution	30
		4.6.2	Paraffin-Olefin Selectivity	32
		4.6.3	Average Fischer-Tropsch Reaction Product	32
	4.7	Extent of the Water-Gas-Shift Reaction		34
	4.8	Mass Balance Closures on Carbon and Oxygen		36
	4.9	Methanol Incorporation		38
5	Conclusions			41

Tables

Table (2-1)	Summary of Fischer-Tropsch Bubble Column Research	5
Table (2-2)	Summary of Huff Slurry CSTR Experimental Run Conditions	6
Table (2-3)	Summary of Published Slurry Reactor Research [After Satterfield (1982)]	11
Table (2-4)	Range of Experimental Conditions for CSTR	13
Table (3-1)	Summary of Analysis Techniques	19
Table (4-1)	Experimental Conditions	23
Table (4-2)	Conversions of CO and CO + H₂ in Various Studies Using Iron Catalysts	25
Table (4-3)	Partial Pressure of Hydrogen in the Reactor Runs 1-6	29
Table (4-5)	Mass Balance Closures on Carbon and Oxygen	38
Table (8-1)	H₂ Conversion	50

Figures

Figure (2-1)	Probability of Chain Growth Vs Weight Factor	9
Figure (2-2)	Weight Fraction Vs Carbon Number	10
Figure (3-1)	Reactor Drawing	16
Figure (3-2)	System Schematic	17
Figure (3-3)	Time Required for Specified Percent of Carbon Number n to have Appeared Overhead	22
Figure (4-1)	Moles CO₂ Produced	24
Figure (4-2)	Space Velocity	26
Figure (4-3)	Space Velocity (hr^-1)	28
Figure (4-4)	Carbon Number Distribution at 227° and 790 KPa (100 PSI)	31
Figure (4-5)	Olefin Fraction Versus Carbon Number for Different Space Velocities	33
Figure (4-6)	Theoretical Usage Ratio Vs H2 + CO Conversion	37
Figure (4-7)	Ration of Methanol to Methane in Reactor Effluent with Methanol Addition	39