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B.I.O.S. Final Report No. 1722
Item No. 22

Additional Information Concerning the Fischer-Tropsch Process and Its Products

British Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee

Reported By
C. C. Hall
S. R. Craxford

On behalf of
Ministry of Fuel and Power
BIOS Trip No. 2505

Table of Contents

Subject

Page

List of Targets visited and Personnel Interviewed

iii

Introduction

1

Production of Synthesis Gas

Water-Gas Generation

2

Production of Cracked Coke-Oven Gas

5

Water-Gas Conversion

5

Production of Synthesis Gas Directly from Brown Coal

9

Lurgi Pressure Gasification

9

Purification of Synthesis Gas

Removal of Dust

14

Removal of Hydrogen Sulphide

15

Removal of Resin-forming compounds

16

Removal of Organic Sulphur Compounds

18

Costs

22

Cobalt Catalysts

Composition

23

Kieselguhr

25

Preparation

27

Forming

27

Costs

30

Activity Tests

30

Special Catalysts for Production of Wax

31

Reduction and Revivification

Reduction

33

Reducibility

34

Revivification with Hydrogen

35

Solvent Extraction

36

Catalyst Wax

37

Dry Regeneration

40

Regeneration by Oxidation

42

Design of Reaction Vessels

Atmospheric Pressure Reactors

42

Medium Pressure Reactors, Double Tube Type

44

Other Medium Pressure Reactors

46

General

47

Synthesis at Atmospheric Pressure

Comparison of Results

48

Composition of Synthesis Gas Required

49

Method of Controlling Synthesis

50

Essener Steinkohle

51

Rheinpreussen

55

Ruhrchemie

56

Brabag

58

Synthesis at Medium Pressure

General

59

Hoesch-Benzin

60

Ruhrchemie

68

Schaffgotsch Benzin

71

Condensation of Products

Atmospheric Pressure

77

Medium Pressure

77

The Active Carbon Plant

78

Costs

General

80

Essener Steinkohle

80

Hoesch-Benzin

101

Recirculation

General

103

Water-Gas Recirculation, Medium Pressure

103

Synthesis gas Recirculation, Medium Pressure

107

Synthesis gas Recirculation, Atmospheric Pressure

108

Synthesis with Iron Catalysts

Catalyst Costs

110

Pretreatment

112

The Utilisation Ratio

114

General Synthesis Topics

115

The Mechanism of the Synthesis with Iron Catalysts

116

Catalysts for Synthesis at Higher Temperatures

117

Catalysts for Synthesis at Low Temperatures

119

Catalysts based on Lumnasse

125

Catalysts for Gas rich in Carbon Monoxide

126

The I.G. High-velocity Gas Recycle Process

126

Synthesis in the Liquid Phase

129

The Oil-Recirculation Process

137

Direct Synthesis of Alcohols

138

Synthesis at Atmospheric Pressure

139

Primary Products

Diesel Oil

141

Kogasin as a Metal-Working Lubricant

143

Recovery of Fatty Acids and Alcohols

143

Wax

144

Removal of Alcohols

148

Refining for Lubricating Oil Synthesis

149

Ruhrchemie's Hot Clay Refining Process

149

Analysis of Products from Synthesis with Iron Catalysts

150

Analysis of Olefines

151

Lubricating Oils

152

The OXO Synthesis

152

Synthetic Fatty Acids and Detergents

The Wax Oxidation Process

154

The Smell caused by Synthetic Soaps

162

The Iodine Number of Synthetic Fatty Acids

165

Diluted Soap

165

Synthetic Edible Fat

166

By Products of the Oxidation Process

167

Oxidation of Hard Wax

169

The 'O.P.' Process

170

Greases

171

Fatty Acids via the OXO synthesis

171

Detergents

173

Summarizing Flow-Sheet for the Rheinpreussen Works

175