(436c) Toward Fischer-Tropsch Technology Process in Microreactor

Toward Fischer-Tropsch
Technology Process in Microreactor

Yousef Alanazi, Andrew Traverso, Justin Pommerenck,  Líney Árnadóttir, Alexandre Yokochi and
Goran N. Jovanovic

School of Chemical,
Biological and Environmental Engineering (CBEE) and Microproducts Breakthrough
Institute (MBI)

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is the process that converts
synthesis gas (syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) into a wide
range of long chain hydrocarbons and oxygenates in the presence of catalysts
such as iron or cobalt. The products of the reaction include jet fuel, naphtha
and diesel. The goal of this study is to design and construct a microchannel
reactor that demonstrates a low selectivity to methane and high yield of naphtha
and diesel range hydrocarbons. The benefit of
the implementation of FTS in a microreactor
include:  better flow residence time
uniformity, temperature control, and catalyst utilization. Better flow uniformity
will achieve more uniformly selective FTS reactor products, the temperature
control will narrow the product distribution and catalyst utilization will
improve the yield of hydrocarbon products.

Our investigation of
FTS in a microreactor examines the effects of
operation conditions including pressure, temperature, residence
time and flow ratio on the performance of the reactor. In this contribution, we
will present the effort to improve low methane and high range hydrocarbons
selectivity, and will also discuss some important features of the microreactor FTS system.