Modeling and optimization of a large-scale slurry bubble column reactor for producing 10,000bbl/day of Fischer–Tropsch liquid hydrocarbons

Sehabiague, Laurent; Lemoine, Romain; Behkish, Arsam; Heintz, Yannick J.; Sanoja, Mariela; Oukaci, R.; Morsi, Badie I.

doi:10.1016/j.jcice.2007.11.003

Cited by 50 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…u r : relative velocity between the gas and liguid phase at the interface implemented by Rados [192], Sehabiague [195] and Maretto [196], among others. It assumes a generalized two-phase model, in which a dilute-and a dense-phase are identified and the superficial gas velocity is divided between them.…”

Section: Wilkinson and Van Dierendonck []mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should be mentioned that the two-bubble class model in conjunction with the axial dispersion model has been accepted and used to model bubbles behavior in SBCRs [195,196,198,200,[234][235][236][237]. In this model, the churn turbulent flow regime was assumed where large bubbles rise straight up through the reactor without recirculation, while small bubbles with lower rise velocity were entrained in the liquid and as such they followed the liquid-phase backmixing behavior.…”

Section: Haberman and Morton []mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The solid (catalyst) concentration in the reactor is often assumed constant, and in several models, the Sedimentation-Dispersion Model (SDM) is used to estimate the catalyst concentration profile. Also, the syngas consumption is not always considered or is estimated using a linear relationship between the gas consumption and the syngas conversion; and in several models, an overall mass balance on the gas-phase is formulated in order to simulate the effect of syngas consumption [169,195,236,[367][368][369][370][371].…”

Section: Reith Et Al []mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis in Slurry Bubble Column Reactors: Experimental Investigations and Modeling – A Review

Basha

Sehabiague

Abdel‐Wahab

et al. 2015

International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering

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This paper presents an extensive review of the kinetics, hydrodynamics, mass transfer, heat transfer and mathematical as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of Low-Temperature Tropsch Synthesis (LTFT) synthesis in Slurry Bubble Column Reactors (SBCRs), with the aim of identifying potential research and development areas in this particular field. The kinetic expressions developed for F-T synthesis over iron and cobalt catalysts along with the water gas shift (WGS) reactions are summarized and compared. The experimental data and empirical correlations to predict the hydrodynamics (gas holdup, Sauter mean bubble diameter, and bubble rise velocity), mass transfer coefficients and heat transfer coefficients are presented. The effects of various operating variables, including pressure, temperature, gas velocity, catalyst concentration, reactor geometry, and reactor internals on the hydrodynamic and transport parameters as well as the performance of SBCRs are discussed. Additionally, modeling efforts of SBCRs, using axial dispersion models (ADM), multiple cell recirculation models (MCCM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), are addressed. This review revealed the following:(1) Numerous F-T and WGS kinetic rate expressions are available for cobalt and iron catalysts and one must be careful in selecting the appropriate expressions for LTFT. Iron catalyst suffers from severe attrition and subsequent deactivation in SBCRs and accordingly building a costly catalyst manufacturing facility onsite is required to maintain a steady operation of the F-T reactor;(2) Experimental data on the hydrodynamic and transport parameters at high pressures and temperatures, typical to those of actual F-T synthesis, remain scanty when compared with the plethora of studies conducted using air-water systems in small reactors at ambient conditions; (3) Several empirical correlations for predicting the hydrodynamic and mass as well heat transfer parameters are available and one should select those which consider the reactor diameter, gas mixtures and the potential foamability of the F-T liquids; (4) The effect of cooling internals configuration and sparger design on the hydrodynamic and transport parameters, local turbulence, mixing and catalyst attrition are yet to be seriously addressed; (5) The impact of operating variables on the hydrodynamic and transport parameters as well as the overall performance of the SBCRs should be investigated using actual F-T fluid-solid systems under typical pressures and temperatures using a large-scale reactor ( > 0.15 m ID) in the presence of gas spargers and cooling internals; (6) Significant efforts are still required in order to advance CFD modeling of SBCRs, particularly those pertaining to the relevant closure models, such as drag, lift and turbulence. Also, cooling internals configuration and the design as well as orientation of gas spargers should be accounted for in the CFD modeling; and (7) Proper validations of the CFD formulations using actual systems for F-T SBCR are needed.

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Section: Wilkinson and Van Dierendonck []mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Haberman and Morton []mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reith Et Al []mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis in Slurry Bubble Column Reactors: Experimental Investigations and Modeling – A Review

Basha

Sehabiague

Abdel‐Wahab

et al. 2015

International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering

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“…Issues with reactor modeling have been addressed by some researchers (e.g., Hao, et al, 2008;Khoshnoodi, 1997;Levenspiel, 2002;Sehabiague, et al, 2008). Using a rigorous calculation of vapor-liquid equilibrium Quasi-steady-state model was proposed to be suitable to the transient simulation considering two chain propagation mechanisms (e.g., Ahon, et al, 2005;Khoshnoodi, 1997;Wang, 2004;Zhang and Zhu, 2000).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation, integration, and economic analysis of gas-to-liquid processes

Bao

El‐Halwagi

Elbashir

2010

Fuel Processing Technology

158

103

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Simulation, Integration, and Economic Analysis of Gas-to-Liquid Processes. (December 2008) Buping Bao, B.S., Zhejiang University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi Gas-to-liquid (GTL) process involves the chemical conversion of natural gas (or other gas sources) into synthetic crude that can be upgraded and separated into different useful hydrocarbon fractions including liquid transportation fuels. A leading GTL technology is the Fischer Tropsch process. The objective of this work is to provide a techno-economic analysis of the GTL process and to identify optimization and integration opportunities for cost saving and reduction of energy usage and environmental impact. First, a basecase flowsheet is synthesized to include the key processing steps of the plant. Then, computer-aided process simulation is carried out to determine the key mass and energy flows, performance criteria, and equipment specifications. Next, energy and mass integration studies are performed to address the following items: (a) heating and cooling utilities, (b) combined heat and power (process cogeneration), (c) management of process water, (c) optimization of tail-gas allocation, and (d) recovery of catalystsupporting hydrocarbon solvents. Finally, an economic analysis is undertaken to determine the plant capacity needed to achieve the break-even point and to estimate the return on investment for the base-case study. After integration, 884 million $/yr is saved from heat integration, 246 million $/yr from heat cogeneration, and 22 million $/yr from water management. Based on 128,000 barrels per day (BPD) of products, at least 68,000 BPD capacity is needed to keep the process profitable, with the return on investment (ROI) of 5.1%. Compared to 8 $/1000 SCF natural gas, 5 $/1000 SCF price can increase the ROI to 16.2%.

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“…The square of the Thiele modulus for 92 micron particles is as follows (Post et al, 1989) ĭ 2 = 0.00811 sec -1 x (92) 2 x 10 -8 cm 2 / 1.2x10 -5 cm 2 /s The value of the Thiele modulus is so small that the rate of reaction is independent of pore diffusion. Therefore, we can use much larger catalyst sizes to avoid filtration problems and obtain larger rate constants leading to much smaller reactor heights than those in the Morsi group paper (Sehabiague et al, 2008).The effective rate constant for methanol production in the Air Products pilot plant was 0.046 1 sec − (Wu and Gidaspow, 2000).…”

Section: Kinetics Of the Fischer-tropsch Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%