Modeling of Multi‐Tubular Reactors for Fischer‐Tropsch Synthesis

Jess, Andreas; Kern, Christoph

doi:10.1002/ceat.200900131

Cited by 99 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Multi-tubular fixedbed and slurry phase reactors are the types of reactors that are employed for low-temperature (T<530 K) FischerTropsch synthesis [72]. Fixed bed reactor's technology is known as the most efficient reactor to maximize the synthesis driving force of the F-T process in the absence of heat transfer limitations [26].…”

Section: F-t Reactor Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of Fischer Tropsch synthesis process, mechanism, surface chemistry and catalyst formulation

Mahmoudi

Doustdar

et al. 2017

Biofuels Engineering

165

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For more than half a century, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) of liquid hydrocarbons was a technology of great potential for the indirect liquefaction of solid or gaseous carbon-based energy sources (Coal-To-Liquid (CTL) and Gas-To-Liquid (GTL)) into liquid transportable fuels. In contrast with the past, nowadays transport fuels are mainly produced from crude oil and there is not considerable diversity in their variety. Due to some limitations in the first generation bio-fuels, the Second-Generation Biofuels (SGB)' technology was developed to perform the Biomass-To-Liquid (BTL) process. The BTL is a well-known multi-step process to convert the carbonaceous feedstock (biomass) into liquid fuels via FTS technology. This paper presents a brief history of FTS technology used to convert coal into liquid hydrocarbons; the significance of bioenergy and SGB are discussed as well. The paper covers the characteristics of biomass, which is used as feedstock in the BTL process. Different mechanisms in the FTS process to describe carbon monoxide hydrogenation as well as surface polymerization reaction are discussed widely in this paper. The discussed mechanisms consist of carbide, COinsertion and the hydroxycarbene mechanism. The surface chemistry of silica support is discussed. Silanol functional groups in silicon chemistry are explained extensively. The catalyst formulation in the Fischer Tropsch (F-T) process as well as F-T reaction engineering is discussed. In addition, the most common catalysts are introduced and the current reactor technologies in the F-T indirect liquefaction process are considered. process overview IntroductionThe over-reliance of the world's nations on conventional fossil fuels puts our planet in peril. The continuity of the current situation will result in the rise of a combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces by 5 ∘ C in 2100, bringing a rise in sea levels, food and water shortages and an increase in extreme weather events. The global warming, caused by humans, is one of the biggest threats to our future well-being [1]. In addition, oil reserves are limited and these reserves are decreasing dramatically. This reduction alongside the other relevant economic factors affects the world's oil prices. The need to run engines with the new generation of liquid fuels is inevitable. The investigations by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) published in 2013 expressed a 56 percent increase in the world's energy consumption by the year 2040. Total world energy demand will have risen to 865 EJ (exajoule) by this year. The total world energy consumption was reported as 553 EJ in 2010. The outlook indicates that renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world; where its usage increases 2.5 percent per year. Despite increasing success in the renewable energies, it is predicted that the fossil fuels will supply al-

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Section: F-t Reactor Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of Fischer Tropsch synthesis process, mechanism, surface chemistry and catalyst formulation

Mahmoudi

Doustdar

et al. 2017

Biofuels Engineering

165

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“…The exact method of modeling radial gradients in temperature and concentration can vary, but in general the continuity and energy equations now include an additional term describing the radial flux of mass and energy, respectively. Jess and Kern [36] presents a modern model of this type. The heterogeneous one-dimensional model has the same assumptions as the pseudo-homogeneous one-dimensional model, except for the fact that the fluid and catalyst properties are not assumed to be the same and there are separate mass and energy equations for the fluid and solid.…”

Section: Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jess and Kern [36] use a two-dimensional pseudo-homogeneous model without axial mixing for simulating FTS over both Fe and Co catalysts. It uses intrinsic reaction rates where possible (i.e., available in the literature).…”

Section: Transport and Thermodynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reactor model framework for liquid biofuels production.

Pratt¹

2012

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Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is an attractive option in the process of converting biomass-derived syngas to liquid fuels in a small-scale mobile bio-refinery. Computer simulation can be an efficient method of designing a compact FTS reactor, but no known comprehensive model exists that is able to predict performance of the needed non-traditional designs.This work developed a generalized model framework that can be used to examine a variety of FTS reactor configurations. It is based on the four fundamental physics areas that underlie FTS reactors: momentum transport, mass transport, energy transport, and chemical kinetics, rather than empirical data of traditional reactors.The mathematics developed were applied to an example application and solved numerically using COMSOL. The results compare well to the literature and give insights into the operation of FTS that are then used to propose a new reactor concept that may be suitable for the mobile bio-refinery application. 4 AcknowledgementsI am deeply grateful to the Sandia LDRD office and the ECIS investment area for sponsoring this project.I would also like to thank the following people who participated in this project:• Chris Shaddix for his mentorship, both technically and personally, throughout the project.• Hank Westrich and Sheri Martinez at the LDRD Office for their assistance and encouragement.• Daniel Dedrick for his work in forming the concept of this LDRD topic.• Blake Simmons for providing project management so I could focus on the technical challenges.• Deanna Agosta for financial planning.• Tiffany Vargas and Karen McWilliams at the CA Technical Library for providing and/or helping me find the countless papers and texts used to develop my understanding of everything from the detailed theory to the history and applications of FTS. 5 SummaryLiquid fuels synthesized from renewable CO and H 2 could displace petroleum-based fuels to provide clean, renewable energy for the future. Small scale (<20 bbl/day) reactors for synthetic liquid fuels production are an emerging development area that may enable mobile biomass-to-liquids plants suited for on-demand liquid fuel production from diverse, underutilized, local resources. The design of such a "mobile bio-refinery" is a significant departure from the traditional large-scale industrial designs and requires predictive tools such as computer models to efficiently produce a successful facility. Because existing models inherently incorporate the empirical results of the traditional designs they are not suitable for this application. The need for a model that can examine the drastic design changes and innovations needed for the mobile bio-refinery is clear.The goal of this work was to create a gas-to-liquids synthesis model with the minimum amount of empiricism and assumptions allowed by the current state of the theory, through integrated physics component models across varying length scales, with the ultimate purpose being to enable design of efficient, durable, and flexible small scale and/or novel re...

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“…diesel, petrol and linear α-olefins) as a result of an aggregate of surface polymerisation reactions occurring in situ, on active sites of catalysts (Co, Ni, Fe and Ru). The availability of a wide variety of feedstock, increasing requirement for cheaper and sustainable sources of energy, and the need to monetize smaller and/or stranded pockets of natural resources (through the use of smaller and more compact reactors) altogether have lent momentum to the process in recent times [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In fact, it has been estimated that by 2015, the global annual production rate of liquid fuels and chemicals from the FTS would be approximately 30 million tonnes [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature stabilisation in Fischer–Tropsch reactors using phase change material (PCM)

Odunsi

O’Donovan

Reay

2016

Applied Thermal Engineering

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The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction is a highly exothermic reaction. The high exothermicity combined with a high sensitivity of product selectivity to temperature, constitute the main challenges in the design of FT reactors. The use of micro-encapsulated-Phase Change Material (PCM) in conjunction with the supervisory temperature control mechanism has been suggested as an effective way of mitigating these challenges. A 2-dimensional, pseudo-homogeneous, steady-state model, with the dissipation of the enthalpy of reaction into an isothermal PCM sink, in a fixed bed reactor is presented. Effective temperature control with the PCM shows a shift in thermodynamic equilibrium favouring the selectivity of C5 to the disadvantage of CH 4 selectivity -a much desired outcome in the hydrocarbon Gas-to-Liquid industry.

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Modeling of Multi‐Tubular Reactors for Fischer‐Tropsch Synthesis

Cited by 99 publications

References 36 publications

A review of Fischer Tropsch synthesis process, mechanism, surface chemistry and catalyst formulation

A review of Fischer Tropsch synthesis process, mechanism, surface chemistry and catalyst formulation

A Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reactor model framework for liquid biofuels production.

Temperature stabilisation in Fischer–Tropsch reactors using phase change material (PCM)

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