Reactor approaches for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

This chapter begins by considering the first reactors ever used for FTS, which were fixed-bed reactors operated at atmospheric pressure, and examines historical developments through World War II and into the 1950s. In the time period between 1950 and 1985, three types of reactors were developed for commercial use, including fixed-bed, fluid-bed, and slurry-phase reactors, with significant advances being made by Shell on fixed-bed technology and by Sasol on fixed-bed, fluid-bed, and slurry-phase reactor technology. From 1985 to the present, the three reactor technologies have continue to be used the most extensively for commercial operations with, for example, both fixed-bed (Pearl GTL) and slurry-phase (Oryx GTL) reactors being installed most recently in Qatar. In addition, significant strides have been made to develop small-scale reactor technology that may prove to be useful for converting remote gas, as well as biomass. These include microchannel reactors (e.g., Velocys), modular and mobile small-scale GTL plants (e.g., Compact GTL), and small channel reactors (e.g., Chart Energy & Chemicals, Inc.). In academia, researchers have taken advantage of the liquid-like extraction property and gas-like transport property of supercritical media for FTS to prevent wax holdup and achieve high productivity.