Microchannel reactors for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: Experimental investigation and mathematical modeling

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2023.04.027

摘要/Abstract

摘要： The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is a significant technology for converting coal, natural gas, and biomass into synthetic fuels. In recent years, the use of microchannel reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has attracted significant attention. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis experiments were carried out in a microchannel reactor and the influences of reaction conditions on the experimental results were investigated in this study. Based on the experimental data, a dynamic multi-component pseudo-homogeneous variable-volume flow model of microchannel reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was built to determine the pressure-, velocity-, conversion- and (component-wise) concentration-distributions in reaction channels. The model takes into account the combined effects of gas volume expansion caused by the frictional pressure drop and gas volume contraction caused by reaction consumption. A novel effective method for calculating the pressure and superficial gas velocity values in microchannel reactors was proposed in the model. Besides that, two sets of experimental data were selected from references to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the model. The reaction performances in the microchannels were analyzed carefully based on the calculated results.

关键词: Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, Microchannel reactors, Modeling, Variable-volume flow

Abstract: The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is a significant technology for converting coal, natural gas, and biomass into synthetic fuels. In recent years, the use of microchannel reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has attracted significant attention. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis experiments were carried out in a microchannel reactor and the influences of reaction conditions on the experimental results were investigated in this study. Based on the experimental data, a dynamic multi-component pseudo-homogeneous variable-volume flow model of microchannel reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was built to determine the pressure-, velocity-, conversion- and (component-wise) concentration-distributions in reaction channels. The model takes into account the combined effects of gas volume expansion caused by the frictional pressure drop and gas volume contraction caused by reaction consumption. A novel effective method for calculating the pressure and superficial gas velocity values in microchannel reactors was proposed in the model. Besides that, two sets of experimental data were selected from references to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the model. The reaction performances in the microchannels were analyzed carefully based on the calculated results.

Key words: Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, Microchannel reactors, Modeling, Variable-volume flow

Huili Cao, Run Xu, Xiaojin Tang, Tao Yang, Shuandi Hou, Chaopeng Hou. Microchannel reactors for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: Experimental investigation and mathematical modeling[J]. 中国化学工程学报, 2023, 64(12): 224-240.

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