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

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 inves-tigated 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.(c) 2023 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.