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Wrong-way behavior of fixed-bed reactor in a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Conference ·
OSTI ID:324737
; ;  [1]
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan, Shanxi (China). Inst. of Coal Chemistry

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis is one important way to produce liquid fuel from coal-based or natural gas-based syngas. This reaction system is a highly exothermic reaction system, so usually it is finished in a multitubular catalytic fixed-bed reactor of the heat-exchanger type. The control of the reactor maximal temperature and the temperature profile is the key to this type reactor. Generally one can use a steady state model to analyze the temperature profile of a fixed-bed reactor. In the view of dynamics, one should use a dynamic model to analyze the dynamic features of the reactors. The wrong-way behavior is one of these features and is caused by the difference in the speeds of propagation of the concentration and temperature disturbances in the bed. The wrong-way behavior refers to a transient temperature rise in the bed induced by a sudden reduction in the feed temperature. The cold feed cools the upstream section of the bed, and decreases the reaction rate and the conversion in this region, the cold fluid with higher than usual concentration of unconverted reactant eventually contacts hot catalyst particles in downstream section of the bed. This leads to very rapid reaction and a vigorous rate of heat release, which causes a transient temperature rise. The wrong-way behavior may damage the catalyst and initiate undesired side reactions and may lead to unexpected pitfalls in the operation and control and even to a runaway. The goal of this work is to assess the wrong-way behavior of the F-T reactor and the impact of the water-gas shift side-reaction on the wrong-way behavior.

OSTI ID:
324737
Report Number(s):
CONF-970931--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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