Fischer-Tropsch Chemical Reactor Modelling
Serco TAS is assisting Compact GTL plc to develop a complete Fischer-Tropsch (FT) plant. Applications of such plants include the synthesis of clean fuels.
FT converts mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons, water and some secondary oxygenated organic compounds such as alcohols. By passing the carbon monoxide/hydrogen gas mixture (known as 'Syngas') over a catalyst, gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons are produced by chain polymerization at the catalyst surface.
Compact GTL plc. is designing and developing a complete FT plant comprising an upstream Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) Reactor, providing the Syngas feedstock (by methane/steam reforming), and a subsequent Fischer-Tropsch Reactor (FTR) system.
Serco TAS is assisting by developing mathematical models for full commercial scale SMR and FTR reactor blocks. Particular interest is in heat transfer characteristics of the full scale SMR block, improved understanding of which should allow temperature gradients to be forecast and thermal stresses to be accounted for in the final design. The FTR block model is focused toward optimising the syngas conversion to hydrocarbons and the selectivity of the chain length of hydrocarbon formed.
Both models successfully reproduced many observed features of FT experiments and are currently being used to assess different proposed arrangements for a pilot plant.P>