Application of Compact Heat Exchange Reactor in Fischer-Tropsch Reaction

Chart's compact heat exchange reactor has been used in various applications especially for highly exothermic or endothermic reactions. FT reaction is one of the applications. The reactor consists of multiple reaction and cooling layers alternatively arranged. Each reaction layer contains multiple mini-channels; each of them is in mm scale. Catalysts, provided by Burt Davis's group at University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research, are packed in those mini-channels. The tested reactor is made of aluminum which provides an excellent heat transfer character. The operating conditions are 220^oC at 15 bars. The reactors were continuously running the reactor for three weeks. The results indicated that the compact heat exchange reactor provided unique features to improve the process efficiency and productivity.