Comparison of the Thermal Performance of Aluminum and Stainless Steel Compact Heat Exchange Reactors

High oil prices have led to increased interest in the conversion of syngas (a mixture of CO and H₂) to liquid fuels. Conventional fixed bed reactor technology for this application suffers from heat transfer limitations. A Compact Heat Exchange Reactor (CHER) combines a reactor and compact heat exchanger into a single device, and provides a solution to the heat transfer limitations commonly observed for conventional fixed bed reactors.

The thermal performance of aluminum and stainless steel CHER were compared using a combination of experimental results and modeling. The aluminum CHERs are well suited for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction with cobalt catalyst, and provide superior thermal performance and ease of manufacturing scalability. The greater structural strength of stainless steel CHERs are suitable for other highly exothermic reactions at higher temperatures and pressures.