Multidimensional modeling of a microfibrous entrapped cobalt catalyst Fischer‐Tropsch reactor bed |
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| Authors: | Mohamed Sufiyan Challiwala Benjamin A. Wilhite Mohammed M. Ghouri Nimir O. Elbashir |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Chemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar;2. The Artie McFerrin Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843;3. Petroleum Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar |
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| Abstract: | Thermal management of highly exothermic Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis (FTS) has been a challenging bottleneck limiting the radial dimension of the packed‐bed (PB) reactor tube to 1.5 in. ID. A computational demonstration of a novel microfibrous entrapped cobalt catalyst (MFECC) in mitigating hot spot formation has been evaluated. Specifically, a two‐dimensional (2‐D) model was developed in COMSOL®, validated with experimental data and subsequently employed to demonstrate scale‐up of the FTS bed from 0.59 to 4 in. ID. Significant hot spot of 102.39 K in PB was reduced to 9.4 K in MFECC bed under gas phase at 528.15 K and 2 MPa. Improvement in heat transfer within the MFECC bed facilitates higher productivities at low space velocities (≥1000 h?1) corresponding to high CO conversion (≥90%). Additionally, the MFECC reactor provides an eightfold increase in the reactor ID at hot spots ≤ 30 K with CO% conversions ≥ 90%. This model was developed for a typical FTS cobalt‐based catalyst where CO2 production is negligible. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 1723–1731, 2018 |
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| Keywords: | cobalt catalyst two‐dimensional modeling heat transfer packed‐bed microfibrous entrapped catalyst bed |
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