Reactor and Catalyst Development for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis · Microchannel Reactor What is it?...

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A P P L I C A B L E T O S M A L L S C A L E W O O D P R O C E S S I N G P L A N T S I N N E W Z E A L A N D

C H R I S P E N N I A L L

D R C H R I S W I L L I A M S O N

D R A A R O N M A R S H A L L

P R O F . S H U S H E N G P A N G

Reactor and Catalyst Development for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Objectives

Make biomass based Fischer-Tropschwork in New Zealand!

Plant configuration Reactor/Catalyst development

Plant Configuration

Think outside biomass supply vs. economy of scale squeeze

Sawmill Integration

F-T

Advantages

•Heat Sink

•Existing wood supply

chain

•Electricity requirement

-Once through process

Sized on requirement, not on compromise!!!

Modelling – 3 scenarios

Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

•Meet all on peak mill

electricity requirements

•Meet heat requirements

•Maximise FT production

•Meet off peak mill

electricity requirements

•Meet heat requirements

•Maximise FT production

•No Electrical Generation

•Meet heat requirements

•Maximise FT production

GasifierWood

45 MW

BoilerCleaning& F-T

GasEngineFT

4.9 MWPower

1.4 MW

Steam 7.8 MW

Drying 10 MW

GasifierWood

43 MW

BoilerCleaning& F-T

GasEngineFT

4.9 MWPower

0.36 MW

Steam 7.8 MW

Drying 9.7 MW

GasifierWood

29 MW

BoilerCleaning& F-T

FT

3.2 MW

Steam 7.8 MW

Drying 6.7 MW

Modelling - Methodology

Sawmill energy model workbook

Input/Output workbook

Chemical Equilibrium

model workbook

HYSYS model Economic workbook

Modelling - Results

Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

•Meet all on peak mill

electricity requirements

Capital Cost

$NZ 36 M

Breakeven

FT Crude Cost

$US 147 bbl

Production rate

74 bbl/day

•Meet off peak mill

electricity requirements

Capital Cost

$NZ 33 M

Breakeven

FT Crude Cost

$US 154 bbl

Production rate

75 bbl/day

•No Electricity Generation

Capital Cost

$NZ 19 M

Breakeven

FT Crude Cost

$US 199 bbl

Production rate

49 bbl/day

-Based on wood cost of $10 odt, for $40 odt fuel price is $209 for Scenario 1-Assumed error of +/- 25% for capital cost estimation

Modelling Conclusions

The breakeven prices for the FT crude are similar to peak oil prices of recent years

Scenario 1 and 2 are a better solution due to lower product production costs as well as protection

from electricity price volatility

All scenarios are very sensitive to capital cost variations

Catalyst and Reactor Development

Reactor Selection

High performance i.e. good catalyst utilisation and conversion

Easily Scalable

Catalyst development

Suitable for smaller scale

Suitable for reactor choice

Favourable α for maximum

production from once through process

Microchannel Reactor

What is it? Reactor with channels of dimensions between 0.1-5mm

Advantages

Heat and mass transfer rates orders of magnitude higher than

traditional reactors

Effectively a small fixed bed reactor

Easily scalable – number up rather than scale up

Very suitable to small scale once through process

Microchannel Reactor

Reactor Design What we made

Manufacturability

-No exotic materials-No specialised manufacturing

techniques

-Repeatable-Scalable

0.2mm 316ss shimWire cut channels 0.3mm x

50 per shim

-Aluminium foil gasketing-25mm hardened tool steel top and

bottom plates with cartridge heaters

Trial Rig

Micro GC

64% H2

32% CO

4% N2

F

T2

T1

T4

N2

H2

Flow meter

P1

P2

T3Cooling

VentReactor

Collection pot

Heaters

Microchannel reactor washcoats

Neat cobalt nitrate Cobalt on titania Combustion synthesis

-Simple-Easy to add solution-Repeatable

-Potentially wasteful of cobalt-Deactivation

-More traditional-Expect less deactivation

-Questionable repeatability

-Expect tighter distribution of crystal size

-Questionable repeatability

Results - Conversion

240

225

210

240

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Cobalt Cobalt on titania

Combustion synthesis

Fixed bed

240 9.7 3.6 3.3 0.24

225 2.7 1.4 0.84 0.077

210 1.4 0.75 0.67 0.04

240 4.6 2.4 2.29 0.14

Temperature (oC)

Co

nv

er

sio

n (

g p

ro

du

ct/

g c

ata

lys

t/h

r)

Results - Deactivation

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Cobalt Cobalt on titania Combustion synthesis Fixed bed

De

ac

tiv

ati

on

(%

)

Comparison between conversion of first and last 240oC run

Methodology – Liquids analysis

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Frac

tio

n o

f to

tal p

rod

uct

Wt

%

Carbon number

Development of method and standards in GC

Methodology – Liquids analysis

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Frac

tio

n o

f to

tal p

rod

uct

Wt

%

Carbon number

Wn/n = (1-α)2αn-1

Methodology – Liquids analysis

Log(Wn/n)

-5

-4.5

-4

-3.5

-3

-2.5

-2

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Lo

g(W

n/n

)

Carbon number (n)

Results – Liquids analysis

0.6

0.65

0.7

0.75

0.8

0.85

0.9

0.95

Cobalt Cobalt on titania Combustion synthesis Fixed bed

Se

lec

tiv

ity

)

240

225

210

240

Values of α for various catalysts over temperature range

Results – Liquids analysis

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

240 225 210 240

Yie

ld (

wt%

)

Temperature (oC)

C20+

C5-C19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

240 225 210 240

Yie

ld (

wt%

)

Temperature (oC)

C20+

C5-C19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

240 225 210 240

Yie

ld (

wt%

)

Temperature (oC)

C20+

C5-C19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

240 225 210 240

Yie

ld (

wt%

)

Temperature (oC)

C20+

C5-C19

Cobalt Cobalt on titania

Combustion synthesis Fixed bed

Results – SEM analysis

Cobalt washcoat

Results – SEM analysis

Cobalt washcoat

Results – SEM analysis

Cbaltwashcoat

Results – SEM analysis

Cobalt washcoat

Combustion synthesis method

Where to from here?

Further SEM analysis

Further testing

-Longer runs-More conditions

-Select conditions for optimisation of small scale FT i.e. pressure effects

Modelling of microchannel reactor

Stretch goal – incorporate FT rig with lab gasifier

Acknowledgments

Dr Chris Williamson

Dr Aaron Marshall

Prof. Shusheng Pang

Michael Sandridge

Woei-Lean Saw

Rest of the technical staff

Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

And Thank You for Listening!!

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