Simulation and Analysis of a Tubular Fixed-Bed Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis Reactor with Co-Based Catalyst

A two-dimensional pseudohomogeneous reactor model is proposed to simulate the performance of fixed-bed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reactors by lumped thought. A CO consumption kinetics equation and a carbon chain growth probability model were incorporated into the reactor model. The model equations discretized by a two-dimensional orthogonal collocation method were solved by the Broyden method. Concentration and temperature profiles were obtained. The validity of the reactor model against the pilot plant test data was investigated. Satisfactory agreements between model prediction values and experiment results were obtained. Further simulations were carried out to investigate the effect of operating conditions on the reaction behavior of the fixed-bed FTS reactor.