Comparison of supercritical Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) with conventional FTS

In the last decades a lot of research and development activities have been devoted to the production of high-quality sulfur-free liquid fuels from alternative sources to petroleum, such asnatural gas, coal, and biomass, via syngas (CO + H2) by means of the classical Fischer–Tropsch (FT).A detailed overview of the recent works regarding applications of supercritical media in Fischer– Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is presented. Heat transfer, differences in activity, catalyst stability, CH4 andCO2 selectivity, hydrocarbon and olefin distributions between supercritical Fischer–Tropsch syntheses(SC-FTS) and conventional gas phase Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (GP-FTS) are compared. Experimental analyses reveal that unique properties of supercritical media can improve FTS catalyst activity and selectivity in SC-FTS due to higher heat and mass transfer rates in comparison to GPFTS.

Keywords:

Supercritical , Fischer–Tropsch synthesis , Catalyst , Heat transfer , Product selectivity