Barry Nay

A History of Fischer-Tropsch Wax Upgrading at BP—from Catalyst Screening Studies to Full Scale Demonstration in Alaska

Abstract Conversion of Fische-Tropsch was into high quality synthetic crude or finished transportation fuels such as premium diesel has been studied over the past 15 years within BP. Catalyst screening and selection was carried out in dedicated micro-reactors and pilot plants, whose designs are critical to the performance selection. Variation in catalyst composition and defining the gas to oil feed ratios with the operating temperature are a few of the parameters studied. Product selection and maximizing diesel yield combined with stability (catalyst life) were the ultimate drivers. The selected catalyst was then tested under commercial conditions in a dedicated 300 barrel per day demonstration plant. The products were also tested in engines to assess their combustion characteristics.

A History of the BP Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst from Laboratory to Full Scale Demonstration in Alaska and Beyond

This chapter describes the development of BPs Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalyst from the early days of laboratory scale preparations and micro-reactor tests to commercial scale manufacture and operation at BPs Gas to Liquids (GTL) demonstration facility in Nikiski, Alaska. A detailed description of the catalyst development activities, preparation methods, and experimental facilities is provided by Font Freide and coworkers. The initial research was focused on catalyst development for a fixed bed reactor design. To progress from prototype catalysts to a version capable of commercial scale production, not only does the catalyst preparation route need to be specified in considerable detail but also, the specification of the finished catalyst needs to be defined. A set of physical and chemical characteristics needed to be determined which fully defined the catalyst and then, for each of these characteristics an acceptable value, or more usually a range of values, was set. Based on the success of in-house catalyst manufacturing efforts and the encouraging performance in FT evaluations, it investigated production of large quantities of catalyst at the tonnage scale. It approached catalyst manufacturers with a view to selecting one to move forward with. Two batches were made at the two ton scale and tested in the Hull pilot plant, as well as the Sunbury micro-reactors. The basic recipe of the catalyst remained unaltered. Recent activities include the commercial scale fixed bed tests in progress at Nikiski and development of a novel slurry-based reactor technology.

Determination of the partial pressure of water during the activation of the BP GTL fischer-tropsch catalyst and its effects on catalyst performance

The effects of hydrogen concentration, temperature ramp rate, pressure and Gas Hourly Space Velocity (GHSV) were all shown to be of high importance in the reduction of the BP Gas to Liquids Fischer-Tropsch catalyst. A system was developed to accurately measure the water partial pressure and hydrogen concentration simultaneously at the exit of the catalyst bed, during reduction. The importance of the effect of the partial pressure of water measured during reduction, on final catalyst performance, was clearly demonstrated. Low water partial pressure levels (<0.1 bar) seem to be beneficial to performance, whilst higher levels are detrimental.