(469f) A Novel Structured Catalyst with Enhanced Heat Transfer Characteristics for FTS

Highly exothermic and highly endothermic reactions require catalyst beds with good heat transfer characteristics. A novel structured catalyst, Microfibrous Entrapped Catalyst Structure (MFEC) made of highly thermal conductive metals can significantly improve heat transfer efficiency, compared with traditional packed beds (PB). Firstly, the thermal parameters of metal MFEC were determined experimentally. In a stagnant N₂ gas test, the radial effective thermal conductivity of Cu MFEC is 56-fold of that of alumina PB, while the inside wall heat transfer coefficient is 10 times of that of alumina PB. Compared to PB, even made of pure copper particles, conductive metal MFEC also provides much more effective thermal conductivity and higher inside wall heat transfer coefficient in a flowing gas test. In addition, an application of Cu MFEC in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS), demonstrated the improvement of temperature distribution inside the catalyst bed and the increase of product selectivity. Furthermore, unlike monolith catalyst structure, MFEC structure is compatible with pre-manufactured catalyst particles, very flexible and ease to be corrugated. Therefore, the conductive metal MFEC structures have great potential to enhance the intra-bed heat transfer for highly exothermic or highly endothermic reactions, reducing temperature excursions in the reactors.