Fischer-Tropsch Reactor Movable Catalyst Trays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Fischer-Tropsch reactors face challenges such as high costs due to inefficient catalyst contact, ineffective cooling, and maintenance difficulties, particularly in compact designs suitable for remote or military applications, where they are needed for waste conversion to fuel and energy.
Innovation Solution
The development of a rotary oven reformer using electric heat with a spiral flight assembly for efficient gas-phase steam/CO2 reforming and a modular design, along with catalyst-coated finned tubes in a pressure vessel that can be easily maintained, and the use of a small solid oxide fuel-cell to generate electricity and heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fixed bed reactors with packed catalyst particles are used, then the reactor can be scaled up, but the tube size becomes small with high pressure drop and difficult maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The catalyst bed is segmented into multiple movable trays or baskets that can be individually removed and replaced. Each tray contains catalyst particles and can be extracted through the top of the reactor without disassembling the entire reactor vessel, enabling easy maintenance while maintaining large tube dimensions for low pressure drop
Solution Approach 2:
The catalyst trays are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be lifted out and replaced through the reactor top. This dynamic design enables maintenance access without requiring reactor shutdown or complex disassembly, resolving the contradiction between scalability and maintainability
2Temperature
If extended surface materials are packed in tubes with internal diameter more than 3 inches, then heat extraction is improved, but pressure drops increase due to small packing size
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using small extended surface materials packed in the tube, the invention uses large cylindrical shells with external fins that replicate the heat transfer function. The fins are attached to the outside of large-diameter tubes, providing extensive heat exchange surface area without creating internal flow restrictions or pressure drops
Solution Approach 2:
The heat transfer surface is moved from the internal dimension (inside the tube) to the external dimension (outside the tube). By attaching fins to the external surface of large-diameter tubes, the system achieves high heat extraction efficiency while maintaining large internal diameter for low pressure drop gas flow
3Temperature
If trickle phase reactors with large tubes and liquid irrigation are used, then heat removal is improved, but resin blockages can form requiring frequent cleaning or replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The catalyst is extracted from fixed packed beds and placed in movable trays that can be removed and replaced. This allows the catalyst to be easily extracted and replaced without cleaning the entire reactor, eliminating the resin blockage maintenance issue while maintaining effective heat removal through the liquid irrigation system
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of cleaning the catalyst bed to remove resin blockages, the invention allows for easy discarding of spent or blocked catalyst trays and replacement with fresh catalyst. The movable tray design enables rapid catalyst replacement without reactor disassembly, making the frequent catalyst replacement economically viable
4Productivity
If plate heat exchangers with closely spaced plates are used, then catalyst surface area is increased, but manufacturing expense and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses commercially available finned tube heat exchanger sections as catalyst support structures. These standardized components provide large catalyst surface area in a simple, manufacturable form factor, avoiding the complexity of custom plate heat exchanger fabrication while achieving high catalyst loading
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient conversion of waste to fuel and energy in a compact, portable, and maintainable system, reducing costs and operational risks while improving reactor efficiency and scalability.
Implementation Method 1
an electric heater placed within the interior of said kiln
Implementation Method 2
rotation of said kiln in the opposite direction provides by said array of teeth the movement of material within said kiln toward said door
Implementation Method 3
catalyst-coated finned tubes in a pressure vessel
Implementation Method 4
catalyst-coated finned tubes
Implementation Method 5
the use of a small solid oxide fuel-cell to generate electricity and heat
Implementation Method 6
gas-phase steam/CO2 reforming
Implementation Method 7
electric heat with a spiral flight assembly for efficient gas-phase steam/CO2 reforming
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for compact and easily maintainable waste reformation. Some embodiments include a rotary oven reformer adapted and configured to provide synthesis gas from organic waste. Some embodiments include a rotary oven with simplified operation both as to reformation of the waste, usage of the synthesized gas and other products, and easy removal of the finished waste products, preferably in a unit of compact size for use in austere settings. Yet other embodiments include Fischer-Tropsch reactors of synthesized gas. Some of these reactors include heat exchanging assemblies that provide self-cleaning effects, efficient utilization of waste heat, and ease of cleaning.