Patent ID: 6762209
Filing Date: 2004-07-13
Classification: C10G

Abstract:
In a Fischer-Tropsch process for synthesizing a liquid hydrocarbon product from a gaseous reactant, a method for separating a substantially particle-free liquid hydrocarbon product from a slurry comprising a catalyst particle and a suspension liquid while substantially preventing depletion of said catalyst particle from said slurry, the method comprising the steps of:introducing the gaseous reactant into a reactor containing said catalyst particle-containing slurry; bubbling the gaseous reactant upwardly through the catalyst particle-containing slurry to form a reaction mixture comprising liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon product, catalyst particle-containing slurry, and unreacted gaseous reactant; passing the reaction mixture from the reactor upwardly through at least one riser to discharge into a separator chamber placed in a spaced vertical orientation with the reactor; removing the gaseous hydrocarbon product and unreacted gaseous reactant from the reaction mixture from a top of the separator chamber; returning the liquid hydrocarbon product and catalyst particle-containing slurry in a downward direction from the separator chamber to the reactor through at least one downcomer containing a cross-flow filtration element, said downcomer extending from a bottom of the separator chamber and discharging into the reactor; and axially passing said liquid hydrocarbon product through said cross-flow filtration element to obtain a substantially particle-free liquid hydrocarbon product.