Patent ID: 8852516
Filing Date: 2014-10-07
Classification: B01J,C10G

Abstract:
1. A slurry bubble column reactor for continuous separation and discharge of solid catalysts and liquid products for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reactions by which synthetic oil is synthesized from a feeding gas, the apparatus comprising: a slurry-level sensing device which is installed at an inner portion of a reactor and detects the level of slurry-phase reactants, wherein the slurry-level sensing device comprises one of a radar or ultrasonic wave level sensor and a thermocouple, or both of the level sensors and the thermocouple, wherein the thermocouple detects the slurry-level of reactants by the temperature difference between the slurry-phase reactants and gas-phase space filled with tail gases; a solid catalyst/liquid product separation device and a discharge device which are installed at a lower portion of the reactor and separate and discharge solid catalysts and liquid products mixed in the reactor; a control unit which receives a signal from the slurry-level sensing device to open and close the discharge device, wherein the separation device filters the solid catalysts, and the discharge device continuously discharges the liquid products separated from the solid catalysts through the lower portion of the reactor based on the level of slurry-phase reactants detected by the slurry-level sensing device, wherein the solid catalysts are filtered by a metal sintering filter disposed at the lower portion of the slurry bubble column reactor, and wherein the metal sintering filter has a pore size of about 5 to about 15 μm and withstands high temperature and high pressure; and differential pressure sensors which are installed at upper and lower portions of the metal sintering filter and detect a pressure drop occurring at the upper and lower portions of the separation device, and a filter restoration device which provides periodic gas pulses to the separation device using a feeding gas to restore the separation device, to which the solid catalysts are fused or deposited, back-flushed to an initial state, wherein the control unit receives a signal from the differential pressure sensor to control operation of the filter restoration device when the pressure drop is increased to a predetermined level.