Patent ID: 6838487

Claim:
A method for regenerating a deactivated iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst from a slurry bubble column reactor, said method comprising the steps of: placing a slurry comprising wax and deactivated catalyst into a first vessel; feeding an inert gas into the bottom of the first vessel, thereby producing a three-phase bubble column in said first vessel wherein overhead gases are discharged to a separator; removing a degassed catalyst and wax bearing slurry from an upper portion of the first vessel and allowing the degassed catalyst and wax bearing slurry to flow under natural circulation through a catalyst settling vessel into a lower portion of the first vessel, whereby said deactivated catalyst having undergone settling is returned to said first vessel; adding an extraction solvent to said first vessel to maintain a desired level of catalyst bearing slurry as a catalyst-free wax and solvent mixture is removed from the catalyst settling vessel; separating wax and solvent in said catalyst-free wax and solvent mixture in a flash vessel, thereby generating a separated wax and a recovery solvent; recovering said separated wax; returning said recovery solvent to said first vessel; separating a dewaxed catalyst from the extraction solvent in said first vessel, thereby generating a wax-free catalyst-free solvent which undergoes vaporization and condensation for liquid storage; oxidizing said dewaxed catalyst in said first vessel under controlled conditions; mixing said dewaxed catalyst with a solvent containing an alkali promoter, thereby forming an oxide catalyst precursor; drying said oxide catalyst precursor to form a catalyst precursor powder; mixing said catalyst precursor powder with a liquid medium to form a catalyst precursor slurry; and treating the catalyst precursor slurry with a synthesis gas to form an active catalyst containing iron carbides, thereby regenerating said deactivated catalyst.