Patent ID: 7008966

Claim:
A hydrocarbon synthesis process comprising: (a) reacting a synthesis gas comprising a mixture of H 2 and CO in the presence of a solid, particulate hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst in a slurry in a hydrocarbon synthesis reactor at reaction conditions effective to form hydrocarbons, at least a portion of which are liquid at said reaction conditions, wherein said slurry comprises said catalyst and gas bubbles in a hydrocarbon slurry liquid, and wherein said slurry hydrocarbon liquid comprises said liquid hydrocarbons; (b) contacting said slurry with a first filter inside the reactor; (c) passing said slurry from the reactor to an external filtration zone and contacting said slurry with a second filter comprising at least one filter section, said filter section comprises a plurality of hollow filter elements arrayed across a manifold connected to a filtrate conduit, with the interior of the elements, manifold and conduit in fluid communication, and wherein a wall separating the interior of the elements from the slurry is permeable to said slurry hydrocarbon liquid but not said slurry solids; and (d) passing said slurry hydrocarbon liquid through said filter element walls and into said interior of said elements as a filtrate and then successively passing said filtrate through the interior of said manifold and said filtrate conduit.