Patent ID: 7772291

Claim:
A process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants, the process comprising: feeding at a low level a gaseous reactants feed, including at least CO and H 2 , into an expanded slurry bed of solid non-shifting hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry bed being contained in a vessel and the expanded slurry bed having an aspect ratio of less than 5; optionally, feeding a recycle gas stream into the slurry bed; allowing the gaseous reactants and any recycled gas to react with a per pass CO plus H 2 conversion of at least 60% as they pass upwardly through the slurry bed at an inlet superficial gas velocity of at least 35 cm/s, thereby to form liquid and, optionally, gaseous products, and with the gaseous reactants and any recycled gas and any gaseous product assisting in maintaining the solid catalyst particles in suspension in the suspension liquid, and with the liquid product forming together with the suspension liquid, a liquid phase of the slurry bed; allowing any gaseous product and unreacted gaseous reactants and any unreacted recycled gas to disengage from the slurry bed as gaseous components into a head space above the slurry bed; withdrawing the gaseous components from the head space; withdrawing liquid phase from the slurry bed, to maintain the slurry bed at a desired level; and optionally, recycling some of the gaseous components from the head space to provide the recycle gas stream.