Patent ID: 8479572

Claim:
A bubble column type hydrocarbon synthesis reactor for synthesizing a hydrocarbon compound by a chemical reaction of a synthesis gas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide as main components, and a slurry having solid catalyst particles suspended in liquid, the hydrocarbon synthesis reactor comprising: a reactor main body for accommodating the slurry; a synthesis gas supplying section for supplying the synthesis gas to the slurry; a first pressure sensor which is arranged higher than the liquid level of the slurry to measure the pressure of the synthesis gas above the liquid level; a plurality of second pressure sensors which are arranged lower than the liquid level of the slurry to measure the pressure of the slurry; temperature sensors for measuring temperatures of the slurry; and a liquid level detecting device for detecting a liquid level position of the slurry on the basis of measurement results of the first and second pressure sensors, wherein the plurality of second pressure sensors are provided at arbitrary intervals in an axial direction of the reactor main body, wherein the temperature sensors are respectively provided within sections existing between the second pressure sensors adjacent to each other in the reactor main body, and wherein the liquid level detecting device is configured to individually correct the density of the slurry obtained on the basis of the composition of the slurry within each of the sections, on the basis of a measurement result of the temperature sensor arranged in the section corresponding to the density, and detect the liquid level position of the slurry on the basis of the corrected density of the slurry and the measurement results of the first and second pressure sensors.