Patent ID: 7144559

Claim:
An installation for chemical conversion of a feedstock rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide by a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, said installation comprising: at least one reactor ( 2 ) containing a slurry comprising at least one suspension of at least one solid in a liquid, a gas feed means ( 6 ) located in the lower portion of said reactor, a circuit ( 11 , 12 , 13 ), external to the reactor, for continuous circulation of a stream of said slurry, said circuit comprising means for withdrawing said slurry at at least one point (A) of the reactor, and means for reintroducing at least a portion of said slurry at at least one other point (B) of said reactor, a section for separation ( 17 ) of at least one fluid that is contained in the slurry stream that passes through said external circuit ( 11 , 12 , 13 ), at least one isolating valve ( 14 ) for shutting down circulation of said slurry in said circuit ( 11 , 12 , 13 ), means for introducing under pressure at least one fluid for purging the slurry that is contained in the circuit at at least one point (C, D) of said circuit, said means for introducing at least one fluid for purging comprising means ( 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ) for linking said at least one point (C, D) of the circuit with a source of at least one fluid under a pressure that is greater than that of point (C, D), whereby said fluid under pressure is essentially devoid of suspended solid, means ( 16 ) for circulating said slurry in said external circuit under conditions whereby the Reynolds number is greater than 2,500 at any point of said circuit ( 11 , 12 , 13 ), and means for condensing at least a portion of gaseous effluent obtained from reactor ( 2 ), and means for storing ( 37 ) at least a portion of condensed effluent, wherein said storage means ( 37 ) is connected to said means for introducing under pressure at least one purging fluid into said circuit, said reactor ( 2 ) further comprising a free volume ( 5 ) in the upper portion of said reactor ( 2 ) above the liquid/solid suspension, said volume being larger than the volume of the liquid/solid suspension contained in the circuit and in said separation section ( 17 ), said installation further comprising means for detecting at least one operational malfunction of said installation connected to means ( 50 ) for obtaining automatic closure of said at least one isolating valve ( 14 ), when said at least one operational defect is detected, and for subsequently automatically introducing pressurized fluid by opening of at least one valve ( 41 , 42 , 43 ) thereby linking said circuit with said pressurized fluid source.