Microchannel Hydrocrackers for Production of High Value Fuel from Fischer-Tropsch Wax

With the growing need for alternative and synthetic fuels, much attention is being devoted to their production using the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) route from non-food resources, such as stranded natural gas reserves, coal and waste. FT reactions have been successfully carried out in microchannel reactors with better yields compared to conventional reactors. The hydrocarbons produced from this process are mostly n-paraffins that follow the Anderson-Schulz-Flory distribution. The heavier fractions (approximately 40 wt% C22+), with a boiling point higher than 370 deg C, have limited use as transportation fuels. Hydrocracking, a common refinery process for the upgrading of the heavier crude fractions, can be carried out on these FT waxes to produce higher yields of high-value fuels, like diesel and gasoline. In this paper, we present experimental results for the hydrocracking of FT waxes in a microchannel reactor. The high heat and mass transfer rate advantage of the microreactors is confirmed with higher productivity for the hydrocracking process. It is shown that a multifold increase in the reactor throughput can be achieved using a microchannel hydrocracker while maintaining a good quality product distribution.