small scale xtl enabled by microreactors - nclwcip.ncl.res.in/uploads/presentation/soumitra...
TRANSCRIPT
Soumitra R. Deshmukh
WCIP, NCL 19-Dec-2011
Small Scale XTL Enabled By Microreactors
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About Us
Enabling technology for production of fuels and chemicals
– „Superactive‟ catalysts + revolutionary microchannel reactors
World-class pedigree − some 20 yrs of R&D
– University of Oxford: top global research center; largest
chemistry department in Western World
– Battelle: world‟s largest independent science & technology organization;
developed at DoE‟s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Global leader: at the forefront of small scale XTL technology
– World‟s largest patent portfolio in field (over 650 patents)
– $250+ million invested in the technology by commercial partners
Critical mass: >80 employees
– Catalyst development near Oxford, UK
– Process technology development near Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Enabling Technology
~ 25-150 mm
Conventional
~ 0.1-
1.0 mm
Characteristic
dimension
Microchannel
Microchannels exploit fast
reactions
• enhance heat transfer
• enhance mass transfer
• enable intrinsic rates
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Microchannel Technology Systems
Outperform Conventional Reactors
Controls reactions at
optimal conditions
Accelerates processes
by 10 – 1,000 fold
Allows use of novel,
much more active
catalysts
Enables smaller, more
productive reactors
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Focus on Synthetic Fuels - XTL way
The time has come for
distributed XTL projects
– GTL from flare gas or from
small inaccessible fields
– BTL from wastes
Huge market opportunity
– 10 billion bbl/year of synthetic
fuel
Microchannel XTL
– Tap abundant, low cost
feedstocks
– Large scale economics at
smaller capacity
– Process intensification for
attractive economics
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Focus on Fuels and Chemicals Production
Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction: CO + H2 -(CH2)n + H2O– Liquid fuels and waxes from synthesis gas: the key enabling step for
distributed fuels
– Synthesis gas can be made from biomass, waste or coal by
gasification or from methane by reforming
Steam Methane Reforming: CH4 + H2O CO + H2
– CO / H2 ratio can be adjusted for syngas or hydrogen production
Hydrocracking to upgrade FT wax to diesel
Microchannel process technology suitable for all
these reactions, each with different design
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Synthetic Fuel Process: Fischer-Tropsch GTL
Steam
Reforming CO / H2Products
Diesel or Jet
Fuel
Air
H2 H2O
Gas Recycle
Steam
Fischer
Tropsch
Local
Natural
Gas
Hydro-
Cracking
Natural
Gas
Gas Phase ReactionMethane Steam Reforming
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Velocys Microchannel SMR Reactor Concept
Close integration of
combustion and steam
reforming processes
CH4 + H2O CO + H2
Heat
SMR Catalyst
Fuel + Air ExhaustCatalytic
Combustion
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Microchannel Steam Reformer Design
Reactor
Multi-stream
Heat
Exchanger
Internal
Manifold
Integrated reforming and combustion
Recuperative heat exchange
Integral design with simple manifolding
Ease of manufacturing
Robust mechanical strength
High temperature and pressure operation
Low dP, Low emissions
Improved safety - no pre-mixing fuel and air
Small footprint
H2/CO
Fuel Air
Exhaust
900 C
300 C
CH4 /H2O
Free hot end
Fischer-Tropsch Reaction
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-(CH2)n- + H2O
CO + 2H2
WaterWater/Steam
0.2 – 5.0 mm
0.2 – 5.0 mm
Microchannel Fischer-Tropsch Reactor ConceptClose integration of exothermic
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and
steam generation
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Scaling-up vs “Numbering-up”
Microchannel Number upConventional Scale up
Velocys devices minimize time and cost to commercialization
Critical dimensions
remain constant in
Velocys Technology
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Commercializing FT by Numbering up
Single-Channel Scale
– Internal channel dimensions same as commercial reactor
Pilot Scale
– 10‟s to 100‟s of channels
Commercial Scale
– > 1000 channels
– Passive internal manifolding
Number of channels increase; size of channels does not
Commercial scale reactor is the basic building block of a plant
L
A
B
O
R
A
T
O
R
Y
P
I
L
O
T
Commercial
Scale
Reactor
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Experimental Validation of FT Scale-Up
Experiments performed at Velocys
– single channel and pilot scales
Catalyst sourced from Oxford Catalysts
– High activity Cobalt / Silica catalyst
– Organic Matrix Combustion methodology
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1 process channel
– No catalyst dilution
– Variable catalyst & inert bed lengths
– Coolant channels with hot oil circulation
Short
– ~4 cm
– Catalyst test reactor
– Measure performance
Long
– ~60 cm
– Commercial length
Single Channel / Laboratory Scale
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Pilot Scale
276 process channels
Medium catalyst bed length
– ~18 cm
Coolant channels with partial boiling of water
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0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
0.0 50.0 100.0 150.0 200.0 250.0 300.0 350.0 400.0 450.0
CO
Co
nvers
ion
, C
H4 S
ele
cti
vit
y [
%]
Time on stream [hrs]
Single Channel (Short) - CO Conv
Single Channel (Short) - CH4 Sel
Single channel (Long-A) - CO Conv
Single Channel (Long-A) - CH4 Sel
Single Channel (Long-B) - CO Conv
Single Channel (Long-B) - CH4 Sel
Pilot - CO Conv
Pilot - CH4 Sel
Demonstrated Ability to Scale-up Technology1 short channel = 1 long channel = 276 channels
12,400 hr-1, 23 bar, 2:1 H2:CO, 16% dilution, 210 C
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0.0001
0.0010
0.0100
0.1000
1.0000
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Ma
ss F
ract
ion
in W
ax
Carbon Number
Short
Long-A
Long-B
Pilot
Demonstrated Ability to Scale-up Technology1 short channel = 1 long channel = 276 channels
Alpha (α) = 0.91
Reactor Capacity (GPD)
Short 0.004
Long 0.03
Pilot 2
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Current Commercial FT Reactor
ASME code stamped
design
Over 10,000 channels
Now fulfilling orders with
established supply chain
Commercial
demonstrations of full-
scale FT Reactor to be
on-line by mid-2012
ASME Code Stamped FT Reactor
Multiphase Reactions in MicrochannelsHydroprocessing FT Wax to Diesel
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Microchannel Hydroprocessing
Past: Hydroprocessing in large packed bed reactors
– Low WHSV (LHSV) - Trickle flow regime
– Excess H2 to overcome mass transfer limitations
Present: Process Intensification demonstrated using
fixed bed microchannel reactors
– Enables high WHSV operation
– Attractive testing results for FT wax upgrading
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Hydroprocessing FT Wax
to liquid products (fuel)
FT
Reactor
SyngasH2, CO, Inerts
H2
Liquid Product
GC
Hydrocracking
Reactor
Gas Product
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FT Wax Upgrading in Microchannel Reactor
Order of Magnitude Higher Productivity
Conventional FT Wax upgrading at 1-3 hr-1 WHSVa
Micro channel FT Wax upgrading can handle an
order of magnitude higher throughput
a Pellegrini et.al., Chem. Eng. Sci. (2004)
Carbon Number Distribution
0.0001
0.0010
0.0100
0.1000
1.0000
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Carbon Number
Mass
Fra
cti
on
feed
product, 10 hr-1 WHSV
product, 20 hr-1 WHSV
product, 30 hr-1 WHSV
Diesel Fraction
JE
T
Demonstration Activities
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Facilities with Velocys Reactors
Petrobras
Fortaleza, Brazil
10 bpdGTL in 2012
SGC Energia
Güssing, Austria
1 bpdBTL in 2010
Microchannel FT
Microchannel FT and SMR
Confidential
U.S. GTL facility
in 2012
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BTL Field Demonstration
FT technology being demonstrated at the unique
showcase “eco-town” of Güssing, in Austria
Fully funded by BTL / WTL partner, SGC Energia
Demonstration began in 2010 on gasified wood
Güssing
FT demonstration unit
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GTL Field Demonstration
Small scale GTL to be demonstrated at Petrobras in Fortaleza, Brazil in 2012
Offshore GTL partners: Toyo Engineering, MODEC and Petrobras
GTL skid installation underway
2,000 bpd GTL facility will occupy
only ~¼ of deck space
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Summary
Microchannel technology elements demonstrated
for several classes of reactions
Numbering up of microchannels successfully
demonstrated
Commercial Demonstrations Underway
– Güssing Austria BTL pilot reactor demonstration (1 BPD)
– Petrobras GTL demonstration reactors (10 BPD)
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