Staging and path optimization of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Optimization of once-through three-stage Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis using path op-timization is performed in this study to identify optimal structure and strategies in multi-stage FT synthesis design. The study also compares three-stage designs against recycled single-stage and two-stage designs with identical residence time and outlines key dif-ferences between different plant configurations. The results showed that it is optimal to operate at the maximum possible CO conversion and as low H2/CO ratio as possible. The comparison of the once-through three-stage and recycled two-stage processes against recycled single-stage process showed that two-stage and three-stage processes can achieve 2.3 % and 2.7 % higher syncrude production and 2.8 % and 3.2 % higher net ma-terial value (objective function). With the possibility of recycling in all three designs, the multi-stage processes improve further: 4.2 % and 5.3 % better in terms of syncrude pro-duction and 4.2 % and 6 % better in terms of the net material value. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creative-commons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

In this study, optimization of once-through three-stage Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis using path optimization was conducted to identify optimal structure and strategies in multi-stage FT synthesis design. The study compared three-stage designs against recycled single-stage and two-stage designs, highlighting the differences between different plant configurations. The results showed that operating at the maximum CO conversion and low H2/CO ratio was optimal. The comparison demonstrated that multi-stage processes achieved higher syncrude production and net material value compared to single-stage processes.