Cobalt metal foam catalyst, method of making same, thermal-medium-circulating heat-exchange reactor using same, and method of producing a liquid fuel by means of a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction using thermal-medium-circulating heat-exchange reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160916-B2
Application number	US-201615075688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2010
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor comprises: a tube unit configured such that synthesis gas is supplied to a cobalt catalyst layer filled with the cobalt metal foam catalysts each including a metal foam coated with cobalt catalyst powder to conduct a reaction; a shell unit configured to cover the tube unit such that thermal medium oil having a predetermined temperature is circulated to control reaction heat generated from a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction; and an electric heater provided at the circumference of the shell unit to heat a cobalt catalyst layer to reduce and pretreat the cobalt catalyst layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor, comprising:
a tube unit comprising an outer heat exchange surface having a circumference, wherein a synthesis gas is supplied into an upper portion of the tube unit through a synthesis gas supply line and a liquid fuel product is recovered through a lower portion of the tube unit;
a cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer disposed inside the tube unit;
a shell unit that fully surrounds the circumference of the outer heat exchange surface of the tube unit to form a space between the tube unit and the shell unit, wherein a thermal medium oil having a predetermined temperature is supplied into a lower portion of the space through a thermal medium oil supply line and recovered from an upper portion of the space through a thermal medium oil recovery line;
an electric heater provided at the circumference of the shell unit to heat the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer to thereby reduce and pretreat the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer; and
a heat exchange pin protruding from an outer surface of the tube unit to accelerate heat exchange between the tube unit and the thermal medium oil,
wherein a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction takes place inside the tube unit by the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer to produce the liquid fuel product from the synthesis gas,
the thermal medium oil circulating the space controls heat generated by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction,
the metal-foam of the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer comprises any one of iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, nickel-chromium alloy, copper-nickel alloy, aluminum-copper alloy, zinc-copper alloy, or silver-copper alloy, and
the metal-foam was pre-treated by atomic layer deposition to form an Al 2 O 3 thin film on the surface of the metal-foam.

2. The thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor according to claim 1 , further comprising: a thermal medium oil storage tank to which the thermal medium oil supply line and the thermal medium oil recovery line are connected.

3. The thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor according to claim 2 , further comprising: a thermal medium oil circulation pump provided on the thermal medium oil supply line to supply the thermal medium oil stored in the thermal medium oil storage tank; and a heat exchanger provided on the thermal medium oil supply line to perform heat exchange between a cooling water and the thermal medium oil to control the predetermined temperature.

4. The thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the electric heater is configured to heat the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer to 300˜500° C.

5. The thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor according to claim 3 , wherein the thermal medium storage tank is provided with a heater to control a temperature of the thermal medium oil stored therein.

6. A thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor, comprising:
a tube unit comprising an outer heat exchange surface having a circumference, wherein a synthesis gas is supplied into an upper portion of the tube unit through a synthesis gas supply line and a liquid fuel product is recovered through a lower portion of the tube unit;
a cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer disposed inside the tube unit;
a shell unit that fully surrounds the circumference of the outer heat exchange surface of the tube unit to form a space between the tube unit and the shell unit, wherein a thermal medium oil having a predetermined temperature is supplied into a lower portion of the space through a thermal medium oil supply line and recovered from an upper portion of the space through a thermal medium oil recovery line;
an electric heater provided at the circumference of the shell unit to heat the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer to thereby reduce and pretreat the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer, wherein the electric heater is configured to heat the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer to 300˜500° C.; and
a heat exchange pin protruding from an outer surface of the tube unit to accelerate heat exchange between the tube unit and the thermal medium oil,
a thermal medium oil storage tank to which the thermal medium oil supply line and the thermal medium oil recovery line are connected, wherein the thermal medium storage tank is provided with a heater to control a temperature of the thermal medium oil stored therein;
a thermal medium oil circulation pump provided on the thermal medium oil supply line to supply the thermal medium oil stored in the thermal medium oil storage tank; and a heat exchanger provided on the thermal medium oil supply line to perform heat exchange between a cooling water and the thermal medium oil to control the predetermined temperature;
wherein a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction takes place inside the tube unit by the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer to produce the liquid fuel product from the synthesis gas,
the thermal medium oil circulating the space controls heat generated by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction, and
the metal-foam comprises a copper-nickel alloy that was pre-treated by atomic layer deposition to form an Al 2 O 3 thin film on the surface of the metal-foam.

7. The thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the metal-foam of the cobalt metal-foam catalyst layer comprises aluminum, iron, iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, nickel-chromium alloy, copper-nickel alloy, aluminum-copper alloy, zinc-copper alloy, or silver-copper alloy.

8. The thermal medium-circulated heat exchanger type reactor according to claim 7 , wherein the metal-foam comprises a copper-nickel alloy that was pre-treated by atomic layer deposition to form an Al 2 O 3 thin film on the surface of the metal-foam.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Energy Res

Inventors

• Yang Jung-Il
• Jung Heon
• Chun Dong-Hyun
• Park Ji-Chan

Classifications

• B01J37/0205

  in several steps · CPC title

• B01J8/22

  gas being introduced into the liquid · CPC title

• B01J37/0238

  via the gaseous phase-sublimation · CPC title

• B01J2208/00212

  Plates; Jackets; Cylinders · CPC title

• C10G2/332

  of the iron-group · CPC title