A modular multichannel reaction module with microchannel-based coolant channels was considered, and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to describe the hydrodynamic behavior of the module. Reaction rates for the lumped chain length distribution of hydrocarbon products generated by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction were proposed, and the developed kinetic and CFD models were shown to satisfactorily fit the experimental data under different production rates. High heat transfer rates resulting from the use of microchannel-based cooling channel maintained the temperature peak below 10 degrees C, and simulation results with increased size of the catalytic bed and absence of inert materials showed that the high heat of reactions could be efficiently removed over entire catalytic beds, preventing the creation of local hot spots, which are usually observed in conventional fixed bed reactors. In addition, the efficient use of thermal energy could guarantee that methane selectivity, which needs to be maintained as low as possible, was close to approximately 10% under all conditions, while the selectivity of the desired hydrocarbons (C5+) slightly increased with increasing feed flow rates.

In Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS), cobalt carbide (Co2C) is not a catalytically active material, but rather an undesired cobalt phase associated with low catalytic performance.

Phosphorus was incorporated into Co/Al2O3 catalyst for FTS by impregnating an acidic precursor, phosphoric acid, in gamma-Co/Al2O3 support to improve the mechanical strength, the hydrothermal stability of the catalyst particle, and the catalytic performance as well. Surface characterization techniques such as FT-IR revealed that AlPO4 phase was generated on the surface of the P-modified catalyst. The addition of phosphorus was found to alleviate the interaction between cobalt and alumina surface, and to increase reducibility of catalyst. The catalytic activity such as C5+ productivity and turnover frequency (TOF) was calculated to evaluate catalytic performance. The influence of calcination temperature of the Al2O3 containing 2 wt.% P on the catalytic performance was also investigated. Through hydrothermal stability test and XRD analysis, the P-modified catalyst had strong resistant to the pressurized and hot H2O. The mechanical strength of the P-modified catalyst was also examined through an in-house fluidized-bed vessel, and it was found that the catalyst fragmentation could be successfully suppressed with P. Taken as a whole, the best performance was shown to be at 1 similar to 2 wt.% P in alumina and at the calcination temperature of 500 degrees C.