Performance of a Fused-iron Catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

An industrial fused-iron catalyst was analyzed, the solid phases of which mainly consisted of Wusite-FeO and C-carbon. Using the fused-iron catalyst, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in an integral fixed-bed reactor was investigated. The catalyst performance was studied under different temperature, H_2/CO (feed mole ratio), and space velocity(GHSV). Under the condition of p=2.5 MPa, GHSV=1 600 h~-1and H_2/CO=3/2, CO conversion, H_2 conversion and CH_4 selectivity all increased, but CO_2 selectivity decreasedas the reaction temperature rose from 260 to 300°C. Under the condition of T=290°C, p=2.5 MPa, GHSV=1 600 h~-1, CO conversion, the utilization ratio of H_2/CO, CH_4 selectivity all increased, yet H_2 conversion and CO_2 selectivity both decreased as H_2/CO from 0.5 to 1.5. Space velocity had no significant effect on the catalyst performance.