COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE WITH SYNTHOL CFB REACTORS

ABSTRACT In the mid 1940's Kellogg applied their CFB experience to the conversion of (CO + H2) to liquid fuels. They built a Pilot Plant with a 10 cm diameter reactor and 8 cm diameter standpipe. Positive results were obtained and in 1948 a commercial size reactor was designed. The reactors were never implemented in the USA. Sasol purchased the technology and in 1955 two reactors were started up at Sasol 1 in South Africa. Since the scale-up from the Pilot Plant was by a factor greater than 500, severe problems were initially encountered. These were resolved as far as the design allowed and a third, improved design, reactor was added in 1960. In 1974 the sudden increase in the price of crude oil motivated the design of a second, much larger, oil from coal Plant. Extensive development work carried out by Sasol and Badger on the Sasol 1 reactors led to the design of scaled-up and improved CFB Synthol reactors. Currently sixteen of these reactors, which are three to four times larger than the Sasol 1 reactors, are in operation at Sasol 2 and 3.