{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76086"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76086","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Development of a microreactor system for unsteady-state Fischer- Tropsch synthesis","abstract":"Vibrofluidized microreactor systems have been developed for studies of unsteady-state Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This development is aimed at preventing carbon deposition on a fused-iron catalyst in a novel reactor called the “heat-tray.” This reactor involves a supernatant gas flowing over a shallow fluidized bed of catalyst particles. Three systems were built: (1) a vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for obtaining baseline carbon deposition infonnation under industrially important reaction conditions; (2) a sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for rapid switching of feed gases in the F-T synthesis; and (3) a cold-flow microreactor model for studying the gas mixing characteristics of the sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor. The results show that catalyst defluidization occurred under steady-state synthesis conditions below 395°C using a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less. Above 395°C, the probability of hydrocarbon chain growth (α) on the fused-iron catalyst was low enough (α < 0.50) to prevent accumulation of high-molecular-weight species that cause defluidization. Carbon deposition was rapid above 395°C when a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less was used. Spent catalyst fractions in the form of free-flowing catalyst and \"bugdust\" were quantitatively analyzed for carbon and iron. Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis of free-flowing catalyst showed mainly Hägg carbide (x-Fe₅C₂) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) with a smaller fraction present as α-Fe. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the bugdust revealed a mass of highly porous, fine particles with a high carbon content (18-30 wt%). Cold-flow microreactor model studies show that rapid (on the order of seconds), quantitative switching of feed gases over a vibrofluidized-bed of catalyst could be achieved. Vibrofluidization of the catalyst bed induced little backmixing of feed gas over the investigated flow-rate range of 417 to 1650 actual mm³/s. Further, cold-flow microreactor model studies showed intense solid mixing when a -150+300 µ bed of fused-iron catalyst was vibrofluidized at 24 cycles per second with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 4 mm. The development of this microreactor system has provided an easy way of accurately determining integral fluid-bed kinetics in a laboratory reactor. Further, the unique ability of the microreactor system to rapidly switch feed gases over an intensely-mixed solid has important applications in chemical kinetics and reaction engineering.","abstract_html":"Vibrofluidized microreactor systems have been developed for studies of unsteady-state Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This development is aimed at preventing carbon deposition on a fused-iron catalyst in a novel reactor called the “heat-tray.” This reactor involves a supernatant gas flowing over a shallow fluidized bed of catalyst particles. Three systems were built: (1) a vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for obtaining baseline carbon deposition infonnation under industrially important reaction conditions; (2) a sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for rapid switching of feed gases in the F-T synthesis; and (3) a cold-flow microreactor model for studying the gas mixing characteristics of the sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor. The results show that catalyst defluidization occurred under steady-state synthesis conditions below 395°C using a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less. Above 395°C, the probability of hydrocarbon chain growth (α) on the fused-iron catalyst was low enough (α &lt; 0.50) to prevent accumulation of high-molecular-weight species that cause defluidization. Carbon deposition was rapid above 395°C when a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less was used. Spent catalyst fractions in the form of free-flowing catalyst and &quot;bugdust&quot; were quantitatively analyzed for carbon and iron. Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis of free-flowing catalyst showed mainly Hägg carbide (x-Fe₅C₂) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) with a smaller fraction present as α-Fe. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the bugdust revealed a mass of highly porous, fine particles with a high carbon content (18-30 wt%). Cold-flow microreactor model studies show that rapid (on the order of seconds), quantitative switching of feed gases over a vibrofluidized-bed of catalyst could be achieved. Vibrofluidization of the catalyst bed induced little backmixing of feed gas over the investigated flow-rate range of 417 to 1650 actual mm³/s. Further, cold-flow microreactor model studies showed intense solid mixing when a -150+300 µ bed of fused-iron catalyst was vibrofluidized at 24 cycles per second with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 4 mm. The development of this microreactor system has provided an easy way of accurately determining integral fluid-bed kinetics in a laboratory reactor. Further, the unique ability of the microreactor system to rapidly switch feed gases over an intensely-mixed solid has important applications in chemical kinetics and reaction engineering.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Whiting, Gary Ken"],"institution":"Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University","degree_name":"Ph. D.","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":"Chemical Engineering","degree_department":"Chemical Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Squires, Arthur M.","Liu, Y.A."],"committee_members":["Beyer, Gerhard H.","Davis, Mark E.","Konrad, Kenneth"],"year":1985,"date_issued":"1985","date_published":"1985","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:56:39Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76086","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Squires, Arthur M.","Liu, Y.A."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Beyer, Gerhard H.","Davis, Mark E.","Konrad, Kenneth"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Chemical Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Whiting, Gary Ken"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2017-03-10T15:15:10Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-03-10T15:15:10Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1985"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph. D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76086"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Vibrofluidized microreactor systems have been developed for studies of unsteady-state Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This development is aimed at preventing carbon deposition on a fused-iron catalyst in a novel reactor called the “heat-tray.” This reactor involves a supernatant gas flowing over a shallow fluidized bed of catalyst particles. Three systems were built: (1) a vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for obtaining baseline carbon deposition infonnation under industrially important reaction conditions; (2) a sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for rapid switching of feed gases in the F-T synthesis; and (3) a cold-flow microreactor model for studying the gas mixing characteristics of the sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor. The results show that catalyst defluidization occurred under steady-state synthesis conditions below 395°C using a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less. Above 395°C, the probability of hydrocarbon chain growth (α) on the fused-iron catalyst was low enough (α < 0.50) to prevent accumulation of high-molecular-weight species that cause defluidization. Carbon deposition was rapid above 395°C when a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less was used. Spent catalyst fractions in the form of free-flowing catalyst and \"bugdust\" were quantitatively analyzed for carbon and iron. Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis of free-flowing catalyst showed mainly Hägg carbide (x-Fe₅C₂) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) with a smaller fraction present as α-Fe. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the bugdust revealed a mass of highly porous, fine particles with a high carbon content (18-30 wt%). Cold-flow microreactor model studies show that rapid (on the order of seconds), quantitative switching of feed gases over a vibrofluidized-bed of catalyst could be achieved. Vibrofluidization of the catalyst bed induced little backmixing of feed gas over the investigated flow-rate range of 417 to 1650 actual mm³/s. Further, cold-flow microreactor model studies showed intense solid mixing when a -150+300 µ bed of fused-iron catalyst was vibrofluidized at 24 cycles per second with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 4 mm. The development of this microreactor system has provided an easy way of accurately determining integral fluid-bed kinetics in a laboratory reactor. Further, the unique ability of the microreactor system to rapidly switch feed gases over an intensely-mixed solid has important applications in chemical kinetics and reaction engineering."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Ph. D."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Development of a microreactor system for unsteady-state Fischer- Tropsch synthesis"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Squires, Arthur M.","Liu, Y.A."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Beyer, Gerhard H.","Davis, Mark E.","Konrad, Kenneth"],"dc:contributor.department":["Chemical Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Whiting, Gary Ken"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-03-10T15:15:10Z"],"dc:date.available":["2017-03-10T15:15:10Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1985"],"dc:description.abstract":["Vibrofluidized microreactor systems have been developed for studies of unsteady-state Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This development is aimed at preventing carbon deposition on a fused-iron catalyst in a novel reactor called the “heat-tray.” This reactor involves a supernatant gas flowing over a shallow fluidized bed of catalyst particles. Three systems were built: (1) a vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for obtaining baseline carbon deposition infonnation under industrially important reaction conditions; (2) a sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor system for rapid switching of feed gases in the F-T synthesis; and (3) a cold-flow microreactor model for studying the gas mixing characteristics of the sliding-plug vibrofluidized-bed microreactor. The results show that catalyst defluidization occurred under steady-state synthesis conditions below 395°C using a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less. Above 395°C, the probability of hydrocarbon chain growth (α) on the fused-iron catalyst was low enough (α < 0.50) to prevent accumulation of high-molecular-weight species that cause defluidization. Carbon deposition was rapid above 395°C when a feed gas of H₂/CO ratio of 2:1 or less was used. Spent catalyst fractions in the form of free-flowing catalyst and \"bugdust\" were quantitatively analyzed for carbon and iron. Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis of free-flowing catalyst showed mainly Hägg carbide (x-Fe₅C₂) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) with a smaller fraction present as α-Fe. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the bugdust revealed a mass of highly porous, fine particles with a high carbon content (18-30 wt%). Cold-flow microreactor model studies show that rapid (on the order of seconds), quantitative switching of feed gases over a vibrofluidized-bed of catalyst could be achieved. Vibrofluidization of the catalyst bed induced little backmixing of feed gas over the investigated flow-rate range of 417 to 1650 actual mm³/s. Further, cold-flow microreactor model studies showed intense solid mixing when a -150+300 µ bed of fused-iron catalyst was vibrofluidized at 24 cycles per second with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 4 mm. The development of this microreactor system has provided an easy way of accurately determining integral fluid-bed kinetics in a laboratory reactor. Further, the unique ability of the microreactor system to rapidly switch feed gases over an intensely-mixed solid has important applications in chemical kinetics and reaction engineering."],"dc:description.degree":["Ph. D."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76086"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Development of a microreactor system for unsteady-state Fischer- Tropsch synthesis"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"],"dc:type.dcmitype":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph. D."],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:56:39Z"}