Abiomass-to-liquids demonstration plant, jointly operated by the Oxford Catalysts Group and the Portuguese incorporated holding company SGC Energia, at the biomass gasification facility in Güssing, Austria, is now up and running . The plant is designed for the small scale distributed production of biofuels via the Fischer-Tropsch reaction.
The demonstration plant, which is being managed by SGCE, has been fully operational for over a month. Initial results indicate that the equipment – including the Güssing gasifier, a gas conditioning unit supplied by SGCE and an FT microchannel reactor skid developed by the US-based member of the Oxford Catalysts Group, Velocys, – is all operating smoothly.
The FT microchannel reactor, comprised of over 900 full-length microchannels, is working effectively. It is proving to be very efficient at controlling temperatures in highly exothermic (heat-generating) FT reaction and at maintaining isothermal conditions throughout the reactor. The demonstration plant is already producing over 0.75kg of high quality synthetic FT liquids per litre of catalyst per hour – 4 to 8 times greater productivity than conventional systems. The unit is also demonstrating robust responsiveness to shutdowns and start ups.
These results confirm the significant process intensification potential of the FT technology. Performance will improve further after the steam superheating section of the plant is debottlenecked at the next scheduled shutdown in the next couple of months. Going forward, the demonstration plant will be operated over a range of conditions to establish and confirm performance. It also will be tested in an extended three-month steady state run.
