Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited

Sasol Chemical Industries (proprietary) Limited

Other

Haldor Topse A/s

Sasol Technology (pty) Limited

Andre Peter Steynberg

Peter Jacobus Van Berge

Berthold Berend Breman

Isabella Lodewina Greeff

Juan Ricardo Inga

Berend Jager

Renus Constantyn Kelfkens

Antonie Christoffel Vosloo

Francois Erenst Malherbe

Derk Willem Frederik Brilman

Jan Hendrik Duvenhage Boshoff

Michael Anthony Smith

Kim Aasberg-Petersen

Ib Dybkjaer

Herman Gerhardus Nel

Alex Philip Vogel

Roy W Silverman

Rafael Luis Espinoza

Simon Charles Clarke

Johan Labuschagne

Samantha Harding

Derk Willem Frederick Brilman

Berhold Berend Breman

Darrell Duane Kinzler

A process () for co-producing power and hydrocarbons includes gasifying () coal to produce a synthesis gas () and a combustion gas () both comprising at least COHand COand being at elevated pressure, separating CO() from the synthesis gas, and synthesizing () hydrocarbons from the synthesis gas. Power () is generated from the combustion gas, including by combusting () the combustion gas in the presence of oxygen and in the presence of at least a portion of the separated CO2 as moderating agent to produce a hot combusted gas () which includes CO. The CO2 is recycled () or recovered from the combusted gas. In certain embodiments, the process () produces a COexhaust stream () for sequestration or capturing for further use.

Co-production of power and hydrocarbons

Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in at least two vertically extending shafts housed within a common reactor shell, each shaft being divided into a plurality of vertically extending channels at least some of which are in slurry flow communication and the slurry body being present in at least some of the channels. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in at least some of the channels of the shafts, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product. Gaseous product, if present, and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.

Method of operating a fluid bed reactor

A process () for co-producing power and hydrocarbons includes in a wet gasification stage (), gasifying coal to produce a combustion gas () at elevated pressure comprising at least Hand CO; enriching () a first portion of the combustion gas with Hto produce an H-enriched gas (); and generating power () from a second portion of the combustion gas. In a dry gasification stage (), coal is gasified to produce a synthesis gas precursor () at elevated pressure comprising at least Hand CO. At least a portion of the H-enriched gas () is mixed with the synthesis gas precursor () to provide a synthesis gas for hydrocarbon synthesis, with hydrocarbons being synthesized () from the synthesis gas. In certain embodiments, the process () produces a COexhaust stream () for sequestration or capturing for further use.

A process () for the preparation and conversion of synthesis gas includes reforming a feed gas () comprising methane in a reforming stage () to produce synthesis gas () which includes hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Some of the hydrogen and carbon monoxide is converted to a Fischer-Tropsch product () in a Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon synthesis stage (). A tail gas (), including unreacted hydrogen and carbon monoxide, methane and carbon dioxide, is separated from the Fischer-Tropsch product (). In a tail gas treatment stage (), the tail gas () is treated by reforming the methane in the tail gas () with steam () and removing carbon dioxide to produce a hydrogen rich gas (). The tail gas treatment stage () may be either a combined tail gas treatment stage () or a composite tail gas treatment stage. The carbon dioxide from the tail gas treatment stage () is fed to the reforming stage ().

Process for the preparation and conversion of synthesis gas

A method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in a plurality of vertically extending horizontally spaced slurry channels inside a common reactor shell, the slurry channels being defined between vertically extending horizontally spaced divider walls or plates and each slurry channel having a height, width and breadth such that the height and breadth are much larger than the width. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in the slurry channels, thereby to form non-gaseous and/or gaseous product. Gaseous product and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.

Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor

A process for producing liquid hydrocarbon products includes converting a natural gas feedstock to synthesis gas, which is reacted, in a hydrocarbon synthesis stage and by a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, to produce a range of hydrocarbon product. An overheads vapour phase is separated from a liquid phase, and fed to a product condensation stage, where condensation of some components thereof takes place. A vapour phase, an aqueous phase, and a condensed product phase are withdrawn. The vapour phase is fed to a vapour phase work-up stage where a gas component comprising increased concentrations of CO and H2, relative to the vapour phase feed to the vapour phase work-up stage, is recovered, with this gas component being recycled to the hydrocarbon synthesis stage.

Production of liquid hydrocarbon products

This invention relates to methods of minimizing catalyst degradation during the handling of a catalyst used in a slurry phase reactor. The methods include catalyst handling steps such as catalyst loading into a slurry phase reactor, slurry phase reactor start-up, slurry phase reactor shut-down, and slurry phase reactor unloading when catalyst reloading is envisaged. In the method of loading the slurry phase reactor, a slurry of wax and catalyst is formed in a loading vessel. Clean molten wax is formed in the reactor, syngas is pumped through the clean molten wax in the reactor, and the slurry from the loading vessel is transferred to the reactor.

Handling of a catalyst

A process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants feeds ( ), at a low level, gaseous reactants into a slurry bed of solid catalyst particles ( ) suspended in a suspension liquid. The gaseous reactants are allowed to react as they pass upwardly through the slurry bed ( ), hereby to form liquid and, optionally, gaseous products. The reaction is catalyzed by the catalyst particles. Liquid product is separated from the catalyst particles by passing, in a filtration zone ( ) within the slurry bed, liquid product through a filtering medium having a plurality of openings through which the liquid passes. The openings have a controlling dimension of x microns. The proportion of catalyst particles, which have a particle size smaller than x microns, in the slurry bed is less than 18% by volume based on the total volume of the catalyst in the slurry bed.

Process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants

A process for hydrogenating long chain hydrocarbons includes continuously feeding a feedstock having long chain hydrocarbons into a slurry bed including a slurry of catalyst particles in a slurrying liquid. The slurry bed is contained in a reaction zone and the feedstock enters the reaction zone at a low level. A hydrogenation component is fed continuously into the slurry bed, at a low level. The hydrogenation component is allowed to react with the feedstock, to hydrogenate the feedstock, as the feedstock and hydrogenation component pass upwardly through the bed. Hydrogenated long chain hydrocarbons are withdrawn from the reaction zone at a high level, as a hydrogenation product. Any excess hydrogenation component is withdrawn from the reaction zone at a high level.

Hydrogenation of hydrocarbons

A process for producing liquid and/or gaseous products from gaseous reactants includes feeding them, at a low level, into a slurry bed of particles suspended in a liquid, to react as they rise therethrough to form the products, with the reactants and any gaseous product assisting in maintaining the suspension. The liquid product forms, together with the suspension liquid, the liquid phase of the bed. Any gaseous product and unreacted reactants rise from the bed into a head space. Slurry passes downwardly in the bed through downcomers located respectively in first and second downcomer regions of the bed, thereby redistributing solid particles within the bed. The second downcomer region is spaced vertically with respect to the first downcomer region. Any gaseous product and unreacted reactants are withdrawn from the head space and liquid phase is withdrawn from the bed.

A process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants comprises feeding gaseous reactants into a slurry bed of solid particles suspended in a liquid; allowing the reactants to react as they pass upwardly through the slurry bed, thereby to form liquid and, optionally, gaseous products; and separating liquid product from the solid particles by passing, in a filtration zone within the slurry bed, liquid product through a filtration medium in a first direction, so that a cake of the solid particles forms on the filtration medium. The passage of liquid product through the filtering medium is interrupted. The filtering medium is then backflushed by passing a flushing fluid through the filtering medium in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, for at least portions of the periods that the liquid product passage is interrupted, thereby to dislodge the cake from the filtering medium.

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Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

Andre Peter Steynberg