The present invention relates to a process for preparing liquid hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch process integrated into refineries, in particular comprising recycling streams from the steam reforming hydrogen production process as the feedstock for the Fischer-Tropsch process.

The present invention is directed to unique processes, catalysts and systems for the direct production of liquid fuels (e.g., premium diesel fuel) from synthesis gas produced from natural feedstocks such as natural gas, natural gas liquids, carbon dioxide or other similar compounds or materials. In one aspect, the present invention provides a process for the production of a hydrocarbon mixture comprising the steps of: a) reducing a catalyst in-situ in a fixed bed reactor; b) reacting a feed gas that contains hydrogen and carbon monoxide with the catalyst to produce a hydrocarbon product stream, wherein the hydrocarbon product stream comprises light gases, a diesel fuel and a wax, and wherein the diesel fuel fraction is produced without requiring the hydroprocessing of wax, and wherein the catalyst comprises one or more metals deposited on a gamma alumina support at greater than about 5 weight percent, and wherein platinum or rhenium is included on the support in an amount ranging from about 0.01 weight percent and about 2 weight percent as a promoter, and wherein the catalyst has surface pore diameters between about 100 and 150 Angstroms, sub-surface pore diameters between 10 and 30 Angstroms a crush strength greater than about 3 lbs./mm, a mean effective pellet radius less than about 600 microns, and a BET surface area greater than about 100 m.sup.2/g, and wherein the diesel fuel comprises more than about 70 percent C.sub.8-C.sub.24 hydrocarbons.

A method for preparing C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 paraffins includes introducing a feed stream including hydrogen gas and a carbon-containing gas selected from carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and mixtures thereof into a reaction zone of a reactor. Converting the feed stream into a product stream including C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 paraffins in the presence of a hybrid catalyst. The hybrid catalyst includes a microporous catalyst component; and a metal oxide catalyst component selected from (A) a bulk material consisting of gallium oxide, (B) gallium oxide present on a titanium dioxide support material, and (C) a mixture of gallium oxide and at least one promoter present on a support material selected from Group 4 of the IUPAC periodic table of elements.

The present invention provides a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst comprising greater than about 40% by weight of cobalt, and having a packed apparent bulk density greater than about 1.30 g/mL.

A unique process and catalyst is described that operates efficiently for the direct production of a high cetane diesel type fuel or diesel type blending stock from stochiometric mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This invention allows for, but is not limited to, the economical and efficient production high quality diesel type fuels from small or distributed fuel production plants that have an annual production capacity of less than 10,000 barrels of product per day, by eliminating traditional wax upgrading processes. This catalytic process is ideal for distributed diesel fuel production plants such as gas to liquids production and other applications that require optimized economics based on supporting distributed feedstock resources.

A process for commencing a continuous reaction in a reactor system includes introducing a catalyst to a catalyst processing portion of the reactor system, the catalyst initially having a first temperature of 500 C or less, and contacting the catalyst at the first temperature with a commencement fuel gas stream, which includes at least 80 mol % commencement fuel gas, in the catalyst processing portion. Contacting of the catalyst with the commencement fuel gas stream causes combustion of the commencement fuel gas. The process includes maintaining the contacting of the catalyst with the commencement fuel gas stream until the temperature of the catalyst increases from the first temperature to a second temperature at which combustion of a regenerator fuel source maintains an operating temperature range in the catalyst processing portion.

A catalyst having a core comprising a composite (A) of SiC grains and a protective matrix of one or more metal oxides, such as alumina, in voids between the SiC grains, said core having a density >60% of theoretical density, and a catalytically active layer (C) containing, e.g., Ni adhered to the core. A catalyst support comprising a composite of SiC grains and a protective matrix of one or more metal oxides in voids between the SiC grains is also provided, along with a method of fabricating a catalyst core. The catalyst can be used in Fischer-TRopsch synthesis or in steam methane reforming.

Bulk-metal crystalline catalysts for conversion of synthesis gas to olefins are described. Also described are method of making the catalyst. A bulk metal catalyst can include a first transition metal core surrounded by a silica-alkaline earth metal framework crystal lattice and includes at least one transition metal atoms bound to periphery of the framework crystal lattice. The two transition metals can be iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru) and combinations thereof.

Porous, extruded titania-based materials further comprising one or more quaternary ammonium compounds and/or prepared using one or more quaternary ammonium compounds, Fischer-Tropsch catalysts comprising them, uses of the foregoing, processes for making and using the same and products obtained from such processes.

A system and method for converting (dry reforming) natural gas (methane) and carbon dioxide via reformer catalyst in a dry reformer into syngas including carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and discharging the syngas to a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor. Supplemental hydrogen is generated via water electrolysis and added to the syngas in route to the FT reactor to increase the molar ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide in the syngas. The syngas may be converted via FT catalyst in the FT reactor into FT waxes.