A method is provided of shutting down an operating three-phase slurry bubble column reactor (10) having downwardly directed gas distribution nozzles (30) submerged in a slurry body (19) of solid particulate material suspended in a suspension liquid contained inside a reactor vessel (12), with the gas distribution nozzles (30) being in flow communication with a gas feed line (26) through which gas is fed to the gas distribution nozzles (30) by means of which the gas is injected downwardly into the slurry body (19). The method includes abruptly stopping flow of gas from the gas feed line (26) to the gas distribution nozzles (30) to trap gas in the gas distribution nozzles (30) thereby to inhibit slurry ingress upwardly into the gas distribution nozzles (30).

The invention relates to a method for start-up and operation of a Fischer-Tropsch reactor comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reactor with a fixed bed of reduced Fischer-Tropsch catalyst that comprises cobalt as catalytically active metal; (b) supplying a gaseous feed stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to the reactor, wherein the gaseous feed stream comprises a nitrogen-containing compound other than molecular nitrogen in an initial concentration, wherein the initial concentration in the range of from 10 to 350 ppbv based on the volume of the gaseous feed stream; (c) converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen supplied with the gaseous feed stream to the reactor into hydrocarbons at a reaction temperature and at a set reactor productivity, whilst maintaining the initial concentration of the nitrogen-containing compound and maintaining the set reactor productivity during a first time period by adjusting the reaction temperature; (d) decreasing the concentration of the nitrogen- containing compound to a second concentration in the range of from 0 to 20 ppbv, wherein the second concentration is at least 5 ppbv below the initial concentration, preferably at least 20 ppbv below the initial concentration, and maintaining the reactor productivity by adjusting the reaction temperature.

The invention relates to a continuous process for converting carbonaceous material contained in one or more feedstocks into a liquid hydrocarbon product, said feedstocks including the carbonaceous material being in a feed mixture including one or more fluids, said fluids including water, the process comprising: converting at least part of the carbonaceous material by: pressurizing the feed mixture to an operational pressure in the range 150-400 bar, heating the feed mixture to an operational temperature in the range 300-450 C., and maintaining said pressurized and heated feed mixture in the desired pressure and temperature ranges in a reaction zone for a predefined time; cooling the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 25-200 C. and expanding the feed mixture to a pressure in the range of 1-70 bar, thereby causing the carbonaceous material to be converted to a liquid hydrocarbon product; and separating from the converted feed mixture a fraction comprising liquid hydrocarbon product; where in a state of discontinued operation the inflow of feed mixture is terminated and the system is filled with a fluid; where the pressure and temperature is set to a predetermined desired level, where the temperature and the pressure are altered to the predetermined lower level at a predetermined rate and where the pressure during the altering is constantly kept at a level above the saturation pressure for the fluid at a given temperature.

The invention relates to a process for continuously converting carbonaceous material contained in one or more feedstocks into a liquid hydrocarbon product, said feedstocks including the carbonaceous material being in a feed mixture including one or more fluids, said fluids including water, the process comprising: converting at least part of the carbonaceous material by pressurising the feed mixture to an operational pressure in the range 150-400 bar, heating the feed mixture to an operational temperature in the range 300-450 C., and maintaining said pressurized and heated feed mixture in the desired pressure and temperature ranges in a reaction zone for a predefined time; cooling the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 25-200 C. and expanding the feed mixture to a pressure in the range of 1-70 bar, thereby causing the carbonaceous material to be converted to a liquid hydrocarbon product; and separating from the converted feed mixture a fraction comprising liquid hydrocarbon product; where prior to the pressurisation and heating of the feed mixture the system has been brought to an operational state by filling the system with a fluid while the system being at a temperature and a pressure below the operational temperature and pressure, and subsequently heating and pressurizing the fluid to the operational conditions at a predetermined heating and pressurisation rate, where the pressure is constantly kept at a level above the saturation pressure for the fluid at a given temperature; and where upon reaching the operational temperature and pressure the fluid inflow to the pressurisation is terminated and the feed mixture inflow to the pressurisation is initiated.

A process for filtering a liquid stream from a fixed bed reaction zone in order to remove catalyst fines contained in the stream. The effluent stream is passed to a filtering section which may contain at least two filtering vessels. Each filtering vessel includes at least two differently filtering sections, each section designed to collect differently sized particles. If a pressure drop occurs in one of the filtering vessels, it may be taken offline to remove the filtering sections and recover the metal in the particles collected on the filtering sections. The other filtering vessel can remain online to allow the filtering process to be continuous. Metal on the catalyst fines may be recovered.

Hydrocarbon-containing fluids are provided for use during solvent-assisted hydroprocessing of pyrolysis tar, such as steam cracker tar. The hydrocarbon-containing fluids can be used at any convenient time, such as during start-up of a pyrolysis process when recycled liquid pyrolysis product is not available; when the amount of liquid pyrolysis product available for recycle is not sufficient to maintain desired hydroprocessing conditions; and/or when the changes to the quality of the liquid pyrolysis product reduce the suitability of the recycle stream for use as a utility fluid.

A method of reducing the amount of carbon monoxide present during the metal reduction step of start-up, thus, maintaining metal dispersion and improving the metal reduction and catalyst yields. Carbon monoxide formation is minimized during the start-up procedure and during the initial catalyst dryout phase in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere, gas is purged from the reactor system, either continuously at constant pressure or by a series of pressure/depressure cycles, to remove carbon monoxide. The purging is conducted at temperatures of about 30-500 C. and pressures of about 90-5,000 kPa(g) (0.9-50 bar(g)). In this temperature range, carbon monoxide absorbed to the surface of the metal will desorb into the hydrogen-containing atmosphere and can be removed from the system along with carbon monoxide present in the atmosphere through the purging.

There is provided a hydrocarbon producing apparatus according to the present invention for obtaining a product containing hydrocarbons from a raw material gas by a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction using a reactor containing an FT reaction catalyst exhibiting activity in the FT synthesis reaction, the hydrocarbon producing apparatus including: a purge unit that executes an inert gas purge process that supplies a high-temperature inert gas to the reactor, maintains a temperature in the reactor in a temperature range during the FT synthesis reaction, and reduces a pressure in the reactor, when the FT synthesis reaction is terminated, so that the hydrocarbons adhering to the FT reaction catalyst are vaporized; and a recovery unit that is provided on a downstream side of the reactor, condenses the vaporized hydrocarbons, and recovers the condensed hydrocarbons in a liquid state.

The invention relates to a method to start up a Fischer-Tropsch process. A catalyst with a latent activity is used. The catalyst comprises titania, cobalt, promoter, and chlorine. The catalyst comprises more than 0.7 and less than 4 weight percent of the element chlorine, calculated on the total weight of the catalyst.

Methods and apparatuses are provided for hydrotreating hydrocarbons. A method includes heating a start-up oil in a stripper liquid fraction heat exchanger during a start-up period, and heating a reactor with the start-up oil. The start-up oil is discharged from the reactor when the start-up period ends, and a standard operating period begins after the start-up period. A reactor effluent is produced by introducing a hydrocarbon stream into the reactor during the standard operating period, where hydrogen sulfide is produced from an organic sulfur compound in the hydrocarbon stream. Steam is produced in the stripper liquid fraction heat exchanger during the standard operating period.