Attrition resistance of supports for iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts

Seven commercially available aluminas and silicas were screened for their potential use as supports for preparing attrition-resistant iron Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) catalysts. First we used ultrasonic irradiation to determine the attrition resistance of these supports. Among the supports tested, one alumina support and two silica supports were found to possess adequate attrition resistance. These supports were then tested in a stirred tank slurry reactor (STSR) under nonreactive conditions, using N-2 gas at 260 degreesC, 1.5 MPa, and 3 L(STP)/(g of catalyst).h. Particle size distributions of these supports provided a measure of attrition during simulated F-T synthesis runs. Particle size distributions allow us to infer the extent of fracture and erosion during attrition tests. Our work showed that the ultrasonic irradiation test was less severe than the STSR test in terms of generation of small (1-10 mum) particles (erosion).