FRAGMENTARY KINETIC MODELS OF THE MECHANISM OF THE FISCHER–TROPSCH SYNTHESIS

Unlike traditional kinetic models describing the dependence of the concentrations of all the products on the number of carbon atoms and widely used for analysis of the mechanism of the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, fragmentary models establish a relationship between the concentrations of a limited number of products. They can be constructed if it is possible to obtain a dimensionless function of the concentrations that does not change with change in the concentrations themselves. Such models are based on fragments of the kinetic schemes of the process and are designed both for identification and discrimination among the mechanisms with data obtained in both differential and integral reactors. The general principles for the construction of fragmentary models are described. Examples of identification and discrimination among the various mechanisms from the results of fragmentary modelling using previously obtained experimental data for a cobalt catalyst are presented.