Shell Middle Distillation Synthesis SMDS

Fig. 3. The Shell middle distillate synthesis (SMDS) process. HPS = heavy paraffin synthesis. HPC = heavy paraffin conversion.

Shell Gas B.V. has constructed a 1987 mVd (12,500 bbhd) Fischer-Tropsch plant in Malaysia, start-up occurring in 1994. The Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process, as it is called, uses natural gas as the feedstock to fixed-bed reactors containing cobalt-based cat- yst. The heavy hydrocarbons from the Fischer-Tropsch reactors are converted to distillate fuels by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization. The quality of the products is very high, the diesel fuel having a cetane number in excess of 75. 

The development of the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process began in 1983, when a pilot plant was constructed at the Shell Research and Technology Centre in Amsterdam. This eventually culminated in the design and construction of the Shell gas-to-liquids facility in Bintulu, Malaysia, which was completed and... 

Schrauwen, F. J. M. 2004. Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process. In Handbook of petroleum refining processes, ed. R. A. Meyers, 15.25—40. New York McGraw-Hill. 

Shell materials. See also Microencapsulation biodegradable, 76 441-442 types of, 76 439t water-soluble, 76 456-457 Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process, 6 778, 829... 

Consecutively, the heavy paraffins are cracked into lighter hydrocarbon fractions by hydro-cracking. For example, for the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process, the liquid product stream is composed of 60% gasoil (diesel), 25% kerosene and 15% naphtha. The gaseous product mainly consists of LPG (a mixture of propane and butane) (Eilers et al., 1990). Figure 7.3 shows a simplified diagram comprising all process steps to produce synthetic hydrocarbons from biomass, natural gas and coal. 

Qatar Shell and Qatar Petroleum Shell middle distillate synthesis (SMDS) fixed-bed technology 140000 2009 (first train of 70000 bpd)/2010 (second train of 70000 bpd)... 

Typical equipment Sasol Synthol CFB Sasol Advanced Synthol (SAS) Sasol Arge Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) Sasol Slurry Bed Reactor (SSBR) Exxon mobile demonstration Conoco demonstration... 

A description is given of the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process. In this two-stage process, which has been developed specifically for the production of middle distillates, a liquid product is obtained which consists typically of naphtha, kerosine and gasoil in the ratios 15 25 60 to 25 50 25. 

In the Shell Middle Distillates Synthesis (SMDS) process starting from natural gas, the reactor configuration chosen for the first commercial unit in Malaysia, successfully commercialized in 1993, is the multi-tubular downflow trickle bed with catalyst inside the tubes (Sie et al., 1991) see Fig. 30e. Because of the enormous exothermicity of the synthesis reaction and the relatively poor heat transfer an extremely large heat transfer area is required. The reactor volume is largely governed by the installable heat transfer area in a vessel of given volume. Use of the multi-tubular three-phase fluidized bed or slurry reactor (see Fig. 30k and 301) provides much better heat transfer characteristics (an improvement of a factor of five over fixed bed units) and could lead to considerably lower reactor volumes. However, the anticipated scale-up problems with three-phase... 

Shell has been involved in syngas chemistry for many years, giving special attention to the options for the conversion of natural gas into more easily transportable liquid hydrocarbons. The first result of this effort has been the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) plant commissioned in Malaysia in 1993. This plant makes use of cobalt FT catalyst and tubular reactors in the Heavy Paraffin Synthesis unit (HPS). A simplified flow scheme of this plant is presented in Figure 7. 

The Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process has been developed with these considerations in mind. It produces high-quality middle distillates from natural gas via synthesis gas and a hydrocarbon synthesis/cracking step. In August 1989, it was announced that the world s first commercial SMDS plant will be built in Bintulu in Sarawak, Malaysia, and that it will come on stream in the last quarter of 1992. 

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