Kerosene to jet fuel refining

[Jamilll]

Dear engineers,

I am tasked with designing a plant converting carbon dioxide and oxygen to jet fuel. A fischer tropsch reator is being used to generate syncrude, I am just wondering if it would be possible to use a conventional merox process to refine the kerosene distilled from syncrude could be used in a merox process like kerosene from crude oil distillation, struggling to find information on this in books. Many thanks in advance.

 

[MJCronin]

Fischer Tropsch ....Carbon DIOXIDE ??? Are you sure ?......

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[georgeverghese]

There are operating process schemes now which use CO and H2 (syngas) to produce liquid fuels via F - T catalyts, but not with CO2 and O2.

Anyway, kero is a large component of jet fuel for some jet fuel grades. Do you actually mean hydrotreating to reduce smoke point/lower the freeze point, which will also reduce sulphur content ?

 

[chemEcaleb]

I guess you have to start looking for a catalyst that would increase current efficiency, selectivity, and reaction time for an electrolytic reaction of CO2 to CO?

 

[chemEcaleb]

Or maybe microbial fermentation?

 

[LittleInch]

Jamill,

Maybe its just me, but to manufacture a hydrocarbon, surely you need hydrogen molecules. CO2 and O2 don't contain any....

Jet fuel is kerosene, just a particular clean and dry version.

Given the issues about pour fuel in airplanes, I would think that there are many other markets for syn crude than jet fuel.

That is once you've located the hydrogen atoms...

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[moltenmetal]

With sufficient heat and the right catalyst, you can reverse the water-gas shift reaction, reducing CO2 to CO using hydrogen- but you would need to generate hydrogen from something. You can also electrochemically reduce CO2 to CO- with a very substantial energy input of course. You can't start with CO2 and water and get anywhere thermochemically, and no catalyst will change that. You do need to add a fuel such as CH4 as a source of hydrogen, or you need to generate the hydrogen from water by electrolysis etc.

Doing this is utterly dumb-ass from a thermochemical/energetic point of view. You would be far better off starting with ANY other carbon source than CO2 and generating syngas by pyrolysis or gasification of that carbonaceous material. CO2 is at the very bottom of the Gibbs energy well because it is fully oxidized, which is why it is the most desirable combustion PRODUCT- and by definition, the worst fuel feedstock imaginable.

Want to make formic acid, formaldehyde etc? Starting with CO2 might have some merit. But as a starting point for fuel? Forget it.

 

[MJCronin]

molten...

I am afraid that using all of your fancy "book-learnin" and laws of thermodynamics is only going to discourage young Jamill.....

His MBA manager is not going to want to hear this. He tasked Jamill with the job of turning carbon dioxide and oxygen into jet fuel.

I suggest that we all give him encouragement and quote some of those wonderful teamwork catch phrases....

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9f/89/d1/9f89d1438f6eab31c122757788f8a616.jpg

If you are really committed to a task......you can accomplish anything !!!

Hydrogen be damned !!!!

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[LittleInch]

MJC, Strewth, you really really really don't like MBA grads...

Why would the seeming complete academe of hydrogen atoms make a difference....???

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.