hte has provided in-house developed testing capacities as well as an experienced project team. Over the period of the collaboration, hte’s technology platform has been continuously refined and advanced for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction allowing BP to perform a large number of rapid and precise data measurements in support of catalyst and process scale-up.

Used systematically, this data rapidly generates information on reaction kinetics, the fundamentals of start-up and activation and the impact of key process parameters. This builds confidence in BP’s implementation of their FT technology across a variety of potential applications and feedstocks.

We were impressed with the high data quality obtained by the high throughput technology available at hte in this challenging field. hte’s continuous commitment to technology development allowed us for the first time to explore high throughput methods for testing of late-stage catalyst formulations. BP and its partner Davy Process Technology are now actively looking to licence this process to third parties. This project is just one of many successful collaborations between BP and hte. Using high-throughput methods, we have been able to build the fundamental understanding and kinetic information required to apply our proven Fischer-Tropsch process to a wide range of project opportunities with greater confidence.

—Ewen Ferguson, Senior Chemist at the BP Conversion Technology Centre

BP and Davy Process Technology recently announced collaborations with three EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractors to promote the commercialization of the BP/Davy Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Process. (Earlier post.)