Introduction Hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to produce hydrocarbons, normally called Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (F-T synthesis), is one of the most important hydrogenation reactions due to its potential for the intermediate production of hydrocarbon fuels in the “postpetroleum” era. The reaction is favored at low-temperature and therefore reducing the particle size of the catalyst to several n...

Since its discovery in the 1920s, the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) has undergone periods of rapid development and periods of inaction. Within ten years of the discovery, German companies were building commercial plants. The construction of these plants stopped about 1940 but existing plants continued to operate during WWII. Two types of reactors were used in the German commercial plants: the...