Process for performing reactions in a liquid-solid catalyst slurry

A process for conducting a heterogeneous catalytic reaction at elevated temperatures and pressures in a slurry bubble column reactor characterized by feeding through the reactor a continuous flow of gas which is converted to primarily liquid products, said process comprising the steps of:

• passing a flow of said gas upwardly in a reactor through a slurry bed of finely divided catalyst particles suspended in a liquid to react said gases to form predominantly liquid products, said slurry bed surrounding a filter device located near the top portion of said slurry bed and defining a vapor space above said top portion;
• separating with said filter device said liquid products from said catalyst;
• exiting from the top portion of said reactor any unreacted gas and product vapors of the reacted gas from the top of said slurry bed through said vapor space;
• said filter device including in combination:
• generally parallel filter wire members, said filter wire members defining slits therebetween smaller in width than the diameters of substantially all of said catalyst particles, said members formed to have a precisely controlled width and shape such that said filter device retains substantially all of said catalyst particles without plugging wherein said filter device encloses a filtered liquid space;
• and unrestricted venting means extending from said filter wire members to said vapor space above said slurry bed;
• directing said liquid products through a conduit to an accumulator having an unrestricted vent in fluid communication with said vapor space and arranged externally of said reactor;
• and
• continuously withdrawing said liquid products from said accumulator to control the level of said liquid products in said accumulator and to maintain a substantially full capacity of said liquid products inside said filter device and to also maintain a positive pressure differential between the top of said slurry bed and the filtered liquid inside said filter device.