Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor

A method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor, the method including

• feeding at a low level through a shell of the reactor at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in a plurality of vertically extending horizontally spaced slurry channels inside said reactor shell which is a common reactor shell, at least some of the slurry channels being in slurry flow communication above open upper ends of the slurry channels and at least some of the slurry channels being defined by walls separating the slurry channels from a heat transfer medium flow space or spaces, the slurry body extending continuously from a bottom thereof to a normal slurry level below a head space so that bubbles traverse the continuous slurry body from where the gaseous reactant is introduced to the normal slurry level in plug flow fashion;
• allowing the gaseous reactant to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in the slurry channels, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product;
• passing a heat transfer medium through the heat transfer medium flow space or spaces to exchange heat in indirect relationship with the slurry body present in the slurry channels;
• allowing slurry to pass downwardly from a high level in the slurry body to a lower level thereof, using one or more downcomer zones or downcomers inside the reactor shell;
• allowing gaseous product and/or unreacted gaseous reactant to disengage from the slurry body in said head space above the slurry body;
• withdrawing gaseous product and/or unreacted gaseous reactant from the head space;
• and
• maintaining the slurry body at a desired level by withdrawing slurry or suspension liquid, including any non-gaseous product, or by adding slurry or suspension liquid.