Hydrocarbon synthesis reaction apparatus, start-up process thereof, and hydrocarbon synthesis reaction system

A hydrocarbon synthesis reaction apparatus comprising:

• a synthesis gas supply line in which a synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen gas as main components is sent by a synthesis gas sending device and the thus sent synthesis gas is compressed and supplied by a first compressor;
• a reactor configured to accommodate a catalyst slurry prepared by suspending solid catalyst particles in a liquid to synthesize hydrocarbons by bringing the synthesis gas supplied from the synthesis gas supply line into contact with the catalyst slurry;
• a gas-liquid separator configured to separate an unreacted synthesis gas and hydrocarbons discharged from the reactor into a gas and a liquid;
• an off-gas discharge line configured to discharge a portion of gas after separation by the gas-liquid separator as an off gas outside a system;
• a first recycle line in which the unreacted synthesis gas after separation by the gas-liquid separator is compressed and recycled into the reactor by a second compressor;
• and
• a second recycle line configured to recycle into the inlet side of the first compressor a residual unreacted synthesis gas to be introduced into the first recycle line, a part of the unreacted synthesis gas after separation by the gas-liquid separator, at the time of start-up operation when the synthesis gas to be introduced from the synthesis gas sending device to the reactor is introduced in a gradually increasing amount from a processing flow rate lower than the processing flow rate of the synthesis gas to be processed during operation at a rated flow rate to a processing flow rate of the synthesis gas during operation at a rated flow rate.