on experience from the Nikiski Demonstration Plant in Alaska, JM and bp conducted long- duration life tests. One test ran for more than 18,000 hours using the Gen2 catalyst, demonstrating the performance under commercial flowsheet conditions, with only a gradual decline in activity, compensated by modest increases in operating temperature. Despite frequent shutdowns typical of lab-scale operations, the catalyst maintained robust performance throughout (see
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Figure 1 Catalyst life test under commercial flowsheet conditions demonstrating exceptional catalyst stability, representative of multi-year commercial life
resonance (¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR) was used to quantify compound classes such as 1-olefins, cis- and trans-2-olefins, 1-alcohols, and aldehydes ( Paterson, et al., 2017a ) ( Paterson, et al., 2017b ). Notably, the 1-olefin:n-paraffin ratio decreased significantly with increasing carbon chain length. Long-term stability and pilot demonstration Catalyst performance is not only defined by activity and selectivity, but also by stability and robustness under real-world conditions. Building
Figure 1 ). To validate the technology at commercial scale, JM built a flexible pilot plant at its Stockton-on-Tees R&D facility. Due to space and utility constraints, full-length reactor tubes could not be evaluated directly. Instead, multiple full-size CANS carriers were tested in shorter tubes, with recycled gas, liquids, and water used to simulate commercial flow conditions. Steam generation in the cooling jacket enabled realistic heat transfer evaluation. More than 40,000 hours of testing confirmed the system’s performance under commercial conditions. The pilot plant demonstrated: • C₅ + selectivity of ~90%. • C₅ + productivity exceeding 300 g/L/h. • Clean, catalyst-free wax and light hydrocarbon products (see Figure 2 ). Detailed chemical understanding Catalyst deactivation is a critical aspect of commercial readiness, with attention to robustness under process conditions, deactivation mechanisms, and unplanned excursions from steady operation. JM and bp have demonstrated exceptional catalyst stability and improved formulations for increased catalyst life. When conducting catalyst life tests, it is vital that they are representative of the
Figure 2 Clean, high-quality, catalyst-free FT products
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