Sustainable synthetic kerosene: Evaluation of a Power-to-Liquid process via Fischer-Tropsch reaction on the basis of an open-source Python model

Synthetic liquid kerosene will play a significant role as part of the defossilization of the future aviation sector. One of the currently approved process routes for Jet A-1 kerosene containing synthesized hydrocarbons describes the production of synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) which derives from a syncrude produced via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Integrated into a Power-to-Liquid (PtL) process which includes a synthesis gas production based on renewable energy, this process enables the possibility of a sustainable production of kerosene, either in centralized plants or in decentralized modular units. This work describes the development and evaluation of a PtL-process model in a modular open-source Python framework, which enables a complete traceability and reproducibility of the process and the results. In contrast to existing studies with a high level of detail which are based on commercial software, the entire process chain is depicted with an intermediate level of detail to enable a further generic implementation into an energy system analytical assessment with regard to the current and future role of PtL-based liquid fuels. The modelling of the different relevant process steps for the production of high yields of a synthetic kerosene fraction is described and key operation parameters are identified. As a result, the achievable maximal mass flows of PtL-based fuel production via Fischer-Tropsch are assessed and the corresponding operation parameter sets which aim at an optimization of the kerosene fraction yield are pointed out