Velocys has launched its new AlphaCore 800 microchannel Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor, designed to support larger sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and e-fuel production projects.
The new reactor is the highest-capacity model in Velocys’ AlphaCore portfolio and can produce up to 800 barrels per day (bpd), or 30,000 tonnes per year (30 kt/a), of FT fluids from a single reactor.
AlphaCore 800 doubles the capacity of the AlphaCore 400 and expands the company’s reactor range from approximately 50 to 800 bpd per unit. Velocys said the new reactor is particularly suited to SAF projects targeting production of around 100,000 tonnes per year or more.
The larger reactor capacity is intended to allow project developers to achieve higher FT throughput with fewer reactor units. This can simplify the Fischer-Tropsch section of a plant, reduce associated equipment requirements and potentially lower unit costs.
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For example, a plant requiring approximately 1,600 bpd (60 kt/a) of FT liquids could use two AlphaCore 800 reactors instead of eight AlphaCore 200 units, reducing the reactor count by 75% while maintaining the same production capacity.
Matthew Viergutz, CEO of Velocys, said the AlphaCore 800 was developed in response to customer demand for larger-scale FT systems with simpler configurations as SAF projects expand.
The new reactor joins the AlphaCore 50, AlphaCore 200 and AlphaCore 400 in Velocys’ portfolio. The company said the range uses a common core technology platform that can be applied across different project scales and syngas pathways.
The launch comes as SAF and e-fuel developers pursue larger FT-based production facilities, with reactor scalability becoming a key consideration in plant configuration, complexity, and commercial viability.
