Methods and apparatus for removing wax products from a slurry used in a Fischer-Tropsch
reactor. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are characterized by
a solid/liquid separation system that removes liquid products from a slurry by
drawing the fluid across a filter medium composed of a filter cake disposed on
a substrate. In the preferred embodiments, the filter cake is desirable and performs
the majority of the filtration. In certain embodiments, the filter medium is disposed
in a filter housing where slurry flows parallel to the longitudinal axis of the
filter medium from and inlet to an outlet. The characteristics or properties of
the cake, which will effect the performance of the solid/liquid separation system,
can be controlled by regulating the velocity of the slurry flowing across the cake,
where the velocity may be regulated by adjusting the slurry flow through the filter
housing or may be self-regulated by changing slurry velocities influenced by the
design of the filter housing.