A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of heat transfer in a microchannel reactor for the low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is presented. The microreactor studied is a steel block with 80 square microchannels of 1 mm of side arranged in cross-flow configuration for the transport of syngas and cooling water. Syngas space velocities in the 5000-30,000 h(-1) (SIP) range have been considered. The microreactor exhibited good isothermicity under most simulated conditions. The FTS can be conducted with very low-temperature change between 483 and 523 K within a wide range of CO conversions using boiling water as coolant. To this end the pressure has to be set at the appropriate value between about Sand 35 atm. The pressure would have to be reduced as the CO conversion increases which might have a negative effect on the FTS selectivity to middle distillates. However, adjusting the cooling water flow rate in the range 0.25-250 g min(-1) allows maintaining the FTS temperature at suitable values while avoiding the use of low pressures. Relatively high values of the overall heat transfer coefficient in the 20-320 W m(-2) K-1 range have been obtained. A significant effect of the buoyancy forces on the thermal performance of the microreactor has been found.