Gas-to-Liquids (GTL)

by **grungerock** » Fri 16 Jul 2004, 10:06:29

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mp ... gy/2681956

how is it done? conversion from lpg to diesel??

by **muhandis** » Fri 16 Jul 2004, 14:41:09

A response from one of my colleagues in Ottawa on the process for conversion of natural gas to liquid fuel:

"...Anyway, one can find an article about the subject above; "Liquid Fuels from Natural Gas", a few years back in Scientific American. It's the same issue that has Colin [Campbell] and Jean [Laherrere] article, March 1998. The author is Safaa Fouda...

It's the same logic as for fertiliser manufacturers."

Another interesting point raised from another colleague is that diesel is much easier to transport than LNG.

by **grungerock** » Fri 16 Jul 2004, 20:29:23

where can i read these kind of articles for the conversion process and how is it done?

by **JohnDenver** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 10:25:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'O')il traditionally comes gushing out of the ground from miles around in liquid form. In fact, we have to cap it off, so it stops flowing.

No matter what we decide to smash into liquid fuel, it won't be in the same ballpark as oil. Or on the same team... Or even the same sport...

by **Devil** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 10:58:10

Long live climate change: this is the way to promote it!

by **MonteQuest** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 12:06:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Devil', 'L')ong live climate change: this is the way to promote it!

by **0mar** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 12:32:37

GTL looks to be very powerful in supplemanting oil production. If natural gas reserves are as large as believed (excluding hydrates), there should be no problem in doing GTL plants.

Climate change is just about the only deterrant I can think of. Becase NG is often flared off in oil wells and because of the fact that NG is difficult to transport, compared to oil, I see a fairly substantial future for GTL.

by **Sparaxis** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 12:37:33

There's a good overview of the GTL market in a recent Oil & Gas Journal article. (Though their long term forecasts of gas demand seem to ignore a global gas peak. GTLs is yet another response that just further locks us into another depletable hydrocarbon.)

It will undoubtedly continue to grow since the economics are favorable.

Using natural gas as a feedstock, particularly if it is diverted from flaring, results in fewer CO2 (and equivalent) emissions than using coal as a feedstock.

An interesting side-story to Shell's push into Qatari GTLs: commercialization of gas in this manner allows them to declare the gas reserves as "oil equivalent", thus making their apparent "oil equivalent reserves" appear larger than just those of conventional petroleum.

by **Aaron** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 12:43:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')s for Aaron's objection: Natural gas traditionally comes gushing out of the ground from miles around in gaseous form. In fact, we have to cap it off, so it stops flowing.

Of course, Aaron will point out the tremendously complex refinery apparatus which is necessary to turn natural gas into diesel and gasoline. I will rebut by pointing out the tremendously complex refinery apparatus which is necessary to turn crude oil into diesel and gasoline.

Also, it is no more expensive per btu than oil. In fact, in many places it is worth nothing, and is simply flared.

by **MicroHydro** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 18:19:31

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JohnDenver', 'R')ight now, I believe the #1 contender among synthetic oils is gas-to-liquids(GTL).

by **jtmorgan61** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 19:06:21

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'R')ight now, I believe the #1 contender among synthetic oils is gas-to-liquids(GTL).

by **0mar** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 21:42:33

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MicroHydro', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JohnDenver', 'R')ight now, I believe the #1 contender among synthetic oils is gas-to-liquids(GTL).

by **JohnDenver** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 22:46:30

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', '
')70,000 bbl/d ? lol
More gigawatt solutions in a terawatt world...

by **0mar** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 23:25:20

GTL has a large potential simply because natural gas has such a potential resource base. While I don't think it'll help much in the long term, it could mitigate some peak oil effects in regional areas.

by **sicophiliac** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 23:27:46

Ok a couple of things.. First of all isnt natural gas set to reach peak production with in a decade or so after oil peaks? Also why would this be much more favorable to coal conversion into oil ? Coal all though probably a much more difficult medium to start with is much much more abundant than natural gas. We have no shortage of coal or any sort of forseeable shortage anytime soon. I beleive there are the equivelent to 4.6 trillion barrels of oil in the worlds known coal reserves.

by **Cyrus** » Sun 31 Jul 2005, 23:31:42

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')TL has a large potential simply because natural gas has such a potential resource base. While I don't think it'll help much in the long term, it could mitigate some peak oil effects in regional areas.

by **JohnDenver** » Mon 01 Aug 2005, 00:16:42

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JohnDenver', 'T')he Shell GTL project will produce 4 times as much diesel per day as Thunderhorse.

by **Sparaxis** » Mon 01 Aug 2005, 00:26:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JohnDenver', 'd')iesel only accounts for about 15% of a barrel of crude oil. Which means the plant will be providing as much diesel as an ordinary crude source producing 930,000bbl/day. That's huge. The Shell GTL project will produce 4 times as much diesel per day as Thunderhorse.

by **Devil** » Mon 01 Aug 2005, 04:44:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sparaxis', '
')Using natural gas as a feedstock, particularly if it is diverted from flaring, results in fewer CO2 (and equivalent) emissions than using coal as a feedstock.

by **Antimatter** » Mon 01 Aug 2005, 05:11:14

Jean Laherrere reckons natural gas will peak about 2030, broadly in agreement with the USGS for conventional gas (!!). Unconventional resources (CBM, tight lithologies and shale/basin centred gas) are quite substantial and unlike unconventional oil can be produced quite easily. There is also huge amounts of methane in geopressurised brine but like hydrates, this is somewhat elusive and will probably amount to very little.