Firm trials small-scale GTL system
Feb
16
Written by:
16/02/2012 12:39
A gas firm is to build a reactor plant in the North East to convert natural gas into liquid hydrocarbons.
A gas firm is to build a reactor plant in the North East to convert natural gas into liquid hydrocarbons.
Previously, such technologies have only been available at large-scale dedicated refineries, such as Shell's Pearl GTL facility in Qatar, due to economics.
But Gas2, based in Aberdeen, is seeking to adapt the conversion process to run on a smaller scale at the Wilton Centre for petrochemical research in Cleveland.
It has secured £5.5 million to develop its proprietary gas-to-liquid technology which will see the firm produce up to three barrels of synthetic crude oil per day.
Gas2 managing director Mike Fleming told The Engineer: "Around half of the world's natural gas is economically stranded, so there's a huge reserve that's not been developed for various reasons.
"One is clearly that the price of gas is low and the price of liquid hydrocarbons is high, and the main driver behind that, of course, is that liquid fuel is transportation fuel so it commands a premium in the market."
He added: "There's a drive to bring in new technologies to address the medium and lower end of the segment - smaller deposits of gas - where the tradition technologies cannot really get down that low, techno-economically."
Copyright Press Association 2012