Small and Medium GTL Plants: Logical Commercial Solution
As natural gas feedstock accounts for more than 85% of the cost of GTL products, the technology is now competitive as compared to crude oil refining. Furthermore, the development of small size 1,000 to medium 20,000 barrel per day GTL plants as standardized production units, makes the operation of such plants for stranded natural gas fields a logical and commercially viable solution.
GTL Viability
At today’s natural gas prices, small-medium size GTL plants are profitable with payback time of 3 years or less. As it is true for chemical plants, the key to the feasibility of a GTL plant is the availability of low cost natural gas for the life span of the plant. As an example : 1,000 barrel per day GTL plant requires less than 100 billion cubic feet over the 25-year usable plant life.
GTL Process
The EAJV gas-to-liquids (GTL) process converts natural gas into longer-chain hydrocarbons which are combined into four commercial products : LPG (propane, butane), Naphtha, Jet Fuel, Diesel and Wax.
After purification of the natural gas into pure methane, the first step of the process is to produce syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, through partial oxidation in an auto-thermal reformer.
The resulting syngas, after adjustment of its carbon monoxide to hydrogen ratio is reformed in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor and synthetized into a mixture of longer chain hydrocarbons with C3 to C25. The synthesis products are then refined into three or more commercial products including LPG, Naphtha, Jet Fuel, Diesel and Wax.
Waxes produced by the synthesis are either commercialized as high grade waxes or cracked into more diesel fuel.
GTL Products
The combustion of GTL fuels produces much lower emissions than conventional fuels, because these GTL products are sulfur, nitrogen and aromatics free.
