화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.53, No.5, 1720-1726, 2014
Modular Gas-to-Liquid: Converting a Liability into Economic Value
The disposal of associated gas can be a significant impediment to remote oilfield development. Although several associated gas management options exist, most either are too costly or cannot be moved to the oilfield. The production of syngas can be achieved by a variety of techniques, but again some of these require a dedicated air separation unit, which adds complexity and safety risks to the facility. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has been shown to produce high-quality fuels from syngas since the late 1930s. CompactGTL has been able to develop a proprietary SMR technology for the production of syngas, which is then used in the Fischer Tropsch process to produce a blendable syncrude. The proprietary reactor designs and catalysts resulted in a significant reduction in the footprint of a gas-to-liquid plant, such that these could be installed on a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel for access to associated gas at offshore fields. To date, CompactGTL's fully integrated gas-to-liquid plant is the first one of its kind being operated at a demonstration scale. This technology allows monetization of associated gas and/or avoids taxation by flaring of methane.