Feb 2 2010
The gas to liquids (GTL) process offers a promising option for producing valuable liquid fuels from gas resources that would otherwise be wasted. These include associated gas (the gas produced along with oil, which is now frequently disposed of by flaring or re-injection into the reservoir) and stranded gas (gas fields where the gas is not present in large enough quantities to warrant conventional recovery). However, current GTL technology is only economically viable for use in large scale plants designed to process at least 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD).
A binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) between PTT, the Thai state-owned energy company, and the Oxford Catalysts Group will help to make the GTL process a viable option on a much smaller scale. This would make it feasible to convert stranded and associated gas from individual onshore oil fields on-site.
The GTL process involves two operations: steam methane reforming (SMR), a process used to convert natural gas into a syngas mixture; followed by Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis to convert the syngas into a liquid fuel.
Under the terms of the MOU, PTT will provide funding of US$5 million over 2 years to support the development and commercialisation of the Oxford Catalysts Group's microchannel steam methane reforming (SMR) technology.
Derek Atkinson, Business Development Manager FT at Oxford Catalysts said:
"Microchannel technology provides an efficient way to get the maximum amount of liquids from associated gas at the lowest capital cost. The small size of the reactors allows for truck transportation to onshore oil fields, and the modular nature of the technology makes the reactors straightforward to set up. It also makes it possible to adjust production capacity by simply adding or subtracting modules."
Dr Songkiert Tansamrit, Executive Vice President of PTT said:
"Microchannel reactors and enhanced catalysts offer an exciting breakthrough for small to medium scale GTL. We also envision this technology as potentially game-changing for a wide range of existing and novel chemical and renewable energy processes, such as biofuels production."