Gas to Liquid Reactor Design for Stranded Gas Fields

Gas to liquid (GTL) processes provide an alternative method of producing fuels and other liquid petroleum products This is can be realized through a process that combines hydrogen gas with carbon based materials such as coal and natural gas in a reactor and through complex reactions usable liquid hydrocarbons are formed and extracted. Typically, the reactions are performed in a Fisher-Tropsch (F-T) reactor where the feed is reacted with hydrogen and a metal catalyst to produce synthesis gas which requires further processing to produce useable liquid hydrocarbons. There are many carbon based feeds that are currently being used in F-T reactors. Among these feeds are coal, biomass, and natural gas. Natural gas presents a particular challenge due to the remote locations where it is found and the difficulties associated with transportation. Transportation of this feed is currently not economically feasible. Existing small scale Fischer-Tropsch reactors utilizes some of the basic principles of traditional methods only on a smaller scale. This technology can be constructed in remote locations where traditional processes have been limited. The intent of this thesis is to model current Gas to Liquid (GTL) technology and determine how various F-T processes can be configured to use natural gas from stranded gas fields and to provide a measure of the design economically.