Natural Gas to Liquid Fuel (GTL)

NATURAL GAS TO LIQUID FUEL (GTL)

The process of converting natural gas or other gaseous hydrocarbons into liquid fuels, such as gasoline or diesel, is known as the gas to liquids (GTL) process.

Gases high in methane are transformed into synthetic liquid fuels.

There are three technologies:

  • Direct partial combustion of methane to produce methanol,
  • Fischer-Tropsch-like processes that turn hydrogen and carbon monoxide into hydrocarbons, or the patented
  • ECOGY®(1) technology developed by Backbone Infrastructure Limited, which has a much higher efficiency (around 70%) and a higher energy content. Environmentally favorable since it contains no fine particles (black carbon), diesel fuel is generated. It can readily compete with liquid fuels generated by traditional refineries due to its cheap processing costs (gasoline, diesel, jp4 or other liquid fuels).

Note:

Although it has been seen in nature, direct partial combustion has not been commercially duplicated.
Different techniques are used to turn the hydrogen-carbon monoxide mixtures into liquids after technology 2.
The ECOGY® technology is built in units that convert 1,522 cubic meters of methane (1 metric ton) into 1,160 liters of the highest grade diesel fuel per hour.
Each unit produces more than 10 million liters of diesel fuel annually.

Brief overview of the method

The system calculates the proper ratio for mixing the gas with the oxygen and steam. 100% of the carbon in methane was transformed to carbon dioxide.

The methane molecule is then dispersed in the specially heated reactor after the mixed gas has been blasted into it, releasing free carbon and free hydrogen.

Heat is produced throughout the process, which is mostly transformed into electricity.

In “Quasi Fischer Tropsch” reactors, where the hydrocarbon chains are built up for diesel with a middle chain length of C16, the cooled down gas will be pumped at a certain pressure. The FT’s exact design and one-of-a-kind catalyst enable it to create diesel fuel alone, asopposed to the standard FT synthesis, which yields the whole basket of hydrocarbons and calls for further processing to separate the components.

The water is separated during the last cooling step.

The entire procedure is automatically managed from a distance and remotely monitored.

The fuel that is created is entirely aliphatic and contains the maximum amount of energy conceivable, with a very high cetane number of above 70. This guarantees flawless combustion with no fine particles (carbon black).

By far, none of the current super-diesel fuels have such a high energy content.

The method does not include any gas combustion, resulting in a positive CO2 balance.

Excess thermal energy is turned into dependable, continuous power by an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) unit and distributed to the surrounding community.

Applications and Advantages:

  1. Total abolition of flare gases in Nigeria
  2. Conversion of natural gas in Nigeria to high-quality gasoline, diesel

fuel, and other flammable liquid fuels.

III. Reliable and constant power supply to the surrounding populace.

Flare Gases:

Gas flaring is prevalent on oil rigs, refineries, chemical facilities, and coal plants during production or industrial activity. Excess carbon dioxide and methane are released into the atmosphere during the flaring process, causing in ozone layer loss, acid rain, and global warming.

Nigeria burns more than seven billion cubic meters of natural gas per year!

The conversion of methane to liquid diesel fuel prevents natural gas flaring in Nigeria, producing more than 5.8 billion litres of high quality diesel fuel per year!

Although Nigeria has significantly decreased gas flaring, PwC estimates that gas flaring cost the Nigerian economy over €800 million in 2018, excluding the environmental cost of €94 million.

When synthetic fuel is produced using the ECOGY®-System, the benefit to Nigeria rises to roughly 2.8 billion euros per year.

Converting Nigeria’s available natural gas to diesel fuel.

With 5,675 billion cubic metres (200.41 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, Nigeria has the greatest proven gas reserves in Africa and the ninth largest in the world. Nigeria generated 1.7 trillion cubic feet (49.2 billion cubic metres) of natural gas in 2018, excluding flare gas.

Despite having some of the world’s greatest natural gas reserves, Nigeria imports virtually all of its refined liquid fuel products (petrol, diesel, kerosene, aviation fuel).

Converting flare gas alone, which produces around 5.8 billion litres of diesel fuel, will allow Nigeria to not only eliminate the importation of foreign refined diesel fuels entirely, but will also make it a net exporter of more than one billion litres of high-grade diesel fuel yearly.

All of Nigeria’s liquid fuels are imported (gasoline, diesel, jp4 or other liquid fuels). Converting a little portion of Nigeria’s gas to liquid fuels will greatly improve Nigeria’s foreign exchange balance.

This technology will be made available to Nigeria via the Nigeria Backbone Infrastructure Limited:

  • To entirely eradicate gas flaring and to contribute significantly to job creation
  • To improve the Delta States’ population’s health,
  • To add value to Nigeria’s natural gas resources,
  • To generate revenue for the Nigerian government, and to improve Nigeria’s foreign exchange balance;
  • To ensure the Corridors have high-cetane – clean diesel and other liquid fuel available; and
  • To provide continuous reliable electricity to the neighboring population.

Remote monitoring, control, and management are all possible.

All ECOGY® GTL systems are capable of remote monitoring, control, and management. All important functions required for the ECOGY® GTL devices to function are remotely monitored, controlled, and managed.

In the Netherlands, ECOGY® GTL international Central Control (EICC) provides continuous monitoring, regulating, and operational help, as well as remote technical support and crucial interventional aid as needed.