Compactgtl Limited

David James West

Michael Joseph Bowe

Robert Peat

Philip Hawker

Clive Derek Lee-Tuffnell

Robert Frew Gillespie

Stuart Leigh Jones

Steven Brabon

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Gas-to-liquids processes for treating natural gas, including the steps of subjecting the natural gas to expansion through a flow restrictor so as to undergo cooling through the Joule Thomson effect. The processes then separate the resulting liquids from the remaining natural gas and processing the natural gas to form a synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is subjected to Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and the output from the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is separated into a hydrocarbon product and an aqueous phase and the aqueous phase is steam stripped to extract the oxygenates which are then injected into the natural gas stream upstream of the flow restrictor.

Gas-to-liquid technology

A gas-to-liquids process and plant for treating natural gas, in which the natural gas is subjected to expansion through a flow restrictor so as to undergo cooling through the Joule Thomson effect, enables liquids to be separated from the gas stream. The natural gas may be cooled before it reaches the flow restrictor by heat exchange with fluid that has passed through the flow restrictor. This decreases the proportion of longer-chain hydrocarbons in the natural gas, which may simplify subsequent processing, and may enable the size of the plant to be decreased.

A compact catalytic reactor () comprises a channel for a rapid reaction having an inlet () for a gas mixture to undergo the reaction. The channel is provided with two different catalyst structures (), a first catalyst structure () in the vicinity of the inlet () and a second catalyst structure () further from the inlet, such that a gas mixture supplied to the inlet flows past them both. The first catalyst structure () has little catalytic activity for the rapid reaction, whereas the second catalyst structure () has catalytic activity for the rapid reaction. This is applicable to combustion of gas mixtures containing hydrogen, for which the first catalyst structure () may comprise uncoated oxidized aluminum-containing ferritic steel, while the second catalyst structure () may incorporate Pt and/or Pd in an alumina support. Exhaust gases may also be recycled to the inlet () to inhibit combustion.

Catalyst structure for a rapid reaction

A compact catalytic reactor defines a multiplicity of first and second flow channels arranged alternately, the first flow channels being no more than 10 mm deep and providing flow paths for combustible reactants, and containing a catalyst structure () to catalyze combustion of the reactants, and having at least one inlet for at least one of the reactants. The first flow channel also includes an insert (or) adjacent to each inlet, this insert not being catalytic to the combustion reaction; the insert may define gaps which are narrower than the maximum gap size for preventing flame propagation.

Catalytic reactor

A catalyst structure comprises a foil strip () acting as the substrate, and which has been cut and shaped so as to define a multiplicity of peaks () and troughs () each with its axis extending across the foil, such that peaks and troughs alternate across the foil strip (). Such a corrugated substrate may be provided with a ceramic coating incorporating a catalytic material. The corrugations enhance turbulence within a flow channel of a compact catalytic reactor.

Catalyst structure

A process for converting methane to higher molecular weight hydrocarbons comprises: The oxygenates are either or both: on start-up of the process, catalytically combusted to provide heat for step (A), and replaced at least in part with methane from tail gas from step (B) when the temperature attains or exceeds the combustion temperature of methane; and/or used as a fuel-enhancer for tail gas from step (B) for steady-state heat provision in step (A).

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Ducklington, United Kingdom

David James West