The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 09, 2017
Filed:
Nov. 27, 2015
Systems and methods for manufacture of dimethyl ether (dme) from natural gas and flare gas feedstock
Pioneer Energy Inc., Lakewood, CO (US);
Robert M Zubrin, Golden, CO (US);
Boris Nizamov, Highlands Ranch, CO (US);
Thomas L Henshaw, Monument, CO (US);
Adam M Kortan, Arvada, CO (US);
James Siebarth, Lakewood, CO (US);
Colin Apke, Castle Rock, CO (US);
Mark Berggren, Golden, CO (US);
Pioneer Energy Inc., Lakewood, CO (US);
Abstract
A unique design for a mobile system that reforms flare gas or natural gas, using air without steam, to directly produce dimethyl ether (DME), a diesel substitute, is disclosed. The system first reforms the air-methane mixture at ambient atmospheric pressures, and then compresses the resulting CO-hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixture to up to 600 psi, and feeds it through a combined reactor which reacts the gas mixture directly into dimethyl ether. The nitrogen is returned by the system back to the atmosphere. DME is an excellent diesel fuel, and can be used to displace significantly costlier and dirtier petroleum-based diesel fuel, while solving a critical problem with flaring. For example, the over 120 billion cubic feet per year that is currently flared in North Dakota could be converted into over 3 million tons of DME.