Natural gas upgrading

Natural Gas Upgrading via Fischer-Tropsch. In the United States, as in other countries, scarcities from World War II revived interest in the synthesis of fuel substances. A study of the economics of Fischer synthesis led to the conclusion that the large-scale production of gasoline from natural gas offered hope for commercial utiHty. In the Hydrocol process (Hydrocarbon Research, Inc.) natural gas was treated with high purity oxygen to produce the synthesis gas which was converted in fluidized beds of kon catalysts (42). 

Natural gas upgrading economics may be affected by additional factors. The increasing use of compressed natural gas (CNG) direcdy as fuel in vehicles provides an alternative market which affects both gas price and value (see Gasoline AND OTHER motor fuels Gas, natural). The hostility of the remote site environment where the natural gas is located may contribute to additional costs, eg, offshore sites require platforms and submarine pipelines. 

Combination of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and acid catalysis Methane activation (natural gas upgrading) ... 

R.G. Minet, S.P. Vasileiadis and T.T. Tsotsis, Experimental studies of a ceramic membrane reactor for the steam/methane reaction at moderate temperatures 400-700 C, in G.A. Huff and D.A. Scarpiello (Eds.), Proceedings of the Symposium on Natural Gas Upgrading, 37 (1992) 245. 

Slimane, R.B., Lau, F.S., Dihu, R., "An Economical Process for the Utilization of H2S from Natural Gas Upgrading Operations," Paper to be presented at the Natural Gas Technologies -What s New and What s Next Conference, Sept. 

Lyons, J.E., P.E. Ellis, Jr., R.W. Wagner, P.B. Thompson, H.B. Gray, M.E. Hughes, and J.A. Hodge (1992). Proc. American Chemical Society Division of Petroleum Chemistry, Symposium on Natural Gas Upgrading II. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, p. 307. 

Hybrid membranes have been reported to successfully increase the performance of polymeric materials in different gas separation applications, such as the production of enriched oxygen or nitrogen streams, biogas and natural gas upgrading, and CO2 capture in postcombustion. 

The difference in the kinetic diameters of N2 and O2 is 0.2 A. That between CH4 and N2 is also 0.2 A. Given the importance of CH4/N2 separation in the field of natural gas upgrading, it is surprising that a suitable CMS has not yet been developed. Attention is certainly warranted for developing such a CMS. 

Clinoptilolite is a member of the heulandite group of natural zeolites. It has been used for radioactive waste disposal and ammonia recovery from sewage effluents (Vaughan, 1988). It has also been studied extensively in the separation of N2/CH4 for natural gas upgrading by molecular sieving or kinetic separation (Ackley and Yang. 1991 see chapter for details). The cation sites in clinoptilolite are shown in Figure 7.13. 

Foral MJ. The noncatalytic partial oxidation of natural gas to methanol. In Preprints, symposium on natural gas upgrading II, 203d National meeting of the American chemical society. Division of petroleum chemistry, San Francisco, CA. Washington, DC American Chemical Society April 5—10,1992. p. 34—40. 

Membrane systems to remove acid gas from the natural gas emerged more than three decades ago. Today about half a dozen venders provide membrane systems for natural gas upgrading. Amongst them are UOP (Separex and Grace), who uses cellulose acetate spiral wound module and Natco (Cynara) who uses cellulose acetate hollow fiber membrane modules. Ube, Air Liquide and Air Products offer polyimide hollow fiber membrane modules, and MTR produces perfluoropolymer membranes in spiral wound modules. 

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