Huh? …My brother sent me this and it was very fascinating when one contemplates the possibilities of killing several birds with one stone…
Interesting for sure…but I wonder how practical such a facility is, cost, other byproducts, etc.
These guys are a smaller outfit than the big oil companies who have an interest in the FT process, so there’s a greater risk/reward paradigm. But it sounds like they may have found a commercially viable way to extract greater useful FT hydrocarbons from coal and stranded natural gas than currently offered by the basic FT process. One things for sure, they are on the right road regarding anticipation of US energy policy favoring CTL technologies, even with the Freakshow of Energy Ignorance in charge of Congress right now.
There’s another factor to contemplate here, and that’s the big push for liquified natural gas (LNG) vs GTL/CTL technology. The latter is probably a better investment due to a greater need for transportation fuels than for process gas.
I agree per usual…that’s what sent me to enquire on “whatever happened to…” BN"s successful NG\ Methane Experiment on another post. This has huge potential although I am not surprised in regard to being in the dark about it…one would think this would be a huge opportunity for our federal mismangers to do something beyond screwing up computers with DST…energy conservation …new sources…action as development of resources and real thought beyond the depth of a bumper sticker…
Some Nazi (!) background:
Well, since methane was mentioned, I have to wonder how feasible it would be to convert some of the stuff that is in landfills today to energy sources? I don’t think there’s any shortage of landfills today, nor should there be for generations to come! I know that the SC Johnson Waxdale plant uses methane from “Kestrel Hawk Park” to power some of their operations… Besides, most of the methane gets burned off in those pretty torches around the landfill anyways…
This is another case of The BIg Oil Compnays doing some reserch then setting up a front company ,then buying all the patents ,then folding the project so that they can maintain there oil monopoly. Just like GM and there eletric car that was made in 1995. Built it then scrapped it.
A local utility uses the methane from the main Lane County, OR landfill to generate electricity.
GM tossed in the towel on their all-electric car because what people said and what people did were two different things. The market for an all-electric car with minimum range and long recharge times just wasn’t there since only a handful of people were willing to put their money where their mouth was and either buy or lease such a car. Also, based on current battery technology, an all-electric battery car is pretty much for warm climates only.
“Under an additional program - - - sponsored by the Department of Energy - - - Syntroleum produced up to 150,000 gallons of various grades of diesel fuel and 10,000 gallons of synthetic jet fuel. This fuel has been evaluated by several laboratories under DOE contracts. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted an extensive emissions program over three years looking at the inherent benefits of synthetic paraffin diesel fuels in modern emissions compliant engines. This work includes tuning the engine to perform optimally on synthetic diesel fuel. AVL Laboratories has conducted an extended duration durability test of Syntroleum using a DDC bus engine and Caterpillar 2004 compliant engine. Both engines completed a 1500 hour test cycle with no problems. These were the engines that were part of the field demonstrations program where Syntroleum was tested in transit bus service in Washington DC and in National Park Service use in Denali NP. No fuel related problems were observed.”
More info…Air Force planes … fueled by syntroleum…
The process and product is technically feasible, that was proved by the German armed forces during WW2. The real question is whether it’s economically feasible.
The economics of conversion are the key…I am assuming that they have a confidence built upon something other than their own opinions. I would love to know what that “something” is…
I am a little skeptical of the statement that no “new” refineries will have to be built. Maybe no new oil refineries will be needed, but Syntroleum will still require processing and storage facilities. These are simply a different type of refinery. The other advantage maybe that syntroleum can probably be distributed through the same infrastructure and gas and fuel oil whereas unblended ethanol has to be segregated.
Thats an excellent point…especially timely in light of the coinciding of refinery maintenance and reduced capacity with the current escalation of gas prices…new refinerys are a verboten enviromental controversy…unfortunately…