Sounds like a lot more goes into the conversion than what comes out.
Disclaimer - I'm no chemist, scientist or even an intellectual.
Just a guy that reads ...
Nat gas is America’s ace in the hole.
There’s no telling how many products can be made from low cost gas.
“Sounds like a lot more goes into the conversion than what comes out.”
You are right, but it is not that bad, and, if stupid windmills make sense (they don’t) and ethanol makes sense (it doesn’t) this is very important technology to get going. F-T is better return on EI/EO than either of those. It is important to take into consideration “all-in” costs...not just those inside the factory fence of a power plant. Nat gas infrastructure is already largely in place, and, the pipes for transporting the output of such a plant are generally already in place. Recognize that historically, we absolutely save several bucks per gallon by having a large military presence in the mideast-—which we pay for in other ways, of course. Not wanting to get into a macro discussion of “all-in” costs, but they are important to consider. And, this process would be useful for coal which, like it or not, it would be nice to not burn as much as we do.
When the day comes that excess heat from a nuclear reactor can assist in driving the reactions (collectively known as Fischer-Tropsch) in gas-to-liquids we would be sitting pretty in terms of the elusive goal of freeing ourselves from foreign oil.
Lastly, it is by no means assured that nat gas will “always” bear the low “glut” price it does at present. Yes, we have plenty...I am just pointing out a typical piece of human brain self-trickery.
The technology is proven. Shell has a couple commercial working facilities as well as Sasol outside the US. The learning curve is mostly achomplished but I'm sure there will be refinements.
Prior to now, the economics only worked where there was a much greater supply of Natural Gas than could be supplied locally. The feedstock to the GTL facility competed with LNG exports; low price local natural gas to be exported elsewhere. The value of delivering much more expensive transportation liquid fuels versus spending the money to make LNG was the economic point.
Shell has talked about it for years here in the US but said the economics had not worked. I read this plan of investment in belief that the Natural Gas price is going to stay low in the US for some time.
GTL is very energy intensive, but feasible.
Its economic feasibility is determined by the relative economic value of natural gas and liquid fuels.
Sasol has a lot of experience with this. In South Africa, they gasify coal to obtain the gas feedstock for GTL.
GTL is very energy intensive, but feasible.
Its economic feasibility is determined by the relative economic value of natural gas and liquid fuels.
Sasol has a lot of experience with this. In South Africa, they gasify coal to obtain the gas feedstock for GTL.