To produce transportable middle distillate products from natural gas. The process has a high carbon efficiency built around ConocoPhillips’ proprietary COPox catalytic partial oxidation syngas process and ConocoPhillips’ proprietary Fischer-Tropsch (FT) gas conversion process. ConocoPhillips GTL is a viable option to monetize stranded gas reserves.
The front-end process (1) is based on ConocoPhillips’ unique and highly proprietary COPox catalytic partial oxidation syngas technology. The hydrocarbon feed conversion and selectivity to carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) is higher than conventional equilibrium syngas production methods.
The ConocoPhillips reactors have a high throughput and operate at relatively mild conditions. The middle process (2) is based on ConocoPhillips’ proprietary FT Gas Conversion Technology. The FT process features a highly active catalyst that generates a paraffinic product spectrum with a high ASF alpha distribution and low methane selectivity. A higher alpha implies the production of a greater proportion of heavy hydrocarbons at the expense of less production of lighter hydrocarbons. Different reactor configurations can be used to minimize overall reactor volume and tailor the desired product slate. The FT product is finished in a back-end Product Upgrading Unit (3) that includes Hydro Processing using both conventional and ConocoPhillips proprietary technology.
The efficient ConocoPhillips COPox syngas and FT conversion technologies are configured with an overall process design that delivers a high carbon efficiency while minimizing the required CAPEX. The integrated process maximizes the use of the exothermic reaction heat and minimizes recycles.
Operating conditions: The ConocoPhillips COPox syngas process operates within a range of conditions depending on inlet gas composition. Typical operating temperature range is 600–1,000°C. The Conoco-Phillips FT process operates within a typical temperature range of 200–250°C.
Licensor: ConocoPhillips will be the licensor to its equity affiliates.