Ikelic - Alliance Digital Repository

STATUS OF NATURAL GAS PROJECTS
COMMERCIAL PROJECTS (Underline denotes changes since June 1994)
ARUNACHAL PRADESH NATURAL GAS CONVERSION PROJECT- Rentech Inc.. Esouire Gujarat Petrochemicals Corpora
tion Ltd.. Donyi-Polo Petrochemical Ltd.. Stale of Arunachal Pradesh, and Oil India. Ltd. (G-05)
Rentech. Inc. is designing a gas conversion plant to be located in Arunachal Pradesh in northwest India. The plant, using
Rentech's proprietary technology, will produce 350 barrels per dav of liauid hydrocarbons from flared natural gas.
Project Cost: $10 Million
- FUELCO SYNHYTECH PLANT (G-10)
Fuel Resources Development Company (FuelCo) held ground breaking ceremonies in May 1990 for their Synhytech Plant at
the Pueblo, Colorado landfill. The Synhytech Plant, short for synthetic hydrocarbon technology, will convert landfill methane
and carbon dioxide gas into clean burning diesel fuel as well as naphtha and a high grade industrial wax.
The technology is said to be the world's first to convert landfill gases into diesel motor fuel. It was developed by FuelCo, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Public Service Company of Colorado, and Rentech Inc. of Denver, Colorado. Fuelco is planning to
invest up to $16 million in the project with Rentech having the option to purchase 15 percent of the plant. Ultrasystems En
gineers and Constructors is designing and building the project.
The plant is expected to produce 100 barrels of diesel, plus 50 barrels of naphtha and 80 barrels of high grade wax per day. It
is estimated that the Pueblo site will sustain a 235 barrel per day production rate for about 20 years. FuelCo estimates that
diesel fuel can be produced for about $18 per barrel.
The process takes the landfill gas-which is about 52 percent methane and 40 percent carbon dioxide-breaks it down and
passes it through an iron-based slurry-phase catalyst, and extracts diesel fuel, naphtha and wax.
According to vehicle test results at high altitude, the Synhytech diesel was 35 percent lower in particulate emissions and
produced 53 percent fewer hydrocarbons and 41 percent less carbon monoxide in the vehicle exhaust. It contains no sulfur and
low levels of aromatics, and no engine modifications are required. Plant construction was complete in December 1991 and
only
the first crude product was produced in January 1992.
In early 1993 Public Service Company of Colorado sold its Fuel Resources Development Company subsidiary, with along the
Synhytech pilot plant to Rentech.
The demonstration tests are complete. In 1995, the Pueblo plant is available for tests using other feedstocks.
Project Cost: $16 million
MOSSGAS SYNFUELS PLANT -
South
African Central Energy Fund (G-20)
In 1988 the South African government approved a plan for a synthetic fuels from offshore natural gas plant to be located near
the town of Mossel Bay off the southeast coast. Gas for the synthesis plant will be taken from an offshore platform which was
completed in 1991. The SASOL Synthol technology was selected for the project.
Construction of the onshore plant was completed in mid-1992. Commercial production was achieved in January 1993 at
80 percent of design capacity.
Based on the original design, the Mossgas complex was to produce only automotive fuels and the license from Sasol for the
synthesis units reads accordingly. Chemicals such as aldehydes and ketones are hydrogenated to alcohol and the entire alcohol
production, with the exception of the heavy alcohols, was to be blended into gasoline. In 1993 automotive fuels are not the
most valuable products. Mossgas has been investigating the scope for increased production and opportunities to produce value
added products.
Increasing the syngas production capacity is also being investigated, because the synthesis units have considerable spare
capacity and only an additional reforming train will be required. In addition, the refinery gas condensate processing capacitycould
be increased significantly for a relatively minor investment.
Gas reserves, located in 350 feet of water, 55 miles off the Southeast coast of South Africa, are sufficient to operate the syn
thesis facility for 13 years at design rate.
5-11
SYNTHETIC FUELS REPORT, JANUARY 1995