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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Converting natural gas into convenient liquid fuel 43;43;43;43; "Every day natural gas flares blaze across swaths of Africa, Russia, Asia and the Middle East, burning off 10 billion cubic feet of energy--the equivalent of 1.7 million barrels of oil. There's more gas where that came from. Reserves of "stranded" natural gas--the stuff that's abandoned because there's no economical way to transport it--come to maybe 2,500 trillion cubic feet. If captured and converted, the gas would make (after conversion losses) 250 billion barrels of synthetics, from clean-burning diesel to jet fuel. That's like finding another Saudi Arabia." "My kingdom for a synfuels catalyst! For a century the world has been looking for economical ways to convert undesirable fossils like coal and methane into desirable ones like diesel. Success may finally be at hand. One aspirant to this royal achievement is a tiny R&D company in Tulsa, Oklahoma called Syntroleum Corp. In 20 years of struggling Syntroleum hasn't made a dime (last year it lost $34.6 million on revenues of $19.2 million). But it says it has refined a gas-to-liquids process to the point that it's now cheap and safe. "Every technology has its day," says company founder Kenneth Agee. "But there was no reason for GTL until now." That's not quite true. During World War II Germany had a desperate need to convert coal into motor fuels and used the very chemical process at the heart of the Syntroleum technology. And in the late 1970s there was a U.S. government-funded effort to make synfuels, an effort that receded when oil prices declined.(ed: the technology was used successfully in South Africa as well) Now, with oil approaching $40 a barrel once again, synfuels may have their day. Absent a cost-effective way to turn natural gas into oil, the gas itself has to be transported, and that can be very hard to do. Without a gas pipeline at hand, the gas must be turned into a liquid for shipping. A stampede is on to build a global liquefied natural gas network, with 45 proposed receiving terminals in North America, from Fall River, Massachusetts to Baja California. But LNG gets complicated. Gas gets piped to mammoth plants in places like Qatar and superchilled down to a liquid state. From there it's shipped in special cryogenic tankers to fuel-strained Japan or the U.S., where it goes through a regasification terminal. By comparison, GTL, if it could be made to work, would be easy. One way to turn methane (natural gas' main ingredient) into liquid fuel is to blend it with pure oxygen under heat and pressure to produce synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. With help from a catalyst, the synthesis gas is transformed into waxy hydrocarbons, which in turn can be cracked into smaller, diesel-like fuel molecules. This can all take place out in the gas field, after which transportation is a snap. Unlike diesel derived from crude oil, the synthetic version doesn't require you to replace or upgrade an engine and doesn't emit any sulfur, metals or many particulates when burned. Even the California Energy Commission loves it. Last May it released a report calling synthetic diesel the most effective alternative fuel, above biodiesel and all fuel cells."...more at that article link Talisman of Calgary has teamed up with South Africa's Sasol to develop this alternative-to-oil/gasoline possibility: Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press CALGARY - Talisman Energy Inc. expects to keep capital spending steady at US$4 billion this year, while still managing to grow its oil and natural gas production by as much as 10 per cent. The Calgary-based producer (TSX:TLM) devised its spending plans on the assumption natural gas prices will remain weak throughout 2011, and possibly into 2012, chief executive officer John Manzoni told a conference call Tuesday. That means spending 35 per cent less this year on dry natural gas, and instead focusing on valuable natural gas liquids, which are used to make plastics and petrochemicals. "In North America, we'll increase our investment into liquids-rich opportunities to the maximum extent," Manzoni said. The budget includes about $1.7 billion for North American operations, about 40 per cent of which will go toward liquids production in areas like the Eagle Ford shale in Texas, where Talisman (TSX:TLM) has a growing presence. Outside of Canada and the United States, Talisman (TSX:TLM) is planning to spend $1.2 billion on its North Sea operations, with another $700 million to $800 million set aside for projects in Southeast Asia. Talisman targets about $370 million of spending on non-cash capital items. The firm estimates production will grow five to 10 per cent for the year. Talisman said it had production of about 415,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2010. "Overall the outlook is in line with our expectations, but clearly demonstrates (Talisman's) transition from years of stagnant/low growth back to a robust growth profile," analysts with CIBC World Markets said in a note to clients Tuesday. Other changes this year include Talisman switching to U.S. dollars in its upcoming financial reports since it says most of its transactions occur in that currency. Last month, Talisman said it had agreed to sell a 50 per cent stake in some of its shale lands in northeastern British Columbia to South Africa's Sasol for $1.05 billion. Talisman will continue to run the Farrell Creek assets in the Montney shale gas field. The two companies said they will also collaborate on a study to find out whether it is economically feasible to build a plant in Western Canada that would convert natural gas into liquid fuels. In the fall, Talisman bulked up its presence in a liquids-rich part of the Eagle Ford shale in Texas, alongside Norway's Statoil. The firm also has holdings in Quebec's Utica shale and the Pennsylvania and New York portions of the Marcellus shale. Talisman's other key areas of focus include offshore production in the North Sea and Southeast Asia, as well as operations in South America and the Middle East.
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#1. To: Tatarewicz, *Agriculture-Environment* (#0)
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Thru mother natures own process, at NG pumping stations, liquid NG does form in small quantities. When used in an auto, the auto runs like a scared rabbit. The drawback if I recall is that it burns too hot.
My pug does this when he eats the wrong thing. He did it this morning.
"If ever this vast country is brought under a single government, it will be one of the most extensive corruption, indifferent and incapable of a wholesome care over so wide a spread of surface. This will not be borne, and you will have to choose between reform and revolution. If I know the spirit of this country, the one or the other is inevitable." - Thomas Jefferson
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