PROCESSES FOR CONVERTING METHANE TO LIQUID FUELS - ECONOMIC SCREENINGTHROUGH ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Numerous process schemes have been proposed for converting methane to liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Economic evaluation studies generally conclu de that none except the best of these schemes are attractive at presen t oil prices of <20 $/bb1. Simple arguments are presented here to show why methane conversion processes are now not economically attractive and what needs to be done to improve on their economics. Particularly, an analysis of numerous fuel manufacturing processes based on coal, o il and gas feedstock will show the need to increase the plant scale, a nd reduce the energy losses as well as the overall heat and momentum t ransfer duty. Furthermore, simple calculations of the overall transfer duty of various methane conversion routes for liquid fuel manufacture allow us to rank them according to their expected capital cost and id entify the improvements required for making each route competitive wit h the cheapest scheme identified here. The conversion routes considere d here include methane pyrolysis, oxidative coupling, partial oxidatio n to methanol, methylchloride and methylbisulfate as well as the comme rcial routes based on synthesis gas.