Methane is turned into useful oils for applications such as car fuel

By Sam Shead

Shell is manufacturing gas-to-liquid (GTL) oils at its Qatar GTL plant that can be used to improve petrol and engine lubricants.

The plant turns clean natural gas (methane) into five useful oil products through complex chemical transformation processes.

Methane is converted into these useful liquid products over three stages. First, the methane is reacted with oxygen to create a synthesis gas in reactors operating at up to 1,300°C. The gas is then converted into liquid waxy hydrocarbons through the Fischer-Tropsch process.

Finally, the liquid waxy hydrocarbons are ’cracked’, or broken down, into the five useful products using specially developed technology involving cobalt catalysts.

Gas oil is one of those useful GTL products being used to make a cleaner car fuel. Colin Abraham, Shell’s vice-president for lubricants and commercial fuels marketing, said there are four main benefits to the new GTL fuel: reduced emissions; reduced noise emissions; ease of integration into existing fuel systems; and lack of investment needed into new infrastructures.

He added that Shell would not be introducing the fuel to petrol stations. ’We will target airports and customers who have the ability to store the fuel themselves,’ he said. ’The plan is not to make GTL fuel available widely across the network as this would put a strain on infrastructure.’

Base oil, another useful product of GTL, is being used to improve Shell’s existing premium engine lubricants to make engines more efficient by reducing friction.

Selda Gunsel, Shell’s vice-president for global commercial technology, said: ’We plan to use our GTL base oils in developing high-performance engine oils that help conserve energy, improve engine durability and help reduce emissions.’