Oxidative conversion of wet and associated gases to fuels for power plants

Abstract

The characteristics of gas fuels for power plants produced by the partial oxidation at high pressure or by oxidative cracking at ∼750 °C of wet natural gas and associated gas are presented. The introduction of an additional stage of preliminary oxidative conversion (pre-reforming) in a flow reactor at initial oxygen concentrations of 5–8%, pressures of 25–40 bar, and temperatures of 450–600 °C or the oxidative cracking stage at atmospheric pressure and ∼750 °C makes it possible to selectively oxidize “heavy” low-octane components of complex hydrocarbon mixtures and to produce fuel gas mixtures for power plants with a high methane number and a required lower heating value. The preferable oxidation agent is atmospheric air rather than oxygen-enriched air or technical oxygen. The introduction of another additional stage of catalytic carbonylation makes it possible to synthesize a number of valuable GTL products, which can compensate expenses to costs of the proposed refinement of wet natural gas and associated gas.