Synthetic hydrocarbons as long‐term fuel option

Abstract

Abstract While debate still rages over what the long term primary fuel source for fuel cells will be, there is no doubt that hydrocarbon fuels have a major advantage in terms of infrastructure and energy density compared to all other options. The disadvantage of these fuels lies in the fact that oil‐derived fuels are relatively expensive to convert into hydrogen and tend to be aggressive towards the fuel processor (reformer) and fuel cell catalysts. Synthetic hydrocarbon fuels, produced via the Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis provide a sulfur‐ and aromatic‐free alternative to conventional hydrocarbons which are consequently more benign towards fuel cell catalysts. Currently, the technology is on a fast pace towards full commercialization, with the expectation that as much as 1 million barrels per day of capacity could be on line by the end of this decade, contingent on world economic conditions. Fuels produced using the gas‐to‐liquids technology, particularly when utilizing associated gas sources, provides an environmentally sound method of producing liquid fuels. Gasification of solid and liquid waste products may also be beneficially used to produce the synthesis gas required for the FT synthesis.