1718. KEITH, P. C. Gasoline From Natural Gas. Gas, vol. 22, No. 6, 1946, pp. 21-26; Nat. Petrol. News, vol. 38, No. 27, 1946, pp. R-506-511; Am. Gas Jour., vol. 164, No. 6, 1946, pp. 11-15; Oil Gas Jour., vol. 45, No. 6, 1946, pp. 102, 105, 107, 108, 111, 112; Am. Gas Assoc. Monthly, vol. 28, 1946, pp. 253-257, 296-297.

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Literature Abstracts

This is a discussion of the Hydrocol process developed by Hydrocarbon Research, Inc., studied in a 10-bbl. per-day pilot plant at Olean, N. Y., and to be put into commercial production by Carthage Hydrocol, Inc., at Brownsville, Tex., for converting CO and H₂, from the partial combustion of natural gas with O₂, to gasoline. A cheap, rugged, Fe-base catalyst giving high conversion has been developed. It operates by the fluid-catalyst technique. This catalyst, the cheap production of O₂, and a method for the almost total recovery of the exothermic heat, make it possible to synthesize gasoline that can compete with that from natural crude. The plant will include the largest O₂ plant in existence and will produce 40,000,000 cu. ft. of O₂ per day for use in the partial combustion of the natural gas. The synthesis process will effect a 90% conversion of synthesis gas to produce 5,800 bbl. of 88-90 octane no. gasoline per day in addition to 1,200 bbl. of 45-50 cetane no. diesel fuel and 150,000 lb. of mixed alcohols. Allowing $0.035 per gal. for the diesel fuel and $0.005 per lb. for the crude alcohols, gasoline will be produced at a cost of $0.0525 per gal. One of the important features in maintaining this cost level is the heat recovery through which 750,000 lb. of high pressure steam per hr. will be produced. Based on estimated gas reserves of 175 billion cu. ft., a synthetic crude supply is potentially available equivalent to the present crude petroleum reserves. Another important possibility is the use of waste refinery gases, which could yield as much as 7-8% of the country’s present crude production. Furthermore, present developments indicate that the production of gasoline from coal might not be much more difficult with complete gasification of coal offering gas reserves of astronomical proportions.