physics

Synthetic fuel commercialization

Synthetic fuel commercialization is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Synthetic fuel commercialization rather than just read about it. In short: Worldwide commercial synthetic fuels plant capacity is over 240,000 barrels per day (38,000 m3/d), including indirect conversion Fischer–Tropsch plants in South Africa (Mossgas, Secunda CTL), Qatar (Oryx GTL), and Malaysia (Shell Bintulu), and a Mobil process (Methanol to Gasoline) plant in New Zealand. Numerous large projects are under construction in China and Qatar.

Key takeaways

Synthetic fuel commercialization belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Synthetic fuel commercialization to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Synthetic fuel commercialization from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Worldwide commercial synthetic fuels plant capacity is over 240,000 barrels per day (38,000 m3/d), including indirect conversion Fischer–Tropsch plants in South Africa (Mossgas, Secunda CTL), Qatar (Oryx GTL), and Malaysia (Shell Bintulu), and a Mobil process (Methanol to Gasoline) plant in New Zealand. Numerous large projects are under construction in China and Qatar. Some analysts believe that Chinese CTL production will exceed that of South Africa by 2015, and new and existing GTL capacity in Qatar should also exceed the July 2009 South African production level some time in 2011.

Existing producers The leading company in the commercialization of synthetic fuel is Sasol, a company based in South Africa. Sasol operates the world's only commercial Fischer Tropsch coal-to-liquids facility, Secunda CTL, with a capacity of 150,000 barrels per day (24,000 m3/d). Sasol's Oryx Fischer Tropsch gas-to-liquids plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar is running at 29,000 barrels per day (4,600 m3/d) capacity, near its anticipated 34,000 barrels per day (5,400 m3/d) nameplate capacity. Royal Dutch Shell operates a 14,700 barrels per day (2,340 m3/d) Fischer Tropsch gas-to-liquids plant in Bintulu, Malaysia. The Mossgas gas to liquids plant in South Africa produces 45,000 barrels per day (7,200 m3/d) of Fischer Tropsch synthetic fuels. Shenhua Group completed a trial run in mid-2009, and achieved stable operation in November 2010 of their 1.08 million ton per year (roughly 22,200 barrels per day (3,530 m3/d)) direct coal liquefaction plant (Erdos CTL) in Ejin Horo Banner in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Shenhua eventually intends to expand the facility to 5 million tons per year (roughly 102,000 barrels per day (16,200 m3/d)). The Shenhua also expects to complete a 6 Million ton per year (3 Million TPY first phase) coal-to-fuel project using its own Fischer Tropsch indirect conversion technology next to the Inner Mongolia plant in the third quarter of 2009. In September 2011, Shenhua reported profitable operation of its new CTL plant during the first half of the year 2011. The total production of the liquid fuel during that period was 470,000 t and the cost was equivalent to ~60 USD per barrel of crude oil. Other companies that have developed coal- or gas-to-liquids processes (at the pilot plant or commercial stage) include ExxonMobil, StatoilHydro, Rentech, and Syntroleum. Several companies have commercially viable plastics-to-liquid-fuel plants, including Cynar PLC (UK) and Agilyx Corp. (Oregon, USA).

Projects under construction The Pearl GTL project, a joint venture of Shell and QatarEnergy, is under construction in Ras Laffan, Qatar, and will produce 140,000 barrels per day (22,000 m3/d) of Fischer Tropsch petroleum liquids starting in 2011 (first train) and 2012 (second train). The Escravos GTL project in Nigeria is expected to produce 34,000 barrels per day (5,400 m3/d) of Fischer Tropsch synthetic fuel in 2013. Yankuang expects to break ground shortly on a 22,000 barrels per day (3,500 m3/d) (1 million ton per year) indirect synthetic fuels project. Final products will include 780,800 tons of diesel, 258,400 of naphtha, 56,480 of LPG.

Proposed projects

United States

In the United States, a number of different synthetic fuels projects are moving forward, with the first expected to enter commercial operation starting in 2015. Baard Energy, in its Ohio River Clean Fuels project, is developing a 53,000 barrels per day (8,400 m3/d) Fischer Tropsch gas and biomass to liquids project with the carbon capture and sequestration. Pending close of a financing package, Baard hopes to begin on site preparation work before the end of 2009, with plant construction starting in 2010. Initial project startup is anticipated in 2013, with full production capacity targeted in 2015. DKRW Advanced Fuels LLC is developing a 10,600 barrels per day (1,690 m3/d) methanol to gasoline (Mobil process) coal to liquids plant with carbon capture and sequestration (through carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery) in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. The project is expected to begin operation in 2015.

Germany Choren Industries in Freiberg, Germany was the only operational Biomass to Liquids (BTL) demonstration plant that produces 300 barrels of Fischer Tropsch fuels per day.

India Bioleum Resources is building India's first Biomass to Liquids plant near Pune, India.

Aviation fuel An effort has been undertaken to certify various synthetic fuels for use in US and international aviation fleets. This is being led by an industry coalition known as the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative(CAAFI), also supported by a parallel initiative under way in the US Air Force to certify synthetic fuels for use in all aviation platforms. The US Air Force has certified 99% of it fleet for use with a 50/50 blend of conventional and FT Synthetic Fuel. The CAAFI initiative has also succeeded in achieving full ASTM certification for a 50/50 blend of both FT-SPK and HEFA synthetic fuels for use in civilian aviation platforms. On 1 February 2008, a three-hour Airbus A380 test flight operated between Britain and France, with one of four engines using a mix of 60% standard jet fuel and 40% GTL fuel supplied by Shell. The aircraft needed no modifications, Airbus said the GTL used has the same CO2 emissions but contains no sulphur for better air quality. In April 2008, Sasol announced that they have achieved the first approval for 100% synthetic jet fuel use sanctioned by global aviation fuel specification authorities. On 12 October 2009, a Qatar Airways Airbus A340-600 conducted the world's first commercial passenger flight using a mixture of kerosene and synthetic Gas-to-Liquid fuel in its flight from London's Gatwick Airport to Doha. On 15 July 2011 Lufthansa has launched a 6-month biofuel trial on regular scheduled flights. The route selected for the test flights is Hamburg-Frankfurt-Hamburg and it will be covered by an Airbus 321 with the registration D-AIDG.

JBUFF (Joint Battlespace Use Fuel of the Future) fuel Future blends and fuel formulations may result in a JBUFF (Joint Battlespace Use Fuel of the Future) or a single battlespace fuel that can be used in both diesel and jet fuel application. A JBUFF fuel will allow for rapid deployment and logistic enhancement for military and emergency aid environments where various types of equipment can be operated with one fuel in place of several types of fuel.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Synthetic fuel commercialization

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Synthetic fuel commercialization claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Synthetic fuel commercialization before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Synthetic fuel commercialization ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Synthetic fuel commercialization

In research: Synthetic fuel commercialization appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Synthetic fuel commercialization in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Synthetic fuel commercialization is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Energy economics, Synthetic fuels, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Synthetic fuel commercialization outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Synthetic fuel commercialization in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Synthetic fuel commercialization means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Synthetic fuel commercialization out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Synthetic fuel commercialization in simple terms?

Why does Synthetic fuel commercialization matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Synthetic fuel commercialization?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Synthetic fuel commercialization.