Modular gas‐to‐liquids process with membrane steam‐methane reformer and Fischer–Tropsch reactive distillation

Abstract

Challenges related to energy and the environment, alongside risks in capital investment decisions have sparked recent interest in process intensification research. Process intensification has been characterized by novel equipment designs that produce dramatic process improvements including reduction in size, waste production, and energy consumption. Given the current pressing environmental and social concerns on the shale gas industry, it is imperative to design and optimize energy systems to produce solutions that are economically efficient, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible. Toward this goal, the main research challenge is to develop an integrated energy system modeling framework that can systematically generate optimal designs and operational strategies, and comprehensively improve multiple sustainability criteria. This work highlights opportunities to transform gas‐to‐liquids plants to compact, safe, energy‐efficient, and sustainable processes by using intensified units such as membrane reformers for feed handling and reactive distillation to take advantage of reaction heat to drive separation and enhance yield.