Patent ID: 6172124
Filing Date: 2001-01-09
Classification: C01B,C07C,C10G,Y02P

Abstract:
In a Fischer-Tropsch conversion process for converting a hydrocarbon gas to a liquid hydrocarbon wherein a gas turbine is used to drive a compressor unit which compresses air which, in turn, is mixed with said hydrocarbon gas and steam and is flowed through a first reactor with a first catalyst to produce a syngas which is flowed through a second reactor with a second catalyst to produce said liquid hydrocarbon and a tail gas; said gas turbine having a compressor section, a combustor and a turbine section, the improvement comprising:compressing air in said compressor section of said gas turbine;supplying a first portion of said compressed air from said compressor section of said gas turbine to said combustor;supplying said tail gas from said conversion process as a fuel to said combustor to mix with said first portion of said compressed air from combustion in said combustor thereby producing combustion gases in said combustor;mixing a second portion of said compressed air from said compressor section of said gas turbine with said combustion gases from said combustor of said gas turbine to cool said combustion gases before said combustion gases are expanded through said turbine section of said gas turbine; andsupplying the remaining portion of said compressed air from said compressor section of said gas turbine directly to said first reactor of said conversion process for use as process air in said conversion process.