Patent EA-000838-B1 (EA)
Title: Process for converting gas to liquid
Inventor: WOLFLICK JOHN P
IPC: C10G5/06
Filed: 1997-07-09
Abstract: 1. A process for converting a hydrocarbon gas to a liquid hydrocarbon having a gas turbine for driving at least one compressor unit which provides the air compression, which in turn is mixed with the hydrocarbon gas and steam to pass through a first rector with a first catalyst to obtain syngas, which is passed through a second reactor with a second catalyst to obtain said liquid hydrocarbon and a tail gas, wherin said gas turbine has has a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section, the method comprising the steps of: compressing of air in said compressor section of the gas turbine; supplying a first portion of said compressed combustion-air to said combustor; supplying a tail gas which is recovered from said process to said combustor to mix with said first portion of said compressed air before burning said mixture in said combustor to produce combustion gases; mixing a second portion of said compressed air from the compressor section with said combustion gases from the combuster of the gas turbine to cool said burning mixture before the expansion of said burning mixture in the turbine section of the gas turbine; and supplying the remaining portion of said compressed air from said compressor section of the gas turbine directly to said first reactor for use therein. 2. The process of claim 1 wherein said remaining portion of said compressed combustion-air comprises about 30 to about 40t of the total volume of said air compressed in the compressor section of the gas turbine. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein said tail gas obtained after conversion is comprised of methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen. 4. The process of claim 1 including recovering heat from said combustion gases after said gases have passed through said turbine section. 5. The Fischer-Tropsch process for converting a hydrocarbon feed gas to a hydrocarbon liquid comprising: compressing technological air for use in said process; mixing said compressed process-air with steam to obtain a technological air and steam mixture; mixing said compressed technological air and steam mixture with said hydrocarbon feed gas in the presence of a catalyst to form a syngas comprised of carbon monoxide and hydrogen; recovering heat from said syngas for use in said process; passing said syngas after said heat has been recovered over a catalyst in a reactor to convert at least a portion of said syngas to a liquid hydrocarbon; recovering heat from said reactor as said syngas is converted to said liquid hydrocarbon for use in said process, characterized in that separating unconverted syngas from said liquid hydrocarbon is carried out to provide a tail gas fraction as for use in said process. 6. The process of claim 5 including:  mixing steam with said feed hydrocarbon gas before said feed gas is mixed with said mixture of said compressed air and steam wherein said steam which is mixed with both said compressed process-air and said feed gas is generated by using said heat recovered from said syngas. 7. The process of claim 5 wherein said process-air is compressed using a compression unit which is fueled by said tail gas obtained during the conversion process. 8. The process of claim 6 including: heating both said mixture of said process-air and steam mixture and said mixture of said feed gas and said steam before they are mixed to form said syngas by passing both through a heater which is fueled by said tail gas obtain during the conversion process. 9. The process of claim 8 including expanding at least a portion of said tail gas through a turbine to recover mechanical energy therefrom.