Patent ID: 8513316

Claim:
In a process for producing Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon products onboard a marine vessel from at least one gas, liquid or solid carbonaceous feedstock, the improvement comprising the steps of: conducting gasification in a thermal conversion plant operationally connected to an onboard power plant unit, wherein said step of conducting gasification comprises the sub-steps of: having a predetermined mass of metal onboard a marine vessel; heating the mass of metal into a molten metal; holding the molten metal in a containment vessel; introducing the carbonaceous feedstock into contact with the molten metal; producing and yielding an intermediate gas stream from the molten metal; and, collecting the intermediate gas stream; subjecting the intermediate gas stream to a Fischer-Tropsch reaction for yielding a predetermined hydrocarbon product in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, the Fischer-Tropsch reactor having at least one recycle line from the Fischer-Tropsch reactor to the thermal conversion plant; and, recycling at least one of CO 2 and tail gas from the Fischer-Tropsch reactor to the thermal conversion plant during gasification operations, wherein the thermal conversion plant and the Fischer-Tropsch reactor are onboard the marine vessel.