Patent ID: 7915463

Claim:
A method for converting natural gas to hydrocarbon liquid comprising: providing a natural gas stream; providing a feed stream comprising, at least a portion of the natural gas stream; providing a burn stream comprising combustible material comprising at least a portion of the natural gas; conveying the feed stream and burn stream to a reactor wherein the burn stream is at least partially burned with an oxidant to heat the feed stream by intimate mixing of the feed stream with the partial combustion products to a temperature and for a time such that a reactive product stream comprising hydrogen and reactive products is formed, said reactive products comprising acetylene; quenching the reactive product stream; separating from the reactive product stream an acetylene rich stream and a light gas stream; conveying the acetylene rich stream to a hydrogenation reactor; reacting acetylene and hydrogen in the hydrogenation reactor to form ethylene; conveying a portion of the hydrogenation reactor effluent comprising ethylene to a catalytic liquefaction reactor and operating the catalytic liquefaction reactor such that some hydrocarbon liquid is produced; separating some hydrogen from the reactive product stream, conveying at least a portion of the hydrogen back to the reactor such that the hydrogen comprises a part of the burn stream; and conveying the hydrocarbon liquid to storage or transport.