Patent ID: 7915465

Claim:
A method for converting natural gas to hydrocarbon liquids, comprising: providing a natural gas stream; separating from the natural gas stream at least a methane rich stream and a methane lean stream; providing a feed stream comprising at least a portion of the natural gas stream; conveying the feed stream to a reactor wherein the feed stream is incompletely combusted, and the un-combusted portion of the feed stream is heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to form a reactive product stream comprising hydrogen and reactive products comprising acetylene, ethylene, or both; 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 the acetylene rich stream 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 hydrocarbon liquids are produced; providing a second feed stream selected from the group consisting of a portion of the natural gas stream, a portion of a stream separated from the process, a portion of the methane rich stream, a portion of the methane lean stream, and combinations thereof; conveying the second feed stream to a reaction section of the reactor wherein the second feed stream is heated by intimate mixing with the un-combusted portion of the feed stream to a temperature and for a time sufficient such that reactive products comprising acetylene, ethylene, or both, are produced; and conveying the hydrocarbon liquids to storage or transport wherein the feed stream is heated and not reacted, partially reacted, or completely reacted prior to mixing with the second feed stream; and wherein the reactive products produced from the second feed stream are mixed with the reactive products produced from the feed stream to form a reactive product stream.