Patent ID: 7644587

Claim:
A process for providing peak-load electrical demand for a gas turbine driven power generating unit, said method comprising the steps of: integrating said gas turbine driven power generating unit with a hydrocarbon production facility comprising at least one Fischer-Tropsch (FT) unit; said hydrocarbon production facility further comprising a gasification unit and a gas purification unit; wherein said gasification unit reacts feedstock, oxygen and steam for producing synthesis gas comprising primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide; wherein said gas purification unit removes sulfur and other impurities from said synthesis gas, thereby forming a cleaned synthesis gas; forming liquid hydrocarbons, naphtha, and a FT tail gas comprising unconverted synthesis gas and gaseous hydrocarbons in the at least one FT unit by fueling said at least one FT unit with a percentage of the FT tail gas produced therein that is recycled directly to the at least one FT unit and a constant flow rate of a portion of said cleaned synthesis gas from said gasification unit; decreasing the rate of reaction of the at least one FT unit during times of peak power demand while maintaining said constant flow rate of said portion of said cleaned synthesis gas, thereby reducing the conversion of synthesis gas to liquid hydrocarbons and producing a synthesis gas-laden FT tail gas; and fueling the gas turbine driven power generating unit with the synthesis gas-laden FT tail gas to provide peak electrical power.