SBIR Phase I: Internal Combustion Engines as Small Scale Chemical Plants for Compact, Low Cost Gas to Liquids to Reduce Flaring

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is the elimination of flaring from oil and gas production. Globally, there were an estimated 150 billion cubic meters (5.3 trillion cubic feet) of flared produced gases in 2016 and around 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet) in the U.S. At $2 per thousand cubic feet (MCF) (wellhead natural gas price), the value of flared gases is equivalent to $10.6 B per year globally and $706 M in the U.S. Gases are flared because processes converting them to liquids for transportation (GTL) are expensive and are difficult to execute at a smaller scale. Replacing customized process equipment with mass-produced engines enables significant cost and size reductions. An 8-liter diesel engine that costs ~$10,000 can convert 400 thousand standard cubic feet (MSCF)/day of gas to liquids, rather than a large-scale GTL plant costing ~$15,000/MSCF/day. This project will develop a novel, ultra-compact and low-cost gas to liquids mini-plant. The plant will process methane, ethane and propane near the wellhead (which currently would be flared and wasted) into methanol, a high value chemical that can be transported to market. If converted to methanol at a value of $432/ton, these otherwise flared gas volumes would be valued at $2 B/year for the US market and nearly $30 B/year globally. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to use modified automotive internal combustion engines as small scale chemical reactors and compressors. The necessary pressure and temperature for the reaction is created in-cylinder by piston compression action and partial combustion. This project will develop a staged system of engines: The first converts methane, ethane and propane into carbon monoxide and hydrogen; subsequently, produced gases will be processed in a second engine compressing them and converting them into methanol. This will be accomplished with a high surface area metal foam impregnated with a catalyst placed inside the piston bowl of the second engine. Phase I of the project will: 1) demonstrate a proof-of-concept engine that can synthesize methanol from carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and 2) conduct the systems engineering studies describing integration of the engine reactor into a compact GTL plant to be placed near the wellhead. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.