Research guidance studies to assess gasoline from coal by methanol-to-gasoline and sasol-type Fischer--Tropsch technologies. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6348367· OSTI ID:6348367

Schreiner, M

This study provides a technical and economic comparison between the new Mobil methanol-to-gasoline technology under development and the commercially available Fischer--Tropsch technology for the production of motor gasoline meeting U.S. quality standards. Conceptual plant complexes, sited in Wyoming, are complete grass-roots facilities. The Lurgi dry-ash, pressure technology is used to gasify sub-bituminous strip coal. Except for the Mobil process, processes used are commercially available. Coproduction of products, namely SNG, LPG and gasoline, is practiced. Four sensitivity cases have also been developed in less detail from the two base cases. In all areas, the Mobil technology is superior to Fischer--Tropsch: process complexity, energy usage, thermal efficiency, gasoline selectivity, gasoline quality, investment and gasoline selectivity, gasoline quality, investment and gasoline cost. Principal advantages of the Mobil process are its selective yield of excellent quality gasoline with minimum ancillary processing. Fischer--Tropsch not only yields a spectrum of products, but the production of a gasoline meeting U.S. specifications is difficult and complex. This superiority results in about a 25% reduction in the gasoline cost. Sensitivity study conclusions include: (1) the conversion of methanol into gasoline over the Mobil catalyst is highly efficient, (2) if SNG is a valuable product, increased gasoline yield via the reforming of SNG is uneconomical, and (3) fluid-bed operation is somewhat superior to fixed-bed operation for the Mobil methanol conversion technology.

• Research Organization: Mobil Research and Development Corp., Princeton, NJ (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EF-77-C-01-2447
• OSTI ID: 6348367
• Report Number(s): FE-2447-13
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
CATALYSTS
SPECIFICITY
FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
MOBIL M-GASOLINE PROCESS
COAL GASIFICATION
ECONOMICS
FLOWSHEETS
FLUIDIZED BED
GASOLINE
HIGH BTU GAS
LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GASES
LURGI PROCESS
METHANOL
SASOL PROCESS
SENSITIVITY
THERMAL EFFICIENCY
ALCOHOLS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL LIQUEFACTION
DIAGRAMS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GASIFICATION
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LIQUEFACTION
NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
010405* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
010404 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Gasification
090121 - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Chemical Synthesis- (1976-1989)