Article

2011-09-27 Economy

South African Firm to Build Gas-to-Diesel Plant in Louisiana

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Posted by Bobby 2011-09-27 08:53|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 The importance of being Ernest.

Posted by gr(o)mgoru 2011-09-27 11:08|| 2011-09-27 11:08|| Front Page Top

#2 This is a product of both a lot of R&D and hard work by Sasol and a lot of hard work by people who spent the last twenty years working on natural gas wells...

It's gonna be described as another "overnight success" and then thrown away.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-09-27 11:11|| 2011-09-27 11:11|| Front Page Top

#3 "The plant would make use of the current US natural gas glut brought about by the burgeoning shale gas sector to produce low-cost, virtually sulphur-free fuel which can be used directly in diesel engines without any modifications. The greenhouse gas profile of such fuels is also thought to be less damaging than that of conventional diesel."

Posted by Anonymoose 2011-09-27 11:27|| 2011-09-27 11:27|| Front Page Top

#4 To hell with greenhouse gas profiles. It's nice to have a few more construction jobs for a few years. The un-reported bottom line is this:
In 2010 USA imported 11,800 thousand barrels/day of crude/refined petro products, exporting 2.3 MMbd, net imports = 9,400 thousand barrels/day. This GTL project when completed (read all the way down the article) will produce 96 thousand barrels/day, which equals 1% of imports. A tiny step forward, but at least it is a step.
Using thorium nuclear reactors to cook coal into liquid fuels could be a huge step forward, and slowly-slowly the research is being done.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-09-27 12:02|| 2011-09-27 12:02|| Front Page Top

#5 I included that sentence about "green" to show that it might, *might* be a little less offensive to the Luddites in the administration right now.

Otherwise, here is a good article about the NG processing market.

Posted by Anonymoose 2011-09-27 12:08|| 2011-09-27 12:08|| Front Page Top

#6 HR 1380 natural gas act. In congress now. It could provide heating, fuel for all gas powered cars and diesel engines. I'm surprised they didn't show the transmission lines north to south on the east coast(Duke Energy). The Gulf and Marcellus shale are huge. They are going after a four foot seam miles long down about 2000 feet as I recall. They don't talk about the other seam eight feet thick but beyond current technology to work. The next cash for clunkers they say will be an offer to purchase or convert transportation. Something like $6000.-$17000. Big money is moving in that direction.They say it will be like the introduction of the automobile. Forget windmills and solar too heavily subsidized. No matter what we do somebody will fight it. They are fighting a transmission line now that they say could employ
350000. Being fought now so the Canadians simultaneous plan is a line to their west coast for shipping to China.

Posted by Dale 2011-09-27 13:17|| 2011-09-27 13:17|| Front Page Top

#7 IIRC, GTL uses at least 30% of the feedstock for heat, so it would be especially good if the waste heat was captured.

Dollars to donuts that the O admin will kill this one way or another. They do not want us to be energy independent. There is the real hurdle. SASOL hs some real experience in GTL and Fischer-Tropsch.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2011-09-27 20:37|| 2011-09-27 20:37|| Front Page Top