The New Improved Syntroleum!!!
Everyone should read SYNM's latest paper......."The Case for Synthetic Fuels: Enabling Technology for Advanced Engines".......it's at.....
syntroleum.com
It seems they've gotten tired of being thanked by "other GTLers" for promoting F-T diesel. In this paper, SYNM goes to great pains to differentiate cobalt catalyst F-T diesel fuel from iron catalyst F-T diesel fuel by identifying aromatics and olefins as culprits in iron catalyst F-T diesel.
Just so there'd be no confusion about who they're jabbing at, they go to the trouble of lumping themselves with Exxon, Shell and even Sasol as cobalt-based GTL process companies that make synthetic fuels that are roughly similar.
Iron catalyst F-T diesel fuels ARE more olefinic. But it's a piece of cake to hydrogenate their olefins into paraffins, making them just as attractive as cobalt catalyst F-T diesel fuels. So iron catalyst GTL, with conventional hydrogenation, can make great F-T diesel fuel from ALL carbonaceous feedstocks while cobalt catalyst F-T is effectively limited to using natural gas feedstocks.
As an interesting sidelight, testing by third parties of RNTK's UNhydrogenated diesel fuel has indicated that, due to the purity of the fuel and the specific olefins and oxygenates it contains, it may be a superior diesel fuel.
But back to SYNM's paper. Iron catalyst F-T diesel fuels CAN contain aromatics. Sasol has shown that if they run their Synthol reactors at high enough temperatures and pressures, they CAN get up to maybe 3% aromatics. SYNM seized on that to make allegations about iron catalyst F-T diesel in general containing aromatics. FWIW, RNTK's iron-catalyst F-T diesel has been tested and shown to be aromatic free.
So, with easy hydrogenation, iron catalyst F-T diesel can be just as hydrogen rich as Syntroleum S-2 and meet all five of SYNM's "Criteria for 21st Century Fuels" just as easily as cobalt catalyst F-T diesel.
Perhaps SYNM should focus less on their competition's alleged shortcomings and more on getting a plan in place to produce S-2.
One of SYNM's five criteria for 21st century fuels is....."It must be available in quantities sufficient to meet demand".
To the best of my knowledge, neither SYNM nor any of its partners or licensees has announced any plans, nor even an advanced feasibility study, for a Syntroleum Process GTL plant to actually produce Syntroleum S-2 diesel fuel.
This new approach by SYNM reminds me more than vaguely of a Yugo pitchman at an auto show telling someone they're a better value than Honda.
We shall see. Best wishes to all. |
