Gas is a clean, versatile fuel with abundant reserves around theworld, but transporting it from remote locations can be difficult andexpensive. The challenge is to find more ways of bringing thisresource to markets, and to turn it into products that customers need. The conversion of natural gas into clean liquid fuels is an attractivenew option to develop remote gas reserves. Gas to Liquids (GTL),

with virtually unlimited markets, is complementary to other traditional technologiesfor developing large gas reserves such as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and pipelines.

Shell was one of the first to take up the challenge of converting gas into products suitable for a wider range of markets, investing millions of dollars in research at its laboratories in Amsterdam since the early seventies. Shell developed technology based on the Fischer Tropschprocess invented in the 1920s to turn coal into liquids. With improvements in catalyst selectivity and process design, Shell is nowone of the leading companies in GTL technology. Shell’s proprietaryGTL process (also called the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis process)consists of three stages. In the first stage, synthesis gas, a mixture ofhydrogen and carbon monoxide is manufactured from natural gas bypartial oxidation. A second stage converts the synthesis gas into liquid hydrocarbons. In the final stage, these liquid hydrocarbons are furtherprocessed and fractionated into high quality products, including transport fuels and feedstock for the chemicals industry.

In 1993, Shell built the world’s first commercial scale low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch GTL plant at Bintulu, Malaysia. The plant is the size of a small refinery with a capacity of 14,700 bbl/day of high quality liquid products. These GTL products are colourless and odourless, virtually freeof sulphur, nitrogen and aromatics and are marketed around the world,where they contribute to reducing local air emissions in a cost effective manner.

With the experience gained through a decade of operating the Bintulu plant,Shell technologists have the confidence to scale up to a world-scale plant. In 2003, Shell announced its intention to build a 140,000 b/d GTL plant inQatar, fully integrated with the development of offshore gas from the North Field.

Shell Gas to Liquids

Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis

Airseparation

condensateand LPG

Gasconditioning

Syngasmanufacture

FischerTropschsynthesis

Hydrocracking

Naphtha

GTL Fuel

NormalParaffin

LubricantBase Oils

Core

Specialities

Shell GTL plant at Bintulu, Malaysia

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