Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: PeterPolyol
So we've all been using GTL based oils for decades and haven't known it? Suddenly 'GTL' doesn't mean nearly as much as I thought it did prior. Well thanks, at least I know now
Yeah, kind of loses its shine eh? Shell uses FT and I think Pearl is the largest plant designed to produce base oils using that process. Mobil has a number of GTL plants IIRC, it's just that none of them produce base oils but rather other stuff, I believe mostly fuels? Their Qatar plant that was supposed to produce base oils and rival Pearl was eventually cancelled due to cost overruns.
I mean, the product of F-T synthesis is fantastic but now I think calling base oils GTL based only on the fact that whatever raw feedstock (from coal to petroleum to wood to cattle carcass) can wind up being called GTL product, just because of the inherent syngas step on the F-T train. Like I'm just wondering now why does the catalyst feedstock physical state even matter enough to make a distinction on the final product, now? Just to remind us how awesome catalysts are?
At least "F-T" identifies the actual process responsible for the high quality output. All this time I was mistakenly under the impression that GTL referred to F-T synthesis (or other valid process) in which the raw feedstock was originally a gas, from source to catalyst, see THAT would be worth mentioning GTL for IMO. Rather any organic matter feedstock of
any physical state being used to produce syngas in the F-T process. Indirect liquefaction of coal involves a syngas step and the products, according to this new perspective, can technically be classified as GTL. Now what am I supposed to call actual GTL F-T oils of actual physical gas genesis?!
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Shell bet the farm on Pearl and spent a small fortune on it. I do believe it is the largest GTL plant designed to produced lubricant base stocks in existence. I'm not surprised they are advertising the heck out of it, they have an absolutely obscene amount of money tied up in it and it needs to make product that sells to hopefully recoup that.
Yeah they did, but last I heard (years ago) they weren't struggling too badly what with the methane glut and all. Accoridng to older articles (when the industry was swooning over NG GTL) they tailored their catalysts for shorter chain range of products which is mostly used for "gasoil" aka GTL-FT jet fuel, the same way Exxon is. That's where the sustainability bucks is, with lubricant base oils being low priority at Pearl, but I haven't checked recently what their output is like now.
