Showa Shell Beginning Sales of Gas-to-Liquids Kerosene for Heaters in Japan
30 October 2006
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| Shell’s MDS F-T process for GTL. Click to enlarge. |
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. (Showa Shell) is beginning the sales of Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) kerosene for heaters through 15 gasoline stations in Kanagawa prefecture and a part of Gunma prefecture.
Showa Shell imports the GTL kerosene from the Shell Group GTL plant in Bintulu, Malaysia, which uses Shell’s Middle Distillate Synthesis (MDS) process (a modern version of the Fischer-Tropsch process) to produce a range of products from natural gas. Shell will begin imports of GTL products from its Pearl (Qatar) plant in 2010.
Shell MDS uses a three-stage process:
- Partial oxidation of natural gas with pure oxygen in the Shell Gasification Process (SGP) to produce syngas;
- Conversion of syngas into liquid hydrocarbons (Heavy Paraffin Synthesis—HPS); and
- Fractionation of the waxy syncrude into high-quality products, a part of which is converted into middle distillates—including kerosene—by means of the Heavy Paraffin Conversion (HPC) process.
Resources:
_Many Japanese do not have central heating and cooling for their apartments/condos. Instead, they have ACs and space heaters, often with components outside and inside the building. Kerosene space heaters (which are common), for example, may have an exterior box, with the air inlet, burner, and exhaust units. The burner heats a liquid, and it is circulated inside to heat the home. There are variations to this.
_AC units often have a separate radiator outside, with insulated lines snaking inside to another unit. This one will have much of the rest of what you would find in a conventional windowsill AC unit.
_GTL kerosene may make for cleaner air wintertime in Japanese metro areas, especially Tokyo.
Posted by: allen_Z | 30 October 2006 at 11:31 AM
For a smaller country like Japan, natural gas can be supplied through pipelines in gaseous form and that may be more efficient than selling Kerosens in cans.
Even better may be the centralized heating from Power plants. I guess countries like France & Russia has this system.
Posted by: Max Reid | 30 October 2006 at 11:37 AM
Max Reid
There is the problem of earthquakes (that induce soil liquification) in Japan. Their cities are also often built on river plains.
Posted by: allen_Z | 30 October 2006 at 12:57 PM
Japan is at least 6000km away from Bintulu. And FYI, Bintulu is actually a province of Sarawak, Malaysia and Sarawak is part of Broneo, which is considered pretty isolated and is surrounded by rain forest. Constructing pressurised pipelines will induce heavy cost, and might induce damage to the local eco system as well. GTL technology make this isolated natural gas useful by converting the gas into liquid fuel and transport it via super tanker.
Posted by: rexis | 30 October 2006 at 04:50 PM
IIRC, Bintulu GTL plant is currently the world largest GTL plant. And the one under construction in Qatar will be the largest GTL plant upon completion.
Posted by: rexis | 30 October 2006 at 04:55 PM
Heat pump heating appliance, which in effect is an air conditioner working in reverse, heats the house with about 400% efficiency. That means for every kW electricity spent it heats the house like 4 kW of kerosene burner or conventional electrical heater.
Posted by: Andrey | 31 October 2006 at 12:08 AM
Yes Andrey,
Until you factor in that you had to burn 6 kW worth of kerosene equivalent to generate 1 kW of electricity.
Posted by: An Engineer | 31 October 2006 at 04:54 PM
An Engineer:
It is closer to 3 kW than 6. Electricity also is generated from way cheaper fuels than kerosene, and also from nuclear/hydro.
Here in Vancouver, where 100% of quite cheap electricity comes from hydro, the economy for newly built industrial/commercial buildings is as follows: if there is NG supply line, NG is used. If there is not, in most cases it is cheaper to install heat pump. For individual houses heat pumps with geoexchange loop gains popularity quite fast.
Posted by: Andrey | 31 October 2006 at 10:43 PM