Comparison between Several GTL Production Processes in Iran

There are several ways in order to transport natural gas. The most common way, transmission by pipeline, is economical when gas resources and market are close to each other. Considering that Iran’sgas resources are located far from foreign consumption markets, other alternatives such as LNG or GTLcan be used. The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market has slow growth due to the high transportation costs and operational problems, so there is a hard competition between LNG producers. The other alternative, GTL, is a clean fuel with high environmental standards which has raised the interest of many investigators in the past few years. Nowadays, processes such as SSPD, SMDS, AGC-21, etc. are used to convert natural gas into products with higher added value worldwide. Iran, as the second possessor of gas resources, can make much more profit from its huge gas resources by GTL technology without facing political stresses and challenges for gas pipelines or limited LNG markets. It is clear that GTLtechnology has a perfect role in the economical future of Iran and other countries with gas resources. In this research, different GTL processes are studied in technical, economical and product quality aspects. Finally, the most appropriate economical and operational process for Iran is proposed.