Sustained high oil prices, concern about global climate change, and the drive for energy security are intensifying the search for alternative fuels. First generation biofuels, including corn ethanol and biodiesel, are prevalent today; however, these are seen as only an interim solution due to their use of food crops for raw material. Next generation biofuels, ones that use non-food biomass, are a more sustainable choice. These include biomass-to-liquids (BTL) via gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This process produces a high quality, energy dense fuel from a wide variety of resources, including waste wood, energy crops and municipal solid waste.

The synthetic diesel produced from a Fischer-Tropsch based facility is a superior fuel that can be used as a one-to-one replacement for petroleum-derived diesel or jet fuel. In fact, the very high Cetane Number and low sulfur content of synthetic fuels actually improve engine performance for many applications.

The concept of producing synthetic fuels in compact units hinges on the ability to cost effectively scale-down reaction hardware while maintaining sufficient capacity. By greatly reducing the size and cost of chemical processing hardware, systems based on microchannel process technology hold the potential to do just this. Reactors using this technology are characterized by parallel arrays of microchannels, with typical dimensions in the 0.01 to 0.2 inch range. Processes are intensified by reducing heat and mass transfer distances, thus decreasing resistance between process fluids and channel walls. Overall system volumes are typically reduced 10- to 100-fold or more compared with conventional hardware.

This presentation will discuss a rapidly deployable microchannel-based synthetic fuels process, under development at Velocys Incorporated of Plain City, Ohio. The presentation will cover technical development, environmental impacts and the use of synthetic fuels in automobiles and commercial vehicles.