Main content | back to top
History of Shell gas to liquids technology
We have been researching how to produce liquid transport fuels from sources other than oil for over 30 years – today we use our gas to liquids (GTL) process.
- In the 1920s German chemists, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch invented a chemical synthesis process to convert gas and other feedstocks to liquids. Around 50 years later we further developed this process.
- In our GTL process natural gas and oxygen are first converted into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide called synthesis gas, or syngas. We have been using this gasification technology in refineries since the 1950s.
- During the early 1980s our research focused on converting natural gas into liquid products. By 1982 we had demonstrated heavy paraffin synthesis – converting the syngas into long-chained waxy hydrocarbon molecules – and heavy paraffin conversion – breaking down long-chained waxy hydrocarbon molecules into smaller molecules for GTL products.
- We carried out most of our research and development at our technology centre in Amsterdam. A pilot plant for larger scale tests was built in 1983 and is still used by Shell scientists today.
- In partnership with Mitsubishi, Petronas and the Sarawak state government in 1986 we decided to commercialise our GTL process at Bintulu, Malaysia.
- The world’s first commercial GTL plant started up and made its first shipment in 1993. It was designed to produce 12,500 barrels per day of high quality GTL products, such as pure waxes.
- Bintulu contained many new technologies and, as expected, it took several years to stabilise production. The heavy paraffin synthesis and conversion processes operated smoothly from the start.
- Production at Bintulu was interrupted in 1997 by an explosion in the cryogenic air separation unit, caused by high levels of air pollution from massive forest fires in South-East Asia.
- Reconstruction – including improvements – was completed in 2000 and production resumed.
- Technical improvements in 2003 raised the production capacity to 14,700 barrels per day.
- Bintulu exported its thousandth shipment of GTL product in 2004.
- We started discussions in 2002 with Qatar Petroleum around a world-scale GTL plant, Pearl GTL, using our operating experience and commercial knowledge.
- The Government of the State of Qatar approved the Pearl GTL project in 2006.
