Almost 60 percent of roughly 141 trillion cubic meters (5,000 trillion cubic feet) of proven natural gas reserves in the world can be categorized as remote or stranded gas. This massive global resource is largely untapped, and conventional means of development face major logistical and economic barriers. LNG technology provides one method for transporting the stranded gas to market, but the capital intensive infrastructure requirement can be cost prohibitive. Emerging technologies in gas-to-liquids (fuels and chemicals) may play a significant role in monetizing these resources, particularly when competing with products made from crude oil at the relatively high current prices. Gas derived liquids are free from sulfur, aromatics and metals and could assist refineries in meeting the new guidelines for cleaner fuels. Recent process improvements in methane reforming technologies, fuel grade methanol production (mega-scale plants), developments in improved Fischer-Tropsch processes for conversion of gas to liquids, and the production of olefins from methanol are some of the more important areas of research and development that are expected to increasingly spur future use of stranded gas, as shown in Figure 1. A new Nexant, Inc./ChemSystems' study on remote gas reserves "Stranded Gas Utilization: Methane Refineries of the Future", provides an in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of the various end uses, manufacturing processes, and economics for converting large, remote natural gas reserves to viable products. The study analyzes the current and emerging state-of-the-art technologies for
converting stranded natural gas to the following products: FUEL OR SUBSTITUTES
- LNG
- Gasoline from Methanol (MTG)
- Diesel: Dimethyl ether (DME) as a substitute
- Middle distillates: via Fischer-Tropsch processes
CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
- Light olefins (MTO) and derivatives
FERTILIZERS
POWER For each process (described in more detail in Section II, Scope) Nexant, Inc./Chem Systems has provided a detailed technical and commercial evaluation. A key part of the study is the examination of the relationship between plant size and remote gas price which is needed to make the processes viable at different crude oil price levels. | 
