Chevron's gas conversion catalysis-hybrid catalysts for wax-free Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

•We describe a bifunctional, integral FTS catalyst that provides a wax-free product.•Liquid product is >50% jet-diesel range hydrocarbon and blendable with crude oil.•The process is run at standard commercial conditions and productivity.•The acidic component is critical to the performance of the catalyst.•Our wax-free process is safer and of lower cost compared to existing FT technology.

Syngas conversion offers a potential alternative to flaring or reinjection for monetization of associated gas. However, certain deployment applications disfavor the hydroprocessing infrastructure required to upgrade the linear paraffin wax product for blending or transport. We describe here Chevron's Gas Conversion Catalysis (GCC™) technology, a commercially viable hybrid syngas conversion catalyst comprising both a Fischer–Tropsch active metal and a zeolite component that truncates the Anderson–Schultz–Flory (ASF) distribution to provide a liquid hydrocarbon product without the need for downstream hydroprocessing at high pressure. This paper will focus on catalyst and process development including a discussion on the effect of zeolite properties on product specifications.

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