Gas to Liquids Research and Development
Gas-to-liquids fuel production is in a relatively advanced stage of development, with commercial production already ongoing. Research and development are improving the efficiency and economics of production as well as quantifying the costs and benefits of production and use in vehicles.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory evaluated trucks fueled with natural gas-derived Fischer-Tropsch diesel. See Yosemite Waters Vehicle Evaluation Report (PDF 2.9 MB). Download Adobe Reader.
Established gas-to-liquids companies such as Sasol and Shell continue to develop their processes. Since the late 1990s, nearly every major oil company announced plans to investigate producing diesel through a gas-to-liquids process.
Smaller companies such as Syntroleum are looking to establish commercial-scale gas-to-liquids diesel production. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has supported Syntroleum's work as well as other gas-to-liquids production research and development.
DOE supports research and development on natural gas-derived Fischer-Tropsch diesel use in vehicles through its Vehicle Technologies Program. This includes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's work on non-petroleum-based fuel use in vehicles.
For additional gas-to-liquids research and development news, see the Green Car Congress Gas-to-Liquids page.