Systems and methods for manufacture of dimethyl ether (DME) from natural gas and flare gas feedstock

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United States of America Patent

PATENT NO 9856197
SERIAL NO

15447050

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Abstract

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Disclosed is a method that reforms flare gas or other raw natural gas source, using air without steam, to directly produce dimethyl ether (DME), a direct diesel substitute. The method first reforms an air-natural gas mixture at ambient atmospheric pressures, and then compresses the resulting CO-hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixture to 100-2,000 psi, and feeds it through a combined reactor which reacts the gas mixture directly into DME. The nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere. DME is an excellent diesel fuel, and can be used to displace significantly costlier and dirtier petroleum-based diesel fuel, while solving a critical problem with flaring or other wasted natural gas. For example, the roughly 120 billion cubic feet per year that was flared in North Dakota in 2014 could be converted into over 3 million tons of DME using the disclosed method.

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddress
PIONEER ENERGY INC11111 WEST 8TH AVENUE UNIT A LAKEWOOD CO 80215

International Classification(s)

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Apke, Colin Castle Rock, US 4 50
Berggren, Mark Golden, US 28 122
Henshaw, Thomas L Monument, US 10 89
Kortan, Adam M Arvada, US 6 78
Nizamov, Boris Highlands Ranch, US 8 69
Siebarth, James Lakewood, US 5 67
Zubrin, Robert M Golden, US 45 1294

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