Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a valuable resource for energy and industry. Power plants often burn methane to generate electricity and heat. However, easily accessible reserves are nearly depleted, prompting extraction from remote areas. Not all natural gas is suitable for transportation to urban infrastructure and is frequently flared on site, causing economic losses and dual environmental damage from carbon dioxide emissions and unburned methane, which has an 80 times higher greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. Existing compact methane-to-synthesis gas units have low efficiency (conversion rates typically no more than 60–75%) and high costs. In response, scientists from Perm Polytechnic University have proposed a solution — developing a computer model to calculate device parameters, achieving a 90% methane processing rate and creating cost-effective integrated energy complexes for remote areas.
Large, easily accessible natural gas fields discovered decades ago are gradually depleting and can no longer meet the world's growing energy demand. Mining companies are forced to develop new regions such as the Arctic continental shelf, deep-sea areas, remote regions of Siberia, and the Far East, where the main untapped natural gas reserves are concentrated. Natural gas consists mainly of methane (70–98%) and is a valuable fuel for power plants, factories, and transportation. However, not all produced natural gas can be delivered to consumers. Natural gas contains impurities that require purification. Building large purification systems and gas pipelines at remote wellheads is extremely costly, resulting in up to 30% of valuable resources being flared on site.
Evgeny Moshev, Head of the Department of Chemical Production Equipment and Automation at Perm Polytechnic University and Doctor of Technical Sciences, explained that this problem can be solved by manufacturing compact, small-tonnage units that can be placed near the well. The core component is a chemical reactor where methane is mixed with steam under high pressure and temperature, and the reaction is accelerated by a catalyst to produce synthesis gas that can be used for power generation or converted into liquid fuels. However, there are only a few hundred such small-scale units worldwide. Due to their small size, the processing capacity is limited, and the methane conversion rate is usually only 60–75%. Improving efficiency to reduce resource consumption and carbon dioxide emissions is a key task facing experts.
Increasing reactor length and catalyst loading can improve processing efficiency, but there are serious drawbacks: the reaction requires continuous heating, longer reactors lead to uneven temperature distribution, catalyst deactivation occurs at the outlet, and the unit becomes unstable. To solve this problem, scientists from Perm Polytechnic University have created a precise computer model that shows changes in gas temperature and composition along the pipeline, allowing calculation of the optimal reactor length.
Ilya Slobodyanyuk, Head of the Teaching Laboratory of the Department of Chemical Production Equipment and Automation at Perm Polytechnic University, commented that the calculations considered the minimum temperature required for the methane reaction without excessive energy consumption, as well as the gas volume allowed by a compact reactor. The model shows that at 750°C and a gas flow rate of 0.01kg/s, a reactor length of 1.2 meters is sufficient. Increasing the length would raise capital and operating costs without significantly improving efficiency.
The development achievements of Perm Polytechnic University scientists address a key problem in the energy and environmental fields regarding associated gas utilization. Currently, associated gas is flared in large quantities at remote oil fields. This computer model can create compact and economical methane processing units with efficiency up to 90%, bringing practical benefits to mining companies operating in hard-to-reach areas, helping to reduce harmful emissions and improve resource efficiency in the natural gas production industry.
