1. Smaller scale Fischer-Tropsch enables
biomass-to-liquids
Michael Williams
Gasification Technologies Council, 28th October 2014
2. • Leader in smaller scale gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids technology
— 15 years and >$300 million invested in technology development
— Exhaustive global patent protection (>900 patents world-wide)
• Commercial roll-out underway
• Well capitalised with strong resources
— Commercial center in Houston, Texas; technical centers near Columbus,
Ohio and Oxford, UK
— Permanent pilot plant in operation
The company at the forefront of smaller scale GTL and BTL
Velocys
GTL JV
Solena GreenSky London
Red Rock
Biofuels
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3. The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process for biomass-to-
liquids (BTL)
Gasification
Velocys microchannel reactor and
super-active catalyst
Fischer
Tropsch
Syngas
carbon
monoxide
+ hydrogen
Syncrude
Synthetic
crude oil
Clean
synthetic
fuels
diesel, naphtha,
jet fuel etc.
Hydro-
processing
Biomass,
waste, coal
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4. • “Drop in” replacement for petroleum derived
fuels, lubricants and other products
• Zero (or near zero) sulfur content
— Can be used as a blend stock for ultra-low
sulfur fuels
• High cetane
— Meets military specification for aviation fuel
— FT diesel powered every 24 hour Le Mans
winner since 2006
• Lower emissions
— Lower SOx, NOx and particulates compared to
petroleum fuels
— Quieter engine operation
Velocys Fischer-Tropsch fuels
Choose from a range of high value products
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5. Mega-scale GTL and CTL projects
The historical face of Fischer-Tropsch
Conventional Fischer-Tropsch reactor
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7. Think Smaller
Plant scaled to match MSW or biomass collection logistics
Conventional FT reactor
Velocys commercial FT reactor
Nothing wasted
• Smaller scale facilities makes the most of
the resources available
Better options
• Smaller, low cost plants need less gas or
biomass to be profitable
— Enabling FT to be used for biomass
and MSW projects
— FT plants can now be sized to match
the scale of collection logistics
— A plant of 1,000 barrels per day
output (~200,000 tons of waste per
year) could be economic, depending
on local conditions, including tax
regimes
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8. Our design leverages standardization,
unlocking opportunities that were previously
uneconomic
• Our design is specific for smaller scale
plants, not just a scaled down large plant
• Our components are standardized,
reducing costs
• Our strategic partnerships allow us to
deliver at volume
Smaller scale…
Improves the economics
Reactor manufacture
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9. Our plants are modular, so they are easier to
ship and easier to install
• Velocys reactors are significantly smaller
and lighter than conventional technology
• 70% of a plant can be factory-built before
installation
• Modular components fit in standard
containers for ease of shipping
• Building is fast, we’ve reduced the risk of
delays, and plants can even be integrated
with existing facilities
Smaller scale…
Works anywhere
1,400 bpd FT process unit
designed by Ventech Engineers
90 ft L x 46 ft H x ~40 ft W
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10. Velocys unlocks more business
by working flexibly – allowing
companies to capitalize on more
opportunities
• Smaller projects means more
opportunities, accessible to
more companies
• We have strong partnerships
with key players throughout
the value chain
• Velocys can support all
aspects of project
development and execution
Smaller scale…
Works for anyone
Ashtabula GTL
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12. Commercial plant under construction
• First of its kind in North America
• Fully funded by JV between
— Waste Management (Fortune 500)
— NRG Energy (Fortune 500)
— Ventech Engineers
— Velocys
• Construction underway
— Permits received
— Major contracts signed
— Mechanical completion end of 2015
— Full operation Q1-Q2 2016
Oklahoma City, USA
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13. • Velocys selected by Solena Fuels as FT
supplier for commercial 2,500 bpd waste-
biomass-to-liquids plant
• GreenSky London plant in partnership with
British Airways
• Competitive selection process after
technology evaluation advised by Fluor
• BA to provide off-take for jet fuel
• Pre-Front End Engineering completed
• Site selection announced April 2014
— Site of former Coryton oil refinery in
Thurrock, Essex, UK
Picture courtesy of British Airways
GreenSky London
Renewable jet fuel in London
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14. • Velocys selected for 1,100 bpd
biomass-to-liquids (BTL) plant
— Located in Oregon, USA
— Using forestry waste feedstock
• Supported by US Department of Defense
and US Department of Energy
— Received $4.1m phase 1 grant for
engineering in July 2013
— FEED study complete
— Received a $70m construction grant in
September 2014
• Targeting final investment decision H1 2015
• Southwest Airlines to offtake 3 million gal/yr
of aviation fuel from the plant
Red Rock Biofuels
US DoD sponsored BTL
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15. Supply chain
• Commercial FT reactor manufactured
— Optimized final design for manufacture
at volume
• Catalyst service partner Mourik trained
and certified
— Catalyst loaded in May 2013
— Declared as “fit for commercial
application”
• Reactor approved as fit for deployment
by independent third party
• Manufacturing ramping up for mass
production
Ready for commercial deployment
Commercial reactor
Catalyst loading
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16. Summary
• Fischer-Tropsch process now economic at smaller scales
• Converts low value input into high value liquid fuels & specialties
• Velocys technology is ideally suited to BTL applications as well
as GTL
— Can be built economically at the appropriate scale
— Meets the technical demands
• Velocys technology field demonstrated in a BTL environment
• Selected for two commercial BTL projects
— As well as two commercial GTL projects
• Construction of first commercial plant has begun
• Supply chain ready for commercial deployment
Smaller scale BTL using FT is now a reality
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17. Michael Williams
VP, Strategy & Marketing
michael.williams@velocys.com
Houston office
+1 713 275 5840
www.velocys.com
Thank you
®
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20. High performance reactor architecture
Microchannels intensify chemical processes
Velocys FT reactorConventional FT reactor
Microchannel
Enhanced
mass and
heat
transfer
~ 10-30 mm
~ 0.1-
10 mm
Shell-and-tube
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21. • Principles of design and operation
— Particulate catalyst in small channels
— High catalyst volume fraction
— Syngas downflow, products exit bottom
— Coolant water / steam generation
— Heat removal by steam generation
• Strengths
— High per pass conversion (74-75%)
— Isothermal behavior – thermally stable
— Robust to upsets
— Strong economy of mass manufacturing
— Accommodates high activity catalysts
— Installed spares relatively cheap
— High on-stream factor
— Tail gas recycle only to achieve high conversion
— Extremely high volumetric productivity
— Ease of modularization
Compact, robust, efficient and economic
Velocys microchannel technology
Commercial FT reactor
FT reactor core
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22. Pilot plant and training facility
• Integrated GTL pilot plant at the Velocys
Ohio, USA site
• Designed to provide
— Performance data to support differing
client designs
— Product for client studies
— Permanent training facility for plant
operators
• Platform for
— Developing our own field support staff
— Demonstrating future product
generations
Supporting sales and delivery
Add pilot plant photo
Pilot plant
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23. BTL field demonstration - Güssing accomplishments
• FT technology demonstrated in Güssing, Austria
• Demonstration conducted 2010 -2011 on gasified wood
• Demonstrated that the high performance FT helps overcome
some challenges of BTL
— High conversion of expensive
syngas
— Robust to gasifier upsets
– 193 syngas interrupts, 32 upsets and 36 shutdowns
• Steady performance
— Excellent temperature control
— Robust to changes in H2/CO ratio
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