Liquid hydrocarbon fuel from methane assisted by spontaneously generated voltage

Abstract

A methane-containing gas such as natural gas is converted to a clean-burning hydrocarbon liquid fuel in a process wherein the gas is fed to a reaction vessel to contact a metallic catalyst grid that is formed from windings of a transition metal supported on an iron frame immersed in a liquid petroleum fraction, in such a manner that a voltage is generated in the grid between the windings and the frame. Product gas in the vapor phase is drawn from the head space above the liquid level and condensed to form the product fuel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A liquid fuel prepared by a process comprising:
 (a) passing a gas containing at least about 70% methane by volume through a metallic catalyst grid immersed in a liquid petroleum fraction in a reaction vessel, with said liquid petroleum fraction at a temperature of about 80° C. or above but below the boiling temperature of said liquid petroleum fraction, said metallic catalyst comprising windings of a transition metal supported on an iron frame, to produce a fluctuating electric potential between said windings and said frame;   (b) collecting a gaseous effluent from said reaction vessel; and   (c) condensing said gaseous effluent to said liquid fuel.   
     
     
         2 . The liquid fuel of  claim 1  wherein said gas is natural gas and said liquid petroleum fraction is diesel oil. 
     
     
         3 . The liquid fuel of  claim 1  wherein said windings are made of a plurality of members selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel and tungsten. 
     
     
         4 . The liquid fuel of  claim 1  wherein said windings are comprised of cobalt, nickel and tungsten, and said catalyst further comprises windings of aluminum metal. 
     
     
         5 . The liquid fuel of  claim 1  wherein said fluctuating electric potential has an time-averaged voltage of at least about 100 mV, a maximum voltage of at least about 1,000 mV, and a frequency of at least about 50 sec −1 . 
     
     
         6 . The liquid fuel of  claim 1  wherein said gas is natural gas, said liquid petroleum fraction is diesel oil, said catalyst is comprised of windings of cobalt, nickel, tungsten, and aluminum, and said fluctuating electric potential has an time-averaged voltage of from about 300 mV to about 3V, and a frequency of from about 30 Hz to about 300 Hz.