A new system developed by an Aberdeen company for accessing shale gas has taken a step closer to fruition.
Technology firm Gas2 hopes its new gas-to-liquid reactor, which it has been testing over the summer, will open up a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way of reaching remote or unconventional reserves.
The system turns gases into liquid fuel, which would make recovering smaller discoveries more viable. It could also be used in the booming shale gas industry in the USA.
Testing work has been carried out at the £5million pilot plant in Teeside, where the company says it achieved the conversion of methane to synthesis gas – a mix of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
“We are very pleased with the test results which prove the commercial potential of the syngas reactor,” said Gas2 managing director Mike Fleming.
“They further increase our confidence that we are developing a technology which will offer significant economic and environmental advantages and higher conversion rates than existing modular GTL systems.
“This brings us a major step closer to market.”
The testing programme comes after two fundraising rounds over the last year, with the company securing more than £8million from investors including Robert Gordon University.