Industry perspective

S. Kresnyak, Expander Energy, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and R. Schuetzle and D. Schuetzle, Greyrock Energy, Sacramento, California NGL production is growing fast. According to RBN Energy, NGL production from natural gas processing increased in the US from 1.7 MMbpd in 2009 to almost 3 MMbpd in 2014, and is expected to continue growing to 4.5 MMbpd by 2019. NGL production far exceeds demand, and the gap is growing. GTL refers to the conversion of gas-phase hydrocarbons into liquid hydrocarbons, primarily fuels. German scientists developed the technology in the 1920s to convert natural gas into liquid fuels, although it failed to gain widespread popularity due to high capital costs and long