Sasol is fifty years old this year during the course of 2000. In this period Sasol has becomethe only company to have successfully based an entire fuels and chemicals business on Fischer-Tropsch technology. Sasol has commercialized several versions of the Fischer-Tropsch process. Onemodern version described as the Sasol Slurry Phase Distillate Process finds increasing application inthe conversion of remote natural gas. The paper describes the process, its development andcommercialisation. It describes the partnerships formed by Sasol to improve the commercial andeconomic viability of the process.These partnerships have led to a well integrated, leading edge technology. The technology challengesinvolved are described and the approach to overcoming many of these have been addressed. Someattention is given to the quality of the hydrocarbons produced by the SPD process and the applicationsthat these will find in a world needing increasingly better quality fuels to drive the high efficiency, lowemissions enginees required by a modern world.Finally the paper describes several of the opportunities for application of the Sasol Slurry PhaseDistillate process being pursued at present.
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