ARBOK-CHAIN

Overview

ARBOK-CHAIN converts associated petroleum gas (APG) — normally flared — into marketable chemicals and materials, without combustion or synthesis-gas formation. It treats heterogeneous, low-pressure, variable APG as chemical feedstock rather than fuel, in a three-stage modular system that progressively reduces compositional complexity and extracts value: chloroalkanes, high-octane alkylate, technical carbon, low-carbon hydrogen, and acetylene. The value uplift comes from market-class transition (waste gas → industrial chemicals), not energy efficiency.

Applications

Primary use cases: elimination of routine flaring at oilfields; valorization of APG where pipeline/GTL/power routes fail (variability, scale, infrastructure).

Outputs/uses: ARBOK-CHLOR (chloroalkanes → PVC, silicones, solvents); ARBOK-ALKYLATE (high-octane gasoline blending); ARBOK-CARBON (carbon black → tires, polymers, coatings, electrodes); ARBOK-HYDROGEN (refining, ammonia, energy); ARBOK-ACETYLENE.

Industries and users: upstream operators, refineries, flaring-reduction and ESG programs.

Scale: modular cluster units deployed near oilfields.

Operating Principle

Three modular stages progressively reduce the feedstock's compositional complexity and extract value: (1) a chemical conversion stage that transforms light hydrocarbons into condensable intermediates (chloroalkanes); (2) an upgrading stage that converts the remaining hydrocarbon fragments into branched liquid hydrocarbons (alkylate); (3) a non-combustion carbon-processing stage that treats the methane-rich stream — no CO₂ as primary product — fully separating carbon and hydrogen (plus acetylene). No combustion, no synthesis gas at any stage.

Limitations: reactive process chemistry handling; APG composition variability; integration with field operations.

Key Parameters

Feedstock (APG): methane 60–90 %, C₂–C₅ 5–35 %, impurities CO₂/N₂/H₂S/H₂O; low, declining pressure; variable flow.

Products & prices: chloroalkanes (dichloroethane, chloromethane) $90–600/t; alkylate (branched C₇–C₁₂) $700–900/t; carbon black ~$1 030–1 740/t (global avg $1 200–1 500/t); low-carbon hydrogen $1.2–3.0/kg (methane-pyrolysis benchmark $1.5–2.5/kg); acetylene.

Architecture and Components

Stage-1 conversion reactor; Stage-2 upgrading reactor; Stage-3 carbon-processing reactor; product separation/collection (chloroalkanes, alkylate, carbon, H₂, acetylene); control system. Modular cluster near the field.

Advantages

Technical: composition-tolerant; modular; multi-product; non-combustion, no syngas.

Economic: flaring $0 → fuel-gas equivalent ~$200–250/t APG → ARBOK-CHAIN gross ~$700–1 000/t APG (market-class transition).

Environmental: eliminates routine flaring; reduces CO₂ and methane; turns waste gas into materials.

Strategic: ESG/carbon compliance; reduces dependence on gas-infrastructure expansion; strategic resource recovery.

Integrations

Cluster deployment near oilfields; refinery integration; flaring-reduction programs; products into PVC/petrochemical, fuel, carbon-black, and hydrogen supply chains.

Deployment & Operation

Steps: APG characterization → modular unit sizing → cluster install near field → commissioning. Modular industrial units; no flaring dependency; suitable for upstream and refinery integration.

TRL

TRL 5 (confirmed by Michael). Architecture and chemical compatibility validated in relevant environment; system integration ongoing. Remaining: integrated pilot and field demonstration.

Market Potential

Routine flaring wastes vast APG volumes globally under tightening ESG/carbon and anti-flaring rules. A composition-tolerant, modular, multi-product valorization that needs no pipeline/GTL capital fits stranded-gas and flaring-reduction markets.

Typical Project Economics

Value uplift per tonne APG: flaring $0 → fuel-gas equivalent ~$200–250 → ARBOK-CHAIN gross ~$700–1 000. Revenue stacked across chloroalkanes, alkylate, carbon black, hydrogen, and acetylene. CAPEX modular per cluster; (per-field economics by APG composition and product mix).

Risk Factors

Reactive process chemistry handling and permitting; APG variability; product offtake/qualification (carbon black, chloroalkanes); integration with field operations; scale-up from validated architecture.

Related Technologies

ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking) · ARBOK-SULPHUR · ARBOK-Halogens · CARBO-HYDROGEN GENERATION (CHG)