Process for producing hydrocarbons

1. Process for the production of liquid hydrocarbons from a naphtha free hydrocarbon feedstock comprising:

(a) passing a hydrocarbon feedstock through a hydrogenation stage to form a hydrogenated feedstock;

(b) passing the naphtha free hydrogenated feedstock through a desulfurization stage to form a desulfurized feedstock;

(c) passing the desulfurized feedstock through a pre-reforming catalytic nickel stage under the addition of steam to form a pre-reformed gas;

(d) passing the pre-reformed gas through an autothermal reformer (ATR) or Catalytic Partial Oxidation unit (CPO) under the addition of an oxidant gas to form a synthesis gas;

(e) passing the synthesis gas through a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis stage to form a tail gas stream and a raw product stream of hydrocarbons;

(f) passing the raw product stream of hydrocarbons through an upgrading stage to form a final product stream of liquid hydrocarbons and a naphtha free light-end fraction stream, the naphtha free light-end fraction stream comprises a C1-C6 fraction and C6+ fraction containing paraffinic and olefinic hydrocarbons, but no naphtha, wherein said naphtha free light-end fraction stream is combined with a stream of natural gas to form the naphtha free hydrocarbon feedstock.

2. Process according to claim 1 in which the upgrading stage (f) comprises hydrocracking but no hydrotreating.

3. Process according to claim 1 in which the naphtha free light-end fraction stream is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) constituted by a C2-C6 fraction.

4. Process according to claim 1 in which the hydrogenation of step (a) is conducted under the addition of hydrogen to the naphtha free hydrocarbon feedstock.

5. Process according to claim 1 in which the pre-reforming stage is conducted adiabatically in a fixed bed said catalytic of nickel catalyst.

6. Process according to claim 1 in which the ATR or CPO stage is conducted in a fixed bed of nickel catalyst in which the active component is not solely a metal of the group consisting or Rh, Ru, Ir, Pt and mixtures thereof.

7. Process according to claim 1 in which tail gas from the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of step (e) is recycled to hydrogenation stage (a) , desulphurization stage (b), pre-reforming stage (c), reforming stage (d), or a combination thereof.

8. Process according to claim 1 in which step (d) further comprises passing the pre-reformed gas through a heat exchange reformer before the ATR or CPO, and using the hot effluent gas from the ATR or CPO as heat exchanging medium in the heat exchange reformer thereby cooling the hot effluent gas into said synthesis gas.

9. Process for the production of liquid hydrocarbons in the form of gasoline from a naphtha free hydrocarbon feedstock containing natural gas comprising:

(i) combining a naphtha free light-end fraction stream with a stream of natural gas to form the naphtha free hydrocarbon feedstock;

(ii) passing said naphtha free hydrocarbon feedstock through a hydrogenation stage to form a hydrogenated feedstock;

(iii) passing the hydrogenated feedstock through a desulfurization stage to form a desulfurized feedstock;

(iv) passing the desulfurized feedstock through a pre-reforming stage under the addition of steam to form a pre-reformed gas;

(v) passing the pre-reformed gas through an autothermal reformer (ATR), secondary reformer or Catalytic Partial Oxidation unit (CPO) under the addition of an oxidant gas to form a synthesis gas;

(vi) passing the synthesis gas through a methanol synthesis stage, dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis stage, or a combination of both, to form a raw product stream of oxygenates comprising methanol, DME or a mixture of both;

(vii) passing the raw product stream of oxygenates through a gasoline reactor to form a raw product stream of gasoline and passing said raw product stream through an upgrading stage to form a final product stream of liquid hydrocarbons comprising gasoline and a naphtha free light-end fraction stream, in which the light-end fraction stream is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) constituted by a C2-C6 fraction.

10. Process according to claim 9 in which step (v) further comprises passing the pre-reformed gas through:

a heat exchange reformer before the ATR, secondary reformer or CPO, and using the hot effluent gas from the ATR, secondary reformer or CPO as heat exchanging medium in the heat exchange reformer thereby cooling the hot effluent gas into said synthesis gas, or

a steam methane reformer (SMR) before the ATR, secondary reformer or CPO.

11. Process according to claim 9 in which the upgrading stage (vii) comprises hydrocracking but no hydrotreating.

12. Process according to claim 9 in which step (ii) is conducted under the addition of hydrogen to the hydrocarbon feedstock.