Graphic Demonstration of GTL Diesel Quality
The halfway stage of the Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge, over 6,500 kilometres, has provided the most graphic evidence so far of GTL diesel's clean fuel performance.
During a scheduled oil change in Nairobi, it became clear that, whilst the oil from the vehicles using traditional diesel had deteriorated and needed to be changed, the oil from ‘African Renaissance', the vehicle running on GTL diesel, was barely affected.
Expedition Leader Ian Myburgh said: “We're delighted. We are using a standard commercial motor oil and the implications for overall vehicle economy and reduced running costs are huge. The essential performance difference between GTL and the conventional diesel is related to the cleaner burning of the GTL diesel which leads to less soot formation in the combustion chamber. GTL diesel performs better due to its uniquely clean composition.”
Expedition Director Malcolm Wells, who was visiting the team in Nairobi, said: “We've given ourselves a new challenge and we're not going to change the oil on ‘African Renaissance' before we reach Qatar. On the basis of the evidence so far, it's still going to be the cleanest of all the vehicles despite having done double the distance. We've always told people GTL diesel is cleaner, now they can see for themselves.”
Toyota spokesman Roger Houghton said: “We've been behind the Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge since day one. From Toyota's perspective our vehicles and high quality GTL diesel are a natural partnership.”
NOTES:
BACKGROUND
THE SASOL CHEVRON GTL CHALLENGE
This is the toughest ever test for the latest and cleanest diesel fuel. The Challenge ,which aims to drive from the synthetic fuel plant at Sasolburg to the revolutionary new ORYX GTL plant in Qatar in less than 46 days, will demonstrate GTL diesel's ability to deliver higher performance with less emissions in one of the toughest motoring environments in the world. One of five vehicles supplied by Toyota will run the whole distance on GTL diesel.
ABOUT GTL DIESEL
GTL diesel dovetails neatly into tighter environmental controls and increased diesel consumption in many parts of the world. GTL diesel has a sulphur content of less than 5 parts per million and with a cetane rating of 70 plus compared to the 50/52 of standard diesel fuel, it provides superior performance and reduced emissions. The world has abundant natural gas resources, and GTL offers gas-producing countries a way to commercialize their resources whilst meeting a growing need for clean transportation fuels.
ABOUT THE ORYX GTL PLANT AND OTHER GTL PROJECTS
A joint venture between the state-owned petroleum company Qatar Petroleum (51%) and Sasol (49%), ORYX GTL in Qatar is the first low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch GTL plant outside South Africa dedicated to the production of new generation GTL diesel and the world's first commercial GTL facility to be financed by the international money markets. The plant will use Sasol's proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technology and London-based Sasol Chevron will market the high-quality, environmentally-friendly GTL diesel later this year. The ORYX GTL plant will convert gas from the North Field in the Gulf into 34,000 bpd of liquid hydrocarbons (mainly GTL diesel). In conjunction with Sasol Chevron and Qatar Petroleum, the intention is to increase the plant's capacity to more than 100,000 bpd. Also under construction is the Escravos GTL (EGTL) plant in Nigeria, owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) and supported by Sasol and Sasol Chevron.
ABOUT SASOL CHEVRON
Sasol Chevron was established in October 2000 as a 50/50 joint venture to actively pursue commercial application of GTL technology for selected Chevron and Sasol-held reserves of natural gas; third-party gas reserves and host countries seeking to monetize their gas reserves. Sasol Chevron is fostering the development of a GTL industry and global markets for GTL by designing, building and operating plants throughout the world to manufacture and market alternative GTL diesel and other products.
ABOUT CHEVRON
Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading energy companies. With more than 53,000 employees, Chevron subsidiaries conduct business in approximately 180 countries around the world, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas, and refining, marketing, and distributing fuels and other energy products. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information on Chevron is available at
www.chevron.com.
ABOUT SASOL
Sasol is an integrated oil and gas company with substantial chemical interests. Based in South Africa and with international operations, Sasol is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and JSE stock exchange in Johannesburg. Sasol is the leading provider of liquid fuels in South Africa and a major international producer of chemicals. Sasol uses proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technologies for the commercial production of synthetic fuels and chemicals from low-grade coal and natural gas. It manufactures more than 200 fuel and chemical products that are sold worldwide. In South Africa Sasol also operates coal mines to provide feedstock for its synthetic fuels plants. Sasol operates South Africa's only inland crude oil refinery. The group produces crude oil in offshore Gabon, supplies Mozambican natural gas to end-user customers and petrochemical plants in South Africa, and with partners is developing gas-to-liquids fuel joint ventures in Qatar and Nigeria. More information on Sasol is available at
www.sasol.com.
