Abstract: Liquified Natural Gas (L.N.G.) is re-vaporized by heat exchange and pre-heated in a furnace at a temperature not exceeding 1100.degree. C. It is fed, together with an ionized hydrogen plasma stream, into a reactor containing a catalyst of the type described in the co-pending application No. 688,058. After heat exchange with the vaporizing L.N.G., the reactor effluent is separated into a condensed low-vapor-pressure liquid hydrocarbon product, rich in aromatics, into a hydrogen-rich gaseous by-product and into a recycle gas stream. The process is of particular interest where thermal or electrical energy is available at low cost. The Liquified Natural Gas Conversion Process may be considered as a method for storing such energy because the resulting liquid hydrocarbon product can be stored at low cost and may be sold during periods when such energy is in surplus.

Abstract: Natural gas hydrocarbon components, methane to butanes, are converted into low-vapor-pressure liquid hydrocarbons in a combination process which comprises successively passing the heavier fraction (C.sub.2 to C.sub.4) and the lighter fraction (C.sub.1, C.sub.2) with hydrogen over a non silica-based catalyst including crystals of basic mixed oxides and recovering C.sub.5 + hydrocarbons. First the heavier fraction of the feed (C.sub.2 +) is converted at temperatures below 600.degree. C. over a fluidized or moving catalytic bed. Condensible C.sub.3 + products are fractionated for C.sub.5 + recovery and for C.sub.3, C.sub.4 recycling. Gas by-products H.sub.2, C.sub.1, C.sub.2, are separated into an enriched hydrogen stream and into a C.sub.1, C.sub.2 by-product gas which is recycled into the lighter fraction C.sub.1, C.sub.2 of the feed.