UT Arlington engineering and science researchers designed a portable conversion unit utilizing their microreactor and process. The application is expected to be particularly useful in stranded gas fields, on sites where natural gas must be vented or flared and when it is not economically viable to move gas to a pipeline due to adverse market conditions.

1^st Resource has partnered with UMED Holdings Inc., a Fort Worth-based, publicly traded company, to aid in commercializing the patent-pending process. 1^st Resource plans to deploy conversion units in domestic and international gas fields to yield synthetic jet fuels and diesel. 1^st Resource Group and UMED (then called Universal Media Corporation) announced their strategic partnership in March 2011.

1^st Resource says that the portable, modular GTL Conversion Units will encompass several proprietary technological advancements. The technology incorporates progressive developments in engineering, manufacturing, laminate fabrication, tooling, and nanotechnology. Each unit will enable an efficient Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis gas conversion to a liquid hydrocarbon on the surface of a heterogeneous catalyst confined to very small spaces. Because the device is a platform for a highly exothermic chemical reaction, it does not rely on machinery or moving parts. As a result, it is relatively inexpensive to operate, dependable, long-lived, and highly autonomous, requiring only minimal oversight.

The skid-mounted Conversion Units are designed to be transported via truck or rail. A large number of Conversion Units situated together will be capable of output volumes and yields comparable to a large stationary GTL facility, the company claims, with lower capital and operating costs. When a gas well is depleted or vacated for any other reason, the Conversion Unit is relocated elsewhere.