Process intensification (PI) is a branch of process synthesis that encompasses and impacts a number of process technologies. Research in PI has recently gained considerable attention due to challenges related to energy and the environment, alongside risks in capital investment decisions. These challenges necessitate the development of optimization-based computational tools for process synthesis and design, which enable the integration of multiple phenomena that occur at different scales in an intensified unit. Current efforts in the field are yielding promising results that indicate the transformation of the petrochemical industry. This review highlights the role that PI can play in the production of fuels, chemicals and electricity from natural/shale gas, using reactive distillation with a Fischer–Tropsch-based gas-to-liquids application. We also discuss several related gas processing PI applications along with recent algorithmic developments for process synthesis.

流程强化（PI）是流程综合的一个分支，涵盖并影响许多流程技术。由于与能源和环境相关的挑战以及资本投资决策中的风险，PI的研究最近受到了广泛的关注。这些挑战需要开发用于过程综合和设计的基于优化的计算工具，该工具能够将在不同单位中发生于不同规模的多种现象整合在一起。该领域目前的努力正在产生令人鼓舞的结果，表明石化工业正在发生转变。这篇评论强调了PI在基于费托气化液的应用中采用反应蒸馏技术，可以在天然气/页岩气生产燃料，化学品和电力中发挥的作用。