Synthetic fuels are produced from synthesis gas in a four-stage 
reactor system with a single recycle loop providing the requisite thermal capacity to moderate the 
high heat release of the reactions and to provide the reactants and reaction environments for the efficient operation of the process. The first stage converts a portion of the synthesis gas to 
methanol, the second stage converts the 
methanol to dimethylether, the third stage converts the 
methanol and dimethylether to fuel and the fourth stage converts the high 
melting point component, 
durene, and other low volatility aromatic components such as tri- andtetra-methylbenzenes to high 
octane branched paraffins. The four-stage catalyst used for hydrotreating is resistant to 
CO poisoning. The reactions i produce water as a 
side product that is carried through to a 
high pressure separator after the fourth stage. The streams from the separator are a 
liquid fuel stream, a water 
stream and a gaseous 
stream that contains light 
hydrocarbon gases and the unreacted synthesis gas. The larger part of this gas stream is recycled to the inlet of the first stage and mixed with the fresh synthesis gas stream. Alternatively, the fresh synthetic gas stream is mixed with the product of the second stage. The smaller part of the gas stream from the separator is sent to 
hydrocarbon recovery and to 
fuel gas used for providing preheat of various streams. The 
liquid fuel is sent for blending into fuel products, such as 
gasoline, 
jet fuel, or diesel, and the water stream can be sent, for example, to the synthesis gas producing 
plant for 
steam generation.