Growing global energy demands have led us to development of new oil & gas fields. In the meantime interest in eco-friendly solutions has been increasing in the area of stranded & associated gas fields. According to the BP report 2015, global natural gas reserves are approximately 6,607 tcf. Nearly half of that is assumed to be stranded & associated gas that is uneconomical for market delivery due to its remoteness from potential markets and lack of economic transportation, infrastructure and GTL conversion technology. Therefore, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has researched Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) & Modular GTL as potential solutions for developing offshore oil & gas fields. Because products of the GTL process can be easily combined with crude oil in the Hull tanks and used in the existing energy infrastructure. From a shipbuider's perspective, key design considerations in assessing onshore GTL technology for GTL FPSO & Modular GTL application were studied and analyzed as follows: Robustness to marine motion, Limited space, Weight and height, Self-sufficiency, Safety, Constructability and Certification Requirement. Moreover, commercial & demonstrated GTL technologies involved in Gas Treatment, Pre-Reformer, Reformer, Fischer-Tropsch Reactor, Upgrading and others were compared and reviewed to determine which technology is the best option for GTL FPSO & Modular GTL. Additionally, we have studied which GTL application method would be more competitive depending on the gas production size in offshore fields. Moreover, preliminary market analysis was performed to better define the scope of GTL products to be produced. Economic analysis was also performed to identify the major cost factors and understand their sensitivity on the project. DSME has recently completed the feasibility study to acquire the preliminary design & engineering of GTL FPSO & Modular GTL for stranded gas & associated gas fields in offshore locations. The results of this feasibility study suggest that design concepts of GTL applications are technically practicable. The clean fuel and the chemical feedstock from the GTL process will be profitable in the markets and the design concept will be economically competitive within the range of the current project cost factors. DSME hopes to set up a cooperative network with competitive companies for the next stage of GTL FPSO & Modular GTL. The cooperation network will implement at GTL FPSO & Modular GTL Pre-FEED and the economic study and will result in the commercial realization of this innovative approach for monetizing stranded & associated gas fields offshore.
Objective/Scope: Associated gas occurring in the offshore production facilities has traditionally been handled by flaring (primarily), gas export, and gas re-injection. Operators and owners have preferred to flare in many cases because gas export and re-injection are either very expensive or infeasible. Global interest in eco-friendly solutions has recently increased in the area of offshore oil & gas fields. To achieve zero-flaring for oil & gas production site, "Modular Gas-to-Liquids (GTL)" and "GTL Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO)" has been researched as candidate zero-flare methods. Our goal is to develop a portfolio of zero-flare solutions to support business development by making technical & economic comparisons of gas export, gas re-injection and offshore GTL. Methods, Procedures, Process: In the view of EPC contractor, the technical & economic feasibility study for Offshore GTL application was studied and analyzed. Several gas handling methods (e.g. gas export, gas re-injection, and Offshore GTL) were compared and analyzed to figure out which technology is the best option for associated gas handling for offshore oil & gas fields. We also studied which method would be more competitive depending on gas production capacity, distance from onshore to offshore, crude oil price, and natural gas price in offshore oil & gas fields. Moreover, economic analysis was performed to identify the major cost factors & ranges and to understand their impact on the project. Results, Observations, Conclusions: The feasibility study of GTL module on FPSO has been lately completed to acquire the preliminary technical & economic comparison of gas export, gas re-injection and Offshore GTL for developing oil & gas fields in offshore. The results of this study suggest that concepts of GTL application can be technically and economically more competitive than gas export and gas re-injection in some offshore oil & gas fields. The GTL products are more profitable than export & re-injection gas in the energy markets within the range of the current project cost factors. Novel/Additive Information: It must be a great opportunity to set up a cooperation network for the next stage of developing Offshore GTL. The cooperation network will research and develop Pre-FEED for Offshore GTL and the result will bring commercial realization of this innovative approach of oil & gas fields in offshore.
Conventional LNG with ambient pressure has been known as efficient means of gas transportation by reducing the volume to 1/600. However, since end-users always need as gas form not LNG itself, LNG may be regarded as interim means of transportation, and at the same time, LNG production and storage with different pressure conditions are also acceptable provided they meet cost competitiveness. Increased pressure Cluster LNG has been developed as an economic solution for small and medium scale natural gas chains. Small and medium scale LNG plants could not be practically developed due to difficulties in unit price competition with large scale LNG plants. Considered small and medium scale gas markets are increasing in Southeast Asia, cost-effective solution for the LNG chain is very much demanding. The current LNG infrastructures with large volume facilities may not be suitable for the new diverse requirements from scattered small and medium gas fields and consumers. DSME has developed innovative LNG solution, called Cluster LNG, which may bring substantial changes from the traditional LNG chain. To implement the cost-effective integrated LNG system, technologies in each sector of LNG chain, production, transportation, and regasification have been developed. In the Cluster LNG, natural gas is liquefied at increased pressure instead of ambient pressure to have overall efficiency. LNG liquefaction at the increased pressure requires less power in the refrigeration system with relatively higher liquefaction temperature and adoption of more efficient refrigerant for the temperature range, and it also simplifies the gas treatment system with CO2 tolerant liquefaction characteristics. The increased pressure LNG containment system, which would be key factor for overall economics, has been developed with innovative hybrid design against cryogenic temperature and high pressure to achieve the cost-effectiveness task. In order to verify the cluster LNG liquefaction, regasification process, loading and unloading operation, and diverse safety requirements, a bench scale pilot plant was constructed and extensive operation tests have been carried out. The operation results show outstanding liquefaction performance compared with conventional LNG plants. Now the developed system of the Cluster LNG is ready for commercialization. The Cluster LNG is ideal for small and medium LNG production, transportation, and consumption with the inherent cost-effectiveness and flexibility. The transportation of the Cluster LNG can be done by ordinary bulk carriers or containerships retrofitted for the Cluster LNG containment system instead of purpose built LNG carriers. Typical size of Cluster LNG containment system is 200 ~ 500 m3. Hence, the storage tanks for production, transportation, and regasification sites can be implemented with 10 ~ 100 clusters of pre-fabricated cylinders. The Cluster LNG will provide flexible business model by quick decision and execution with lower project cost. The competitive Cluster LNG system will activate stranded gas field developments around world, which ultimately would contribute to existing and developing gas markets. Especially, the Cluster LNG may provide gas supply solutions for smaller demand markets such as diesel engine driven power plants in remote islands and utility gas distribution networks to many small and medium provinces in Southeast Asia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.