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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
An Alternative to Flare Gas Processing: A Feasibility Study of Natural Gas to Liquid Processes
Angelos A. Panteloglou, Zoe D. Ziaka and Savvas P. Vasileiadis
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DOI:10.17265/2161-6213/2021.1-3.002
Department of Catalysis and Environmental Protection, School of Technology and Physical Sciences, Hellenic Open University, Patra 263 35, Greece
The quantities of gas released into the environment during the extraction and processing of crude oil, by flaring, constitute a vast source of mineral wealth which can be used to produce other useful products. The processes studied in this paper, as alternatives to the above problem, are the ones used in Shell Pearl Qatar project and Oryx GTL project. Both projects produce liquid fuels, mainly naphtha and diesel, in addition to more special fuel such as kerosene. This paper is a feasibility study of a project that makes use of the flare gas from the State of Texas, U.S.A., as a feedstock to a process similar to either Shell Pearl Qatar project, or Oryx GTL project. The objective of this study is to determine the price range for crude oil over which an investment to similar projects can be profitable. An MS Excel Model was developed in order to perform calculations having as a variable the crude oil price and taking into account all the process and project’s financial data. The results of this model showed that a project similar to Shell Pearl Qatar remains profitable in crude oil price above $57.76/barrel, while a project similar to Oryx GTL remains viable for crude oil price over $31.4/bbl. In the price range $55-$60/barrel, the payout of the corresponding to Shell Pearl Qatar project will be in about 15.2 years and 3.3 years for a project similar to Oryx GTL. Finally, using the financial principles of this study we can apply them to any process in order to determine under what conditions will remain viable.
Natural gas conversion, liquid fuel production, membrane reactor technology, economical assessments, Shell Pearl Qatar process, petroleum engineering.