Generation of synthesis gas off-shore: oxygen supply and opportunities for integration with GTL technologies

摘要

Oxygen is invariably used in generating the synthesis gas required for converting natural gas to liquid products (GTL). With the increasing need to convert gas associated with deposits of crude oil, and as a large part of such deposits are in remote areas and frequently off-shore, there is a need to design and build oxygen plants capable of operating at sea. This paper gives an overview of Air Products' proposals for oxygen generation suitable for Floating Production, Storage and Off-Loading (FPSO) applications with a particular reference to the Air Separation Unit (ASU) performance. It outlines design and safety issues, and the integration of the various unit operations. Air Products' considerable experience in methanol, DME and Fischer-Tropsch available from its syngas-to-liquids pilot plant, makes it particularly well placed to address integration of the exothermic downstream GTL unit.