April 20, 2005
ISOPE’s June Conference in Seoul
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, April 20―ExxonMobil will present a technology they have been developing for gas commercialization – Pressured LNG (PLNG) – at the First (2005) ISOPE Advanced Natural Gas Transport (ANGT) Symposium ¾ ISOPE ANGT-2005, held during the 15th International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference & Exhibition ¾ISOPE-2005, at the COEX Convention Center in Seoul on June 19-24, 2005.
In essence, using ExxonMobil patented technologies for PLNG has the potential to lower the overall cost of moving gas from field to market by utilizing pressurized containment. And indeed its key component is the containment system. The PLNG pressure vessels are made of a newly developed high-strength, low-temperature (HSLT) steel along with new welding consumables and processes. Mobil fabricated and hydrotested a prototype container using the HSLT steel and welding process at Kawasaki Heavy Industries Harima Works.
PLNG and its delivery chain seek to optimize the trade-offs between the facilities and the shipping cost as follows:
· Altered storage conditions allow the cargo to be contained at warmer temperatures while still remaining a liquid. As a result, only about one-half of the conventional LNG export facilities are required for PLNG.
· This significant reduction in the space, weight, and costs of facilities required to treat and liquefy the gas could make offshore implementation attractive.
· The integration of the PLNG facilities and production facilities on the same vessel could potentially eliminate a pipeline to shore.
PLNG is aimed at lowering the overall cost of transporting to market the gas from remote sources, thus enabling the latter’s commercialization and spurring the industry’s ability to meet the global rise in gas demand. In 2004, ExxonMobil’s X-120 high-strength steel for pipeline manufacturing and installation was a milestone in economic long-distance gas transportation; in 2005, the company’s PLNG technology shows continued interest in the transportation of natural gas.
Also at the First (2005) ISOPE ANGT Symposium, ExxonMobil will present advances in its AGC-21 technology. Over the past two decades, ExxonMobil has continued to refine this proprietary technology ― the conversion of natural gas to liquids (GTL) utilizing Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon synthesis technology ― to further reduce the cost of producing fuels, lube basestocks and other specialty products from natural gas. Today, this state-of-the-art GTL technology provides an important option for commercialization of natural gas resources.
Among other highly anticipated papers presented at the 15th ISOPE Conference & Exhibition’s 93 sessions with presenters from 47 countries are:
· Offshore Technology: A Heavy Industry Overview. Dr. Keh-Sik Min, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., will discuss his company’s dry dock-independent Ground-Build method for the construction of offshore LNG terminals and other large structures, which are impractical to build with current dry dock facilities.
· North Sea Pipelines: Pushing the Technology Front. Dr. Jan O. Berge, Chief Engineer, Statoil, will present special topics like f. ex Hot-Pipe ― advanced technology combined with low cost, high reliability and even tougher service conditions in a globally competing business framework.
· Siberia-Far East Pipeline. In December 2004, Russia approved the building of the East Siberia-Pacific pipeline. Slated for completion in 2020, the 4,130-km-long system will go from Taishet (through Kazachinskoye, Tynda, Skovorodino and Khabarovsk) to the Perevoznaya Bay terminal in the port of Nakhodka, crossing Russia's Irkutsk, Chita, Amur, Buryat and Primorye regions. Annual capacity is projected to reach 80 million tons; estimated cost could reach $12 billion. The route is a strategic asset for Russia, allowing it to funnel crude not only to Japan but to Korea, Indonesia, Australia and the U.S. West Coast. Japan has been lobbying for an oil pipeline route to the Pacific and is expected to be involved in the pipeline’s funding as well as investment in the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 oil and gas projects. Participation in construction financing is also proposed for China and Korea.
· Sakhalin ¾ A New Source of Energy for Asia Pacific Region. Development of Sakhalin II will reportedly cost around $12 billion. It includes 2 huge concrete gravity base structures (CGBS): PA-B and Lun-A drilling and production platforms. Sakhalin II will become one of the world’s largest LNG suppliers. Dr. David Meehan, project manager, Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC) will present offshore installation, processing and converting the gas to LNG for export to the Asian market. He is currently in charge of construction and installation of a pair of Concrete Gravity Base Structures (CGBS) in Vostochny near Vladivostok, Russia: Samsung Heavy Industries Co. is the fabricator of the topside of the CGBS, and the installation will begin in June 2005. The SEIC is led by Shell whose partners are Mitsui and Mitsubishi, Japan.
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ISOPE‑2005 and ANGT-2005 programs are available on www.isope.org. Also see contact address: meetings@isope.org: Phone 1-650-254-1871.
The First (2005) ISOPE Advanced Natural Gas Transport Symposium ¾ ANGT-2005 at COEX Convention Center in Seoul on June 19-24, 2005 during the 15th International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference & Exhibition.
Sponsored by ISOPE.
The 15th International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference & Exhibition ¾ ISOPE-2005 at COEX Convention Center in Seoul, June 19-24, 2005.
Sponsored by ISOPE.
By Prof. Jin S Chung, ISOPE-2005 Conference Chair
