Qatar Petroleum (QP) and UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, have signed a joint research agreement on "Process Optimisation of CO2 and Sulphur Components Removal from Natural Gases."
The agreement was signed at QP headquarters by Doctor Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman of QP, and Doctor Rajeev Gautam, President and Chief Executive Officer of UOP.
Effective transportation
The primary aim of the research is for the treated natural gases to be more efficiently utilised in further processing operations such as in transporting natural gas in pipelines, in the production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas liquids (NGL), liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas-to-liquids (GTL) products, and in associated/non-associated gas cleanup upstream petrochemical/fertiliser manufacturing plants.
Al-Sada hailed the agreement as an important milestone in Qatar’s gas industry, “Qatar is constantly working to facilitate the optimum development of its hydrocarbon resources, and this agreement is another step in that direction.”
“Developing more efficient technologies to remove contaminants from natural gas will help boost Qatar’s reputation as a safe, reliable supplier of natural gas as well as high-quality products,” Al-Sada added.
Natural gas demand
“Global natural gas demand is growing rapidly and LNG/LPG/NGL/GTL production is critical to meeting the needs of regions not served by pipelines and to enable global trade,” said Dr. Gautam. “Qatar Petroleum is a recognised leader in the production of LNG/NGL for world markets, and we look forward to extending our long-standing partnership to develop technology in these important fields.”
QP has recently inaugurated a state-of-the-art Research & Technology Centre (QPRTC) at the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) to carry out cost-effective research activities on subjects related to surface/sub-surface activities in oil & gas fields in cooperation with global R&D centres within national/international oil companies, technical universities, oil/gas service companies, etc.
Honeywell’s UOP, on the other hand, is a leader in natural gas treating technologies, which currently are used in QP’s LNG and gas processing facilities.
UOP’s separation technology and equipment remove contaminants such as water, carbon dioxide and sulphur compounds (hydrogen sulphide, mercaptans, etc.) from natural gas in order to meet rigorous product specifications and requirements for downstream transmission and liquefaction equipment. In liquefied form, natural gas can be easily and efficiently transported to markets around the world, where it is used for a wide variety of energy applications.
Adapted from press release by Hannah Priestley-Eaton