The project assumes a deepwater oil development from an FPSO in depths to 10,000 ft. and considers different options for handling associated gas produced at various rates Gas handling technology options that will be considered, include export via pipeline, processes such as LNG, CNG, GTL. The project will also look at the exporting of gas via shuttle tanker, injection and deferred production, generation of electricity for transmission to shore, and possible conversions to other forms of energy or products for use offshore or transport to shore. The technical assessment will address technical and regulatory readiness, HSE risks and mitigation measures, costs, (CAPEX, OPEX) and process efficiency.

Assessments to handle the production and/or transportation of gas from deepwater developments will be completed through a series of workshops involving industry experts on how to handle and come up with ideas on alternatives to this problem.

Preliminary assessment results have been completed for the four alternatives studied to date – Pipelines, LNG, CNG, and GTL. Early assessment indicates that most of the Process Steps for these four alternatives are “project ready”, or have challenges that can be resolved during the execution of a 3-year project. The readiness estimate for the LNG FPSO suggests that 1 to 3 years could be needed to plan and design an LNG facility on an FPSO operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The readiness estimate for LNG Transport indicates that 3 to 7 years may be needed to complete Jones Act LNG carriers. Similarly, the readiness estimate for CNG Transport indicates that 1 to 3 years may be required to secure Jones Act CNG carriers. The readiness estimate for the GTL Convert to Transport State suggests that 3 to 7 tears may be needed to develop and “marinize” a GTL process to place on an FPSO operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The category “Others” indicates readiness in 1 to 3 years to suggest the time that might be needed to pursue any items such as Environment Assessments or work on codes and standards that might be required.

Other results indicate that:

	All these gas handling alternatives can achieve acceptable levels of HSE risks.
	Service costs for a pipeline are lowest, followed by CNG, LNG and GTL respectively.
	The efficiencies of these processes seem acceptable.

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Last Updated: 07/22/2008, 06:28 PM