New in Gas Processing Technology

JM to license largest single-train methanol plants

Johnson Matthey (JM) has secured a multiple-license order for China’s Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group’s project to develop five of the largest single-train methanol plants in the world. Located at Baofeng’s Ordos City complex in Inner Mongolia, China, each of the plants will have a planned capacity of 7,200 metric tpd.

Under the agreement, JM will license all five methanol plants and supply associated engineering, technical review, commissioning assistance and catalyst. Using synthesis gas as feed, the methanol plants will use JM radial steam raising converters in a patented Series Loop. JM catalysts will enable Ningxia Baofeng Energy to produce stabilized methanol as a product that is used in the production of olefins.

Brazos Midstream to boost olefins recovery at two cryo plants

Honeywell UOP will upgrade two 200-MMsft³d cryogenic gas processing plants for Brazos Midstream in the Permian Basin, using new technology that can increase recovery of more ethane and propane typically present in natural gas. The upgrade will convert the plants from the gas subcooled process (GSP) to recycle split vapor technology (RSV), developed by its Ortloff Engineers division. Fabrication and assembly of the modular RSV units will be provided by UOP Russell.

The Ortloff RSV2 technology significantly improves the economics of conventional GSP cryogenic gas processing by recycling the gas product to increase the recovery rate of NGL from approximately 92% to nearly 100%. With the upgraded technology, the two plants will be better able to process the NGL-rich gas in Reeves County, Texas. By combining low capital and operating expense and ultra-high NGL recovery rates, the plants can provide significantly better operating margins.

Gasum, UECC conduct first LNG-LBG bunkering

In mid-December 2020, UECC received the first ship-to-ship bunkering of LNG blended with 10% renewable liquefied biogas (LBG). Gasum’s LNG bunker vessel, Coralius, performed the bunkering operation at anchorage outside the port of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Typically, LBG from Gasum is sourced from biodegradable waste streams in Scandinavia, including residential, retail and commercial sewage and/or agricultural waste streams. The smooth completion of the LNG-LBG bunkering trial will allow ship-to-ship bunkering with different blends of LNG and LBG, which will open new possibilities for decarbonizing Gasum’s maritime transport. LBG has a carbon footprint close to zero. GP