New in Gas Processing Technology

Japan to develop standard emissions measure for LNG

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC) intends to develop a global standard for measuring greenhouse gas emissions in the LNG value chain. The LNG sector is facing increasing pressure to cut emissions of greenhouse gas, including methane, to help tackle climate change, but calculation methods vary by country and company.

The company aims to verify the methodology using actual data from LNG plants in the near future. The methodology will be internationally comparable to promote emissions cuts in every phase of LNG production and distribution, and is aimed at making new developments cleaner so that new projects can secure financing.

Shell and Enbridge to produce RNG, H₂

Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Inc. has signed partnerships with Royal Dutch Shell and Vanguard Renewables to make low-carbon fuels, seeking to tap into sales to companies that aim to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

Enbridge will buy 2 Bft³y of renewable natural gas (RNG) from Vanguard and collaborate with Shell on potential green and blue hydrogen production. Companies that buy RNG from Enbridge would collect the offsets associated with decarbonization. Enbridge, which set emissions-reduction targets in late 2020, hopes to be a net-zero emitter by 2050.

Alaska LNG project to help Asia cut CO₂

Alaska Gasline Development Corp. (AGDC) said that its proposed LNG export project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Asia by allowing power generators to use a cleaner fuel than coal.

The state-owned LNG and pipeline developer released a study concluding that overall greenhouse gas emissions from Alaska LNG natural gas would be 50% less than burning Chinese regional coal, reducing CO₂ emissions by 77 metric MMtpy. The study also showed that Alaska LNG had a lower greenhouse gas intensity than other LNG export projects on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Australia.

AGDC is developing the $38.7-B Alaska LNG project, which includes a liquefaction facility on the Kenai Peninsula in southern Alaska and a proposed, 807-m (1,299-km) pipeline that would move gas stranded in northern Alaska across the state.

AGDC is not looking to build Alaska LNG itself, but instead work with parties that can build a gas treatment plant in northern Alaska, the pipeline and liquefaction facility. AGDC has already lined up parties to lead the pipeline and gas treatment plant, and is still looking for a party to lead construction of the liquefaction plant.

To help the project move forward, the U.S. Congress has included loan guarantees worth $26 B for the Alaska LNG project in the latest infrastructure bill.

Shell and BASF to collaborate on CCS technology

Shell and BASF are collaborating to accelerate the transition to a world of net-zero emissions. To this end, both companies worked together to evaluate, de-risk, and deploy BASF’s Sorbead® Adsorption Technology for pre- and post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) applications. The Sorbead Adsorption Technology is used to dehydrate CO₂ gas after it has been captured by Shell’s carbon capture technologies, such as ADIP Ultra or CANSOLV.

The adsorption technology has several advantages for CCS applications: Sorbead, an aluminosilicate gel material, is acid resistant, has high capacity for water and regenerates at a lower temperature vs. activated alumina or molecular sieves. Furthermore, Sorbead Adsorption Technology ensures the treated gas is free of glycol and will meet stringent pipeline and underground storage specifications. Customers also benefit from long life, operational turndown flexibility and immediate on-spec gas at startup.

The Sorbead Adsorption Technology is now in Shell’s portfolio for use in the numerous CCS projects around the world to achieve their Powering Progress strategy.

FuelCell Energy and ExxonMobil extend agreement for carbon capture technology

FuelCell Energy, Inc., has signed a 6-mos extension with ExxonMobil to continue collaboration on carbonate fuel cell technology for the purpose of capturing CO₂ from industrial facilities and power generation.

The agreement will continue until April 30, 2022. The parties are discussing an ExxonMobil pilot in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as well as potentially additional ExxonMobil or third-party locations, to deploy FuelCell Energy’s carbonate fuel cell platform to capture CO₂ emissions. A decision on the Rotterdam project is expected in 2022, dependent on achieving technical milestones over the next 6 mos. In addition to pilot project deployments, FuelCell Energy and ExxonMobil are discussing the next phase of carbon capture development.

FuelCell Energy’s technology will help capture CO₂ emissions from power generation and industrial exhaust streams. Together with ExxonMobil, the companies can scale and commercialize FuelCell Energy’s carbon capture solution, one that captures carbon dioxide from various exhaust streams, while generating additional power, unlike traditional carbon capture technologies, which consume significant power.

FuelCell Energy’s proprietary technology uses carbonate fuel cells to efficiently capture and concentrate CO₂ streams from industrial sources. Combustion exhaust is directed to the fuel cell, which produces power, while capturing and concentrating CO₂ for permanent storage. The modular design enables the technology to be deployed at a wide range of locations, which could lead to a more cost-efficient path for deployment of CCS.

Technip Energies, Shell test the latest Cansolv CO₂ capture technology improvements

Technip Energies and Shell Catalysts & Technologies unveiled that their jointly developed improvements on the Cansolv CO₂ capture technology are being tested in a pilot plant campaign at Fortum Oslo Varme’s waste-to-energy plant.

In response to the increased global interest in CCS, the technologists and engineers of the two companies are working closely to bring continuous improvements to the Cansolv CO₂ capture system’s process design, efficiency and costs. These efforts are to ensure improved affordability and aid wide scale deployment of carbon capture solutions by their clients.

The test campaign will entail different test phases that will support the extension of the related improvements. This is the second test campaign conducted by this collaboration. In the first campaign, the low volatility and amine emissionsof the DC-103 solvent used in the process was demonstrated, as well as its low absorption energy and solvent degradation.

Technology to reduce methane emissions in Barnett

TotalEnergies plans to deploy an innovative technology, developed by Qnergy, to significantly reduce methane emissions related to its operations in the Barnett gas field in the U.S. The solution uses a technology that converts methane-powered instrumentation to compressed air-powered instrumentation, thereby eliminating the release of methane to the atmosphere during the process.

During a successful pilot project at the Barnett site in March 2021, Qnergy’s technology proved to be reliable, simple to install and easy to operate, allowing the elimination of up to 98% of the methane venting emissions related to instruments using natural gas.

Following successful additional tests, TotalEnergies has decided to install the new technology by deploying 100 units on the Barnett field in 2021 and 2022. The deployment of 300 additional units throughout the field will reduce methane venting emissions from pneumatic devices by approximately 7,000 tpy by the end of 2024.

JAX LNG completes first renewable LNG bunkering facility in the U.S.

JAX LNG, a small-scale LNG facility located along the St. John’s River in Jacksonville, Florida, completed the first fueling of a marine vessel in the U.S. with a blend of LNG and renewable LNG (RLNG).

JAX LNG loaded the RLNG/LNG blend into the Clean Jacksonville bunker barge to fuel the Isla Bella. The Isla Bella is the world’s first LNG-powered container ship and was put into service by TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico in 2015. Element Markets supplied the renewable natural gas (RNG) used to produce the RLNG via renewable thermal certificates (RTCs). Using RLNG to fuel marine vessels is a readily available pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050. RLNG’s emissions profile as a maritime fuel is superior even to that of LNG, which already reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25% over ultra-low sulfur diesel.

Decarbonization of the transport sector has greatly accelerated using regulatory incentives such as the alternative fuel tax credit, which encourages companies to adjust operations and make investments in assets that reduce carbon intensity.

Produced from the decomposition of organic waste, RNG is compatible with existing natural gas infrastructure, providing a practical and replicable source of energy that mitigates and repurposes carbon emissions. For this bunkering event, RTCs were matched to the physical LNG loaded into the Clean Jacksonville to create the RLNG/LNG blended product.

Axens, Arol Energy sign license agreement for Connect’In technology

Axens and Arol Energy have signed a license agreement for Axens’ Connect’In® technology. This service offer will now be proposed by Arol Energy to its biomethane producer customers. By collecting and continuously processing industrial data, the digital tool provides performance monitoring, which can be used to provide optimization recommendations. The overview of the operation of the units allows customers to clearly identify improvement opportunities. They are then able to maximize the economic performance of the connected units by making regular adjustments to the operating parameters. By offering Connect’In® to its biomethane producer customers, Arol Energy enables them to maximize and secure the production of biomethane with the required qualities for its reinjection into the network. GP