Columns
Industry Focus: Russia Accelerates Fight For Global Gas Export Market Share
Russia aims to ramp up its efforts to gain more gas export market share this year, despite an unfavorable business environment and growing pressure from major competitors.
Regional Focus: South Africa’s transport strategy to shape country’s gas sector
South Africa’s Gas Utilization Master Plan outlines how the gas sector will be developed. As the country proceeds with the plan,
New in Gas Processing Technology
ControlAir LLC, a manufacturer of precision pneumatic and electro-pneumatic control products, recently announced the expansion of the Type 2000 Electro-Pneumatic Valve Positioner series to include worldwide safety approvals for use with natural gas when paired with the Type 950 Explosion-proof I/P Transducer.
Global Project Data
Hydrocarbon Processing’s Construction Boxscore Database and Gulf Energy Information’s Energy Web Atlas are tracking nearly 400 active gas processing/LNG projects around the world.
U.S. Industry Metrics
On January 24, the near-month natural gas Henry Hub futures price at the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at $1.893/MMBtu, the lowest January closing price for the near-month contract since January 27, 1999.
Gas Processing News
After a record influx of LNG into Europe in 2019, the region is on track to raise imports to nearly 100 metric MMtpy.
Natural gas pipeline systems and operations
In the 4th century BC, Chinese historian Chang Qu described a strange "air of fire" used to light up rooms and to produce salt by boiling brine.
Wearing in PEEK seals
Pressure rise across successive compression stages requires seals at the impeller eye and rotor shaft to prevent gas backflow from the discharge to the inlet end of the compressor.
All-electric LNG maximizes process control in the Arctic
In the high latitudes of Norway, 300 mi above the Arctic Circle on the remote island of Melkøya, is Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG plant.
LNG looks to digitalization to ease the pressure of a tight fiscal market
Natural gas, as the cleanest-burning hydrocarbon and in its abundance, is a significant part of the future energy mix.
Process selection for deep COS removal from feed gas
A plan by Saudi Aramco to increase Saudi Arabia's crude processing capacity includes grassroots facilities for processing approximately 2,500 MMsft3d of feed gas from various offshore fields.
Business Trends: China pushes shale gas drilling amid corporate shakeups
In what appears to be a move to increase domestic energy production and self-reliance, as well as boost competition among foreign companies, China is reorganizing its state-owned energy firms and widening the invitation to shale gas drillers.
Executive Viewpoint: Innovative DCS targets biogas, LNG applications
New technologies, both process and digital, are revitalizing the hydrocarbon processing industry. Gas Processing & LNG talked with Jani Hautaluoma, Director of Process Automation for Valmet Automation, about the application of new production processes and digital advances for biogas and LNG production.
Editorial Comment: A brighter future for methane hydrates?
Methane hydrates are three-dimensional ice-lattice structures in which natural gas is trapped.
Case study: Improve gas processing by controlling condensation
Improved condensation and capture of NGL and water in natural gas cuts costs, maximizes production value, and avoids costly maintenance. .
Gas processing technology for new engineers
Historically, natural gas has been distributed as a priority in the industrial sector, given the greater territorial concentration of consumption and the consequent lower supply cost.
U.S. Industry Metrics
The U.S. has been a net exporter of gas for more than a year, with a sharp rise in exports in 2019 helped by an increase in LNG shipments from eight new trains at three projects: Cameron LNG, Freeport LNG and Elba Island LNG.
Global Project Data
Hydrocarbon Processing’s Construction Boxscore Database and Gulf Energy Information’s Energy Web Atlas are tracking more than 420 active gas processing/LNG projects around the world.
Create a data compilation and management program for heat exchangers
Heat is a valuable resource in the gas processing, refining and petrochemicals industries, and the loss of it should be avoided. Process engineers spend much time working to save and use heat in the best way possible, designing and then maintaining plants so that heat can be fully utilized.
Cost-effective, modular technologies for butane, propane and NGL treating
Hydrocarbon processing plants often encounter challenges with feedstocks containing high levels of mercaptans, which concentrate in hydrocarbon condensates and NGL when the mercaptans are not removed upstream by the acid gas removal unit (AGRU) or molecular sieve unit.
Editorial Comment
Australia and Middle Eastern countries, which have been net LNG exporters, are now foraying into LNG imports due to supply issues.
Industry Focus: Mixed performance for Africa’s gas markets in 2019 poses questions for next decade
As 2020 begins, Africa’s gas market is left with a mixed bag of achievements that only partly confirms a prediction by the International Gas Union (IGU) in early 2019 that the continent’s natural gas segment is “facing a potential turning point.”
Regional Focus: North American NGL to boom alongside petrochemicals
Strong natural gas production and rapidly rising demand from petrochemicals makers have resulted in record-high production of natural gas plant liquids in North America, particularly in the U.S. This growth has been led by ethane.
Business Trends: Four challenges to Australia’s rising role in the global LNG market
The past 10 yr have been the decade of natural gas, but the next 10 yr will belong to LNG as countries race to build out their export capacity.
Avoid costly startup delays with a MAC
Almost every oil and gas company has experienced the chaos that comes with trying to finish a startup in its final days. The good news is that this does not have to be the status quo. Steps can be taken to dramatically reduce integration challenges and keep projects on time and on budget.
Reduce gas dehydration costs with high-efficiency mixing
The gas dehydration process is typically carried out using a large contactor tower, where glycol [typically triethylene glycol (TEG), ethylene glycol (MEG) or diethylene glycol (DEG)] enters counter-currently to the process gas for optimum contact between glycol and gas during mass transfer.
Global Project Data
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database and Gulf Energy Information’s Energy Web Atlas is tracking more than 420 active gas processing/LNG projects around the world.
U.S. Industry Metrics
On November 4, the thousandth LNG export cargo was shipped from the U.S. since the start of LNG exports from the Lower 48 States in February 2016.
Sectionalizing valve location on an onshore buried gas pipeline
In onshore buried natural gas pipelines, sectionalizing valves are used to divide the pipeline into smaller segments that can be isolated in an emergency case or when needed to allow for operation, inspection and maintenance activities.
- Japan's Mitsubishi to acquire stake in Petronas LNG plant
- McDermott awarded Rovuma LNG Phase 1 FEED contract in Mozambique
- Fincantieri LNG-powered Star Princess launched in Monfalcone
- Wood leads industry project to accelerate CCUS with guidelines for CO2 specifications
- Picarro launches handheld solution for natural gas leak investigation and closed-loop leak management
- Picarro launches handheld solution for natural gas leak investigation and closed-loop leak management
- Fincantieri LNG-powered Star Princess launched in Monfalcone
- Sonatrach, Saudi Aramco raise prices for LPG by 3%–4% in October
- Amarinth secures $1-MM order of API 610 pumps for Coral North FLNG project in Mozambique
