GTL ’15: New Juniper GTL project on US Gulf nears construction completion

By Ben DuBose
Digital Editor

HOUSTON -- Despite weaker industry pricing patterns, construction of the Juniper GTL project in Louisiana remains on schedule with initial production expected in the first quarter of 2016, a leading executive with one of the developers said on Thursday.

Leo Bonnell, vice president of process engineering at SGC Energia US, said the project is now 68% complete overall, with pre-commissioning, commissioning and startup all contracted for the first quarter of next year.

The Juniper GTL project near Lake Charles is expected to produce 1,100 bpd of refined products, including waxes, drilling fluids, distillate and naphtha, from natural gas.

"GTL doesn’t have to be big to be commercial," said Bonnell, who gave a project update on Thursday at the GTL Technology Forum. "We think our plant is the best proof you’ll find in that."

The Juniper GTL plant is being developed in partnership amongst SGC Energia, Quintana Minerals Corp. and Calumet Specialty Products Partners, under an operating XTLH license from SGC Energia.

The Juniper GTL process starts with the reforming of natural gas into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. These gases are then sent to a reactor, where they combine into a paraffinic liquid through a reaction known as Fischer-Tropsch (FT). The resulting liquid is ultimately refined by distillation and hydrogenation.

The whole process, guaranteed under a single GTL license (XTLH), focuses on the reliable, profitable production of specialty and fuels products. At Juniper, the project will convert approximately 12,000 MMBtu/day of natural gas into valuable FT products, incorporating an existing steam methane reformer (SMR) plant acquired by Juniper in Westlake, Louisiana.

As of now, all field refurbishment work, foundation work and structural steel erection have been completed. Additionally, the FT reactors have both been fabricated and installed.

"An awful lot has gotten done on this project in a very short time," Bonnell said. "It's really amazing to watch. Each time I go, it looks like a different place."

Going forward, Bonnell says the goal for SGC Energia is to develop or co-develop a network of up to 10,000 bpd of similar XTLH refineries in North America.

"We certainly are committed to GTL technology and the GTL business," Bonnell said. "I think Juniper and what's being done there says it a lot more than I ever could myself."

The GTL Technology Forum continues through Thursday at City Centre in Houston.

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