» We have provided our clients with process engineering assistance for various projects in gas plants with capacities ranging from 750 MSCFD to 2400 MMSCFD, liquids fractionation facilities with capacities from 5 BPSD to 110,000 BPSD, and on-shore/off-shore production facilities up to 600 MMSCFD and 100,000 BPSD.

» Case Studies

Below is a partial listing of our past projects:

Gas Processing/LPG Recovery/Fractionation

• ConocoPhillips - Empress Gas Plant: Detailed process design support for the expansion of an existing 2400 MMSCFD ethane recovery expander plant.
  
  
• Conoco - Belanak FPSO: Unique process design of a high propane recovery expander plant to be installed on a FPSO (floating production storage off-loading) tanker located in Indonesian waters. This FPSO will be the first of its kind in the world as it includes full LPG product fractionation. It will produce crude oil, sales gas, propane, butane, and naphtha product streams.
  
  
• Conoco - DEZ Gas: Detailed process design support and on-site startup assistance for two recovery plants (one J-T and one refrigeration) processing a total of 425 MMSCFD located in Syria.
  
  
• PDVSA/BVPI - Lama Platform: Startup/commissioning support for a 125 MMSCFD expander plant located off-shore Lake Maricaibo, Venezuela.
  
  
• Kentucky Hydrocarbons/DPI: Performed preliminary engineering and cost estimating for expanding an existing 55 MMSCFD cryogenic gas plant to 65 MMSCFD and improving overall liquids recoveries. The new design achieves 95% propane recovery (15% increase plus product recovered meets more stringent specifications) and utilizes 4,000 Hp less than the original design at the lower throughput.
  
  
• Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited - Phase II Expansion: Process design, detailed design, and construction/startup support for a 600 MMSCFD expander plant located in Trinidad & Tobago.
  
  
• Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited - Phase I & II Ethane Recovery: Process design for the conversion of two expander plants processing a total of 1,350 MMSCFD of gas located in Trinidad & Tobago.
  
  
• DuPont - Sabine River Works: Performed detailed capacity study on an existing high recovery cryogenic expander plant located in Texas. Determined sequential plant bottlenecks enabling 50% higher capacity and evaluated the impact upon product recoveries.
  
  
• Enogex - Harrah Gas Plant: Performed detailed evaluation of a 12 MMSCFD cryogenic gas processing facility and determined the bottlenecks to processing up to 18 MMSCFD. Provided sequential listing of the necessary modifications and expected product recoveries for the higher plant throughput.

Compressor Stations and Product Terminals

• Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited - Soldado Compressor Station: Performed preliminary and detailed engineering for a 35 MMSCFD compressor station located in Trinidad & Tobago. Work included the development of PFD's, P&IDs, sizing and specification of process equipment, conducting process review for the facility Process Hazards Analysis, and generation of station operating procedures.
  
  
• Corinpet Oriente - Musipan Compressor Station: Performed detailed engineering for a 45 MMSCFD compressor station (expandable to 60 MMSCFD) located in Venezuela. Developed P&ID's, sized and specified all process equipment, evaluated used equipment to determine suitability for service, and provided general project coordination and direction for other engineering disciplines. Interfaced with supplier of leased compression and PDVSA personnel to ensure that the station met all design and operation requirements.
  
  
• INTEC/Petropar - Villa Elisa LPG Terminal: Performed detailed Process Hazards Analysis on a newly constructed, 50,000 barrel LPG terminal in Paraguay consisting of four storage spheres, truck loading and unloading facilities, and barge unloading facilities. Conducted initial terminal commissioning and startup working closely with Petropar personnel.
  
  
• Conoco - Gibbstown Propane Terminal: Provided detailed process engineering support for the conversion of an existing 180,000 barrel ammonia storage cavern located in New Jersey to propane storage service. Performed detailed design on above ground terminal facilities including sizing and specifications of all process equipment, and development of PFD's and P&ID's. Terminal systems included ship unloading, truck loading/unloading, rail car loading/unloading, cavern vapor recovery, above ground storage, flare, and firewater system.
  
  
• Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited: A 200,000 barrel gasoline storage/loading facilities in Trinidad & Tobago.
  
  
• INTEC - LPG FSO: Conceptual engineering study comparing on-shore fractionation and storage of 100,000-300,000 barrels of LPG versus pipelining to an off-shore FSO equipped with fractionation, storage, and product off-loading facilities. Several different sites with slightly different constraints were evaluated.
  
  
• Caleta Cordova, Termap S.A./INTEC: A 1.1 million barrel crude oil storage/marine export terminal in Argentina.
  
  
• Caleta Olivia, Termap S.A./INTEC: A 1.05 million barrel crude oil storage/marine export terminal in Argentina.

Production Facilities

• Unocal/INTEC - Bangka: Provided development study for long distance subsea tie-back to an existing floating production system in Indonesia.
  
  
• Premier Oil - AGX Platform (Anoa): Provided preliminary engineering, detailed engineering, and construction support for a 200 MMSCFD off-shore production platform located in Indonesian waters. Platform includes compression and hydrocarbon/water dewpoint control equipment.
  
  
• Conoco - West Natuna Sea Transportation Study: Performed conceptual engineering to determine the optimal operating philosophy for a large off-shore trunkline to transport gas from four gathering points in the West Natuna Sea to Singapore. Evaluated dry gas, wet gas, and dense phase operating scenarios and optimized operating / design pressure of the pipeline versus cost of offshore compression. Provided preliminary engineering support including start-up and commissioning studies.
  
  
• MODEC - Tchatamba: Provided process engineering assistance in troubleshooting processing problems following start-up of an offshore production unit mounted on a converted jack-up. Analyzed data and identified problems related to off specification crude oil, excess vapor rates, and heat exchanger fouling. Performed preliminary studies to determine changes necessary to expand capacity.
  
  
• Conoco - Block B Development: Performed feasibility study to minimize costs of developing seven Indonesian off-shore gas fields. Provided support for preliminary engineering of a mobile gas production unit to be used for subsea well control, compression, gas dehydration, and custody transfer metering.
  
  
• INTEC - Angkor FPSO: Performed conceptual engineering for a FPSO facility to be installed off-shore Cambodia. Developed initial process simulations to optimize separation process and generated preliminary equipment sizes and cost estimates.
  
  
• Freeport/Fairwinds Intl. - Off-shore facility consolidation: Evaluated different options for consoldating off-shore gas facilities operated by two different companies located in the Gulf of Mexico.

Refining

• STRATCO - Alkylation Unit: Completed process engineering study for the expansion of the existing Amerada Hess, Port Reading, NJ sulfuric acid alkylation unit.
  
  
• MCNIC/Crown - Asphalt Ridge Tar Sands: Startup support/process consulting for a 6,000 BPSD crude/vacuum unit located in Utah producing asphalt which is extracted from tar sands bitumen using a unique and proprietary process. Prior to startup, simulations were performed in order to predict unit operation under startup operating conditions and to develop startup set-point targets. Provided on-site assistance during startup.

Process Safety

• Miscellaneous SAFE Chart, Process Hazards Analysis (PHA), HAZOP, PSV studies for the following facilities:
  • Conoco - World-wide: Numerous facilities
  • Enogex - OK & TX: Calumet, Davenport, Harrah, and Benedum gas plants
  • Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited - Trinidad & Tobago: Phase I & II gas plants, LPG fractionation and storage
  • Coastal Field Services - UT: Gas plant
  • Enerfin Resources - OK: Gas plant
  • Duke Energy Field Services (DEFS) - OK: Gas plant

Special Projects

• EnerSea Transport - Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Transportation: Performed technology development and conceptual engineering studies to support the ship-based VOTRANS (Volume-Optimized TRANsportation & Storage) system and the land-based VOLANDS (Volume-Optimized LAND & Storage) systems.
  
  • Optimization and sensitivity studies of storage conditions.
    
  • Conceptual development: Steady-state and dynamic simulation for loading and unloading phases.
    
  • Developed preliminary designs for high level cost estimation of several potential applications.
    
    
• Conoco - Natural Gas Refining: Process consulting/development support for a Gas-to-Liquids (Synthesis Gas and Fischer-Tropsch) facility with full product separation and treating. Support included development of fully integrated HYSYS process models for material and energy balances and economic evaluations of various processing schemes as well as detailed sizing methods for specialized plant equipment.
  
  
• American Warrior - Nitrogen Rejection Unit: Provided conceptual simulation studies and detailed process design for a 5 MMSCFD cryogenic nitrogen rejection unit located in Kansas producing saleable gas and high purity helium.
  
  • Specification of inlet/sales gas compression
    
  • Design/specification of amine contactor and tray internals
    
  • Design/specification of molecular sieve dehydration system
    
  • Design/specification of cryogenic nitrogen rejection process
    
  • Design/specification of helium recovery facilities
    
    
• Coal Bed Energy (CBE) - Nitrogen Rejection Unit: Provided detailed engineering support for a 12.5 MMSCFD nitrogen rejection unit located in Pennsylvania. Evaluated E&C contractor equipment sizing, specification, and general process design.