Innovation in Fuels and Chemicals Production Offshore
The Tassie Shoal Methanol Plant (TSMP) will be the world’s first offshore chemical plant, and the Timor Sea LNG Plant (TSLNGP) will be the world’s first offshore LNG plant. Many innovative applications and combinations of proven designs are involved, but avoiding ‘World’s First’ components to ensure bankability.
The TSMP’s gravity base substructure is second to the Adriatic LNG Re-Gas terminal in terms of concrete volume and timing, but very similar in design and footprint. The methanol process design by DPT is the second at the scale.
The concrete gravity structure (CGS) for the LNG tank is a conventional LNG tank on a concrete base of common offshore type. The compact Dual Mixed Refrigerant (DMR) LNG process design selected by Air Products (APCI) for offshore application is a slight variation of the dominant process operating today, and the plot area reduction is assisted by use of water cooling and printed circuit heat exchangers.
Aero-derivative gas turbines rather than industrial frame machines have only previously been applied in two LNG plants, and electric drives only previously applied in one, but the latter approach is strongly advocated by Shell and Siemens.
Offshore plants offer a way around high construction costs in remote areas and avoid long pipeline costs, extreme tidal ranges and sensitive environments for coastal plants. The combination of LNG and methanol production can result in low CO2 emissions per tonne of both products for moderate CO2 content gas.