Gas-to-Liquid Technology Provider Scales-up and Optimizes Plant Design Using the aspenONE® Engineering Suite

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Gas-to-Liquid Technology Provider Scales-up and Optimizes Plant Design Using the aspenONE® Engineering Suite

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“In providing gas-to-liquid systems for our clients, we are equipped with calibrated simulation models that reflect reality for different scales, as well as the ranges of predicted feed compositions. We can deliver solutions and demonstrate performance of potential projects using the aspenONE Engineering suite.”

– John Doyle, Chief Project Officer, Primus Green Energy™

Primus Green Energy™ is a gas-to-liquids solution company located in Hillsborough, New Jersey, that has developed an innovative, modular system that economically produces high-value liquids, such as high octane gasoline, diluent or methanol directly from natural gas or other hydrocarbon gases.

Primus Green Energy™ needs to ensure that their modular plants are not only effective, but also profitable when compared to alternative gas monetization options. Primus Green Energy™ turned to the aspenONE Engineering Desktop, which is economical for small and medium-sized engineering organizations, to access the full aspenONE Engineering suite. Using Aspen HYSYS® for their process simulation needs, Primus can model and optimize their processes, including the fixed bed catalytic reactors, and with Aspen Capital Cost Estimator (ACCE), they can consider the cost of each design package.

CUSTOMER PROFILE - Primus Green Energy™ – Gas-to-Liquids

CHALLENGE

Design a commercial plant program to monetize flared gas, stranded natural gas and stranded ethane using innovative gas-to-liquid (GTL) STG+™ technology.

SOLUTION

Prepare and calibrate models using the aspenONE Engineering suite, including Aspen HYSYS, Aspen Exchanger Design & Rating (EDR) and Aspen Capital Cost Estimator.

BENEFITS

• Scaled-up GTL STG+™ technology from a pilot plant program

• Evaluated heat exchanger design and performance and completed costing

• Developed a program to provide solutions specific to the needs of the client

An estimated 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas is being flared globally each year—a $35 billion loss of value. Primus Green Energy™

provides their clients with gas-to-liquid systems for monetizing flared gas.

Gas-to-Liquid Technology Provider Scales-up and Optimizes Plant Design Using the aspenONE® Engineering Suite

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AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO GAS-TO-LIQUIDS TECHNOLOGY

An estimated 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas is being flared globally each year — a $35 billion loss of value. Primus Green Energy™ provides their clients with gas-to-liquid systems for monetizing flared gas in order to comply with more stringent anti-flaring regulations, and creates valuable liquids from gas that would otherwise be wasted. Primus’ modular plants offer a profitable solution for stranded gas for

remote locations, associated or flared gas at oil well pads and stranded ethane at gas processing plants. Primus’ modular plants are uniquely designed to be profitable at all scales, starting as small as 4 MMSCF/D of feed gas, corresponding to 500 barrels per day of gasoline production.

Primus’ core technology converts natural gas into gasoline or methanol using fixed bed catalytic reactors — a proven technology using 100% standard components with no wastewater, gas pretreatment or liquid posttreatment needed. To scale-up the technology to the different capacities needed and to deliver attractive returns, simulation and cost estimation software were needed.

FINDING THE OPTIMAL DESIGN AND VALIDATING THE MODEL WITH DEMO PLANT DATA

The aspenONE suite is a critical tool for designing Primus’ gas-to-liquid STG+™ plants. At the pilot and demonstration plant stage, Aspen HYSYS and Aspen EDR were used for process design, reactor system analysis and heat exchanger design and performance evaluation. At the commercial plant level, Aspen HYSYS and the economic evaluation suite were utilized for conceptual design and optimization, including process simulation for various feed gas compositions, costing for feasibility studies and scale-up/scale down estimates. When considering the cost while simultaneously designing a new technology, not only does this allow for a better solution, it now requires fewer iterations and more time to consider alternatives. Furthermore, Primus’ Aspen HYSYS process model is continually validated with real data from the Hillsborough, New Jersey, natural gas-to-gasoline STG+™ plant.

At the commercial plant level, Aspen HYSYS and the economic evaluation suite are utilized

for conceptual design and optimization, including process simulation for various feed gas compositions, costing for feasibility studies and

scale-up/scale down estimates.

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Gas-to-Liquid Technology Provider Scales-up and Optimizes Plant Design Using the aspenONE® Engineering Suite

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ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE CLIENT

Equipped with aspenONE software, Primus Green Energy™ can respond to client needs and find the best solutions for the needed capacity, location and regulations for a specific region. While working with a client in Central Asia to monetize associated gas that was previously flared, Primus was able to boost the liquid output from their standard plant design, enable compliance with anti-flaring regulations and provide a modular design suitable for that remote location.

To deal with the challenge of variations in feed gas composition, Primus was able to use the Aspen HYSYS model to simulate the range of feed gas compositions that the modular plant could handle. For the lack of available water onsite and the necessity of air cooling, they designed an air cooled system using Aspen Air Cooled Exchanger.

Primus Green Energy™ has multiple projects underway worldwide and now offers not only gas-to-gasoline STG+™ systems, but also gas-to-methanol STG+™ systems.

Equipped with aspenONE software, Primus Green Energy™ can respond to client needs and find the best solutions for the required capacity,

location and regulations for that region.