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ISSN Print: 2381-1153 ISSN Online: 2381-1161

American Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science

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Economic Evaluation and Upgraded Implementation of the Project: Shell Pearl Qatar

American Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science
Vol.3 , No. 3, Publication Date: Apr. 26, 2016, Page: 80-89

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Authors

[1]	A. A. Panteloglou, School of Natural Sciences and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece.
[2]	S. P. Vasileiadis, School of Natural Sciences and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece.
[3]	Z. D. Ziaka, School of Natural Sciences and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece.

Abstract

Natural gas that is discharged to the environment through flaring or is situated in areas 4000 km away from the final consumers and thus is not economically feasible to transfer through pipelines can be further processed for producing liquid fuels. The process studied in this paper is the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis, which is applied in the Shell Pearl Qatar project. This project produces liquid fuels – naphtha, kerosene, diesel and baseoil –in approximately 140,000 barrels/day. This paper is a feasibility study of Shell Pearl Qatar project and its sustainability aiming to determine the price range for crude oil over which an investment to a similar project can be profitable. An MS Excel Model was developed in order to perform calculations having as a variable the crude oil price and taking into account all the process and project’s financial data. The results of this model showed that the project remains profitable in crude oil prices above $48.67/barrel. In the price range $55 - $60/barrel, the payout of the project will be in about 9 years. In addition, we proposed a new method for the improvement of the project’s financial results. The use of membrane reactor technology to produce synthesis gas, after appropriate modification, will increase the overall financial performance by about 35%. The study of the new process showed that the project remains profitable in crude oil prices above $30.78/barrel and the payout will be in 4.2 years.

Keywords

Natural Gas Conversion, Liquid Fuel Production, Membrane Reactor Technology, Economical Assessments, Shell Pearl Qatar Process, Petroleum Engineering

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