Pearl GTL is a gas to liquids

Gas to liquids

Gas to liquids is a refinery process to convert natural gas or other gaseous hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons such as gasoline or diesel fuel...

 (GTL) project based in Ras Laffan, Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

. It will convert natural gas

Natural gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

 into liquid petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 products. When constructed, it will be the largest GTL plant in the world.

Technical features

The Pearl GTL will have a capacity to convert 1.6 Gcuft of natural gas per day into 140 koilbbl/d of petroleum liquids and 120 kBOE into natural gas liquids and ethane

Ethane

Ethane is a chemical compound with chemical formula C2H6. It is the only two-carbon alkane that is an aliphatic hydrocarbon. At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas....

. The integrated process automation and control system for the main plant and the onplot tank farm will be designed and implemented by Honeywell

Honeywell

Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....

, while that for the offplot tank farm and the loading berths will be designed and implemented by Invensys

Invensys

Invensys plc is a global engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of BTR plc and Siebe plc. It has offices in more than 50 countries and its products are sold in around 180 countries.Invensys is organised into...

. Page Europa was contracted as overall Telecom System Integrator for both onshore and offshore telecommunications systems. ABB Group was contracted to supply all of the electrical and control systems. The first train will be commissioned in 2010, followed by the second train in 2011.

The main contractors are KBR and JGC Corporation

JGC Corporation

JGC Corporation is a global engineering company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. It is listed at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company was founded on 25 October 1928. In 1976, it changed its original name from Japan Gasoline Co. to JGC Corporation...

. Other contractors are J. Ray McDermott

J. Ray McDermott

McDermott International is an international engineering company specialized on marine solutions with operations in the Americas, Middle East, the Caspian Sea, and the Pacific Rim...

, CB&I

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company , , known commonly as CB&I, is a large multinational conglomerate engineering, procurement and construction company. CB&I specializes in projects for oil and gas companies...

, Consolidated Contractors Company and Descon Engineering Limited. The process pumps will be supplied by Flowserve

Flowserve

The Flowserve Corporation is a world leading supplier of pumps, valves, seals, automation, and services to the power, oil, gas, chemical and other industries. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas, Texas, Flowserve has over 15,000 employees in more than 50 countries...

, chemical injection pumps are by LEWA Germany and eight turbomachinery trains for use in the air separation systems will be supplied by Linde

The Linde Group

The Linde Group, registered as Linde AG is an international industrial gases and engineering company founded in Germany in 1879. Linde shares are traded on all the German stock exchanges and also in Zürich, and the Linde share price is included in the DAX 30 index...

. Six reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch process

Fischer-Tropsch process

The Fischer–Tropsch process is a set of chemical reactions that convert a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbons. The process, a key component of gas to liquids technology, produces a petroleum substitute, typically from coal, natural gas, or biomass for use as synthetic...

 will be supplied by MAN AG.

The Pearl GTL project builds upon the foundations of the smaller scale GTL project in Bintulu

Bintulu

Bintulu is a coastal town, and the capital of Bintulu District in the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is about 650 kilometers from Kuching and about 215 kilometers from either Sibu or Miri....

, Malaysia, which has been in operation since 1993. The plant is expected to reach full production in mid-2012.

Cost

In 2003, the project cost was estimated to be US$5 billion. However, after facing huge cost escalation, it was reported to be $18 billion in 2007, and, according to Qatar Petroleum sources, final project cost is expected to reach as high as $24 billion. Because Shell's contract provided them with the input gas for free, the project was calculated to be viable once the price of oil exceeded $40.

Project company

The project is a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Qatar Petroleum

Qatar Petroleum

Qatar Petroleum is a state owned petroleum company in Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas activities in Qatar, including exploration, production, refining, transport, and storage. QP's Chairman Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, is also the head of the Ministry of Energy and Industry and, as...

 and Shell

Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...

.

GTL fuel

The primary products of the Pearl GTL plant will be naphtha

Naphtha

Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...

 and transport fuels, with paraffin

Paraffin

In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...

s and lubricant oils

Lubricant

A lubricant is a substance introduced to reduce friction between moving surfaces. It may also have the function of transporting foreign particles and of distributing heat...

as smaller by-products of the process. The transport fuel can be used in existing light and heavy diesel engines and has been shown to have a number of benefits, such as lower emissions and engine performance enhancement.