Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) Sour Gas, a subsidiary joint venture of ADNOC and Occidental Petroleum Corp., is set to build a pipeline to carry molten sulfur produced by its Shah field sour gas operations.
The pipeline will carry the sulfur from ADNOC’s main processing plant to its granulation sulfur plant 11 km away, where it is granulated, stockpiled, and ultimately transported, via rail, to a sulfur-handling terminal at ADNOC’s Ruwais downstream hub.
Pipeline capacity will be expandable to allow for increased sulfur production. ADNOC says the pipeline, scheduled for commissioning in 2019, will create greater value from a main commodity of sour gas processing and increase flexibility around existing operations.
MMEC Mannesmann GMBH is conducting engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the pipeline. Nearly 60% of the value of the EPC contract will flow back into the UAE economy as part of ADNOC’s in-country value program. ADNOC exports granulated sulfur to fertilizer manufacturers worldwide.
As part of its Oxy JV, ADNOC is advancing plans to increase sour gas processing by 50% of existing capacity. The expansion of Shah processing would make ADNOC one of the world’s largest producers of sulfur, the company says.
From the 1 bcfd of sour gas ADNOC currently processes, the Shah plant produces 500 MMcfd network gas, 4,400 tons/day of NGL, 33,000 b/d of petroleum condensates, and 10,000 tons/day of pure granulated sulfur.
