Process Design Integration: A New Optimized Approach That Will Facilitate Gas Development Projects for Nigeria

Abstract Nigeria is blessed with Natural gas reserves whose abundance is estimated in the range 100-300 trillion cubic feet. It is, perhaps, the most wasted energy resource in Nigeria: In 1970, there was no gas processing plant in Nigeria and as such about 99 percent of all gas produced was flared. In 1979, the Nigerian government filed a directive that required the multinationals to find utilization for gas reserves and all gas produced. The goal was to reduce energy waste and environmental pollution. As an alternative to the above decree the multinationals were required to pay penalties for all gas wasted. Despite this decree, and encouraged by still lack of facilities, gas flaring continued with the Operators under great regulatory and economic pressures. A Joint Venture between government and the multinations agreed to finance gas projects which would be founded on sound engineering basis. An integrated process design is a cost-effective conceptual engineering in which process and utility systems are carried out in parallels and with the cooperation of all subgroups. This integrated technology is expected to put both the conceptual and the detailed designs of the fast lane and thus alleviate the fears of the Nigerian clients. The other advantages of the integrated process design over the conventional design are:–Consistent optimization of the entire design is now possible and less complex.–Primary process and utility equipment set up which constitute about 90 percent of the total capital investment are now made early before final construction is embarked upon.–Work activities relating to subsystems can now be done cooperatively and in parallel by the use of softwares which can transfer final simulation output into subsystem spreadsheet programs for quick updates of results.–The integrated process, founded on sound engineering judgement and consistent with well defined energy efficiency has an advantage of reducing the overall construction schedule. A detailed account of this new process and its future on worldwide projects will be outlined. The effect of reimbursable arrangement will be mentioned.