exploration & production
SOUR GAS
A history of
expertise
//. Contents
soUr GAs
A history
of ExpErtisE
sss
page 3 foreword
page 4 Context
40% of the world’s untapped gas reserves
hold sour gas.
page 6 ChAllenGes
since the lacq discovery, total has
continuously improved its sour gas
development processes.
page 8 expertise
After mdEA, sprex® opens a new road
to the monetization of ultra-sour gas reserves.
p. 10 lacq: a world first
p. 14 Continuous innovation
p. 18 sustainable management
of residual products
p. 20 production safety
page 22 GroUp
total worldwide in 2006.
middle East.
//. foreword
to be tapped
s sss
1. Doha, Qatar. Nearly 40% of the world’s gas reserves contain levels of
carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that pose
obstacles to development. Overcoming those obstacles is
a key challenge for oil companies.
World demand for gas has risen at a rate of nearly 3% per year for the
past thirty years, making natural gas the fossil energy with the strongest
growth. The share of gas in global energy supply expanded from
16% in 1971 to 21% in 2004, and the International Energy Agency
forecasts continuing growth, to reach a share of 23% by 2030. In absolute
value, gas consumption is thus expected to increase considerably
from 2,800 to 4,700 billion cubic meters between 2004 and 2030.
This strong development is driven above all by the environmental
qualities of natural gas. It is a clean-burning fuel that leaves no
heavy residues such as soot or tar, and releases the lowest carbon
What is dioxide emissions of all the fossil fuels. Natural gas is also used to an
sour gas? increasing extent in power generation, where it offers the additional
advantage of allowing very high efficiency in both cogeneration and
Sour gas is natural gas that combined-cycle units.
contains not only methane and
Reserves of natural gas are abundant, totaling some 180,000 billion
some long-chain hydrocarbons,
cubic meters worldwide. However, nearly 40% of the fields lying
but also H2S and/or CO2.
Mercaptans, organic sulfur untapped contain concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen
compounds in the form R–S–H, sulfide (H2S) that pose obstacles to their development. Such sour gas
are usually also present. The fields are found in Europe, Africa, North and South America and
tubing, pipes and pumps for the Far East, but the Middle East and Central Asia hold the largest
sour gas must be made of special volumes. Total became a world pioneer in sour gas production with
metal, since H2S, CO2, and its groundbreaking Lacq gas field development, in France.
mercaptans are corrosive. These Since then, the Company has built on its expertise and innovated
compounds must be removed with techniques to enable the economically viable production
before the gas can be sold.
of these unconventional resources, in compliance with increasingly
tough sales gas specifications and environmental objectives. nnn
1
06 //. Challenges
A history
of expertise
SOUR GAS
s sss
Faced with the new challenges of the Lacq gas
field, Total invented many production and processing
techniques for sour gas that are now used around
the world.
In the 1950s, with the development of the vast Lacq gas field in France,
Total marked a world first by successfully upgrading a very sour gas
(16% H2S and 10% CO2) in high temperature and pressure conditions.
To cope with the corrosive fluids and sulfur deposits, the Group
developed techniques and materials to treat this aggressive gas
efficiently and safely. This strong base of know-how has continuously
evolved; Total’s technology has made its way around the world to permit
the successful development of more than sixty sour gas fields. Flagship
projects include Elgin/Franklin (United Kingdom), South Pars and
Dorood (Iran), Bongkot (Thailand), Kharyaga (Russia), Sleipner (Norway),
and very sour gas reserves in Abu Dhabi. At present, Total is once again
pushing back frontiers with cost-effective production methods for
ultra-sour gas (over 20% of CO2 or H2S) and future-looking sweetening
processes in preparation for increasingly stringent specifications.
In the Group’s hydrocarbon production, the share of gas should reach
35% by 2010.
While the cost-effectiveness of technological solutions is a crucial
factor for the future of sour gas development, safety for people and the
environment is an equally requisite dimension. The Group’s commitment
to minimize the environmental impact of its operations is supported
by major research activities. For sour gas, the focus is on improving
the energy efficiency of sweetening processes, but the teams are also
working on breakthrough technologies like the Sprex® (for “Simple
PRe-Extraction”) process. Currently in the pre-industrial phase, this
process leads to significant savings in both the energy requirements and
the cost of treating gas. In line with its comprehensive approach, Total
Lacq lights the way also studies solutions for the management as well as the marketing
of sulfur streams and other by-products of the process. For the longer
Total has many years of term, additional research programs are under way to explore options for
experience in producing
the reinjection and storage of the acid fractions from these gases. nnn
and sweetening sour gas.
Two major milestones have
been the Lacq field in France
and the Ram River project
in Alberta, Canada. The amine-
based processes developed
by Total for separating
sour gas still rank among
the most efficient solutions
currently available.
07
1 2 3
A pioneer
in the field
of sour gas
sss
Total discovered the Lacq gas field in southwestern
France in 1951. Given the high H2S and CO2
concentrations of this gas, producing and processing
the reserves meant a totally new challenge. Less than
seven years later, the feat was accomplished – Total had
found solutions for the aggressive properties of these
streams and could deliver a high-quality sales gas.
The momentum of innovation sustained constantly
since that time has driven the Group’s technological
leadership for more than sixty years, with the
development of solutions that combine sound economics
with respect for the environment.
10 //. expertise
lAcQ:
A world first
SOUR GAS
s sss
It took Total a mere few years to develop efficient
techniques, notably amine-based sweetening processes,
to address the challenges of a high-pressure,
high-temperature sour gas reservoir. The Company’s
solutions are now used around the world.
Total’s first experience with sour gas began in 1951. During an exploration
campaign for oil in southwestern France, the Lacq 3 well revealed a
significant oil reservoir. The major quantities of hydrocarbons were found at
a depth of 3,450 meters — but in gaseous form. The pressure here was so
high that a great geyser of gas shot up through the borehole on
December 19, 1951: Total’s historic introduction to the Lacq gas giant.
to regulatory inspection
Depth: 3,500 m
on average
Pressure: about
650 bar on discovery, 24 bar genuine decline
in well potential
today
Bottomhole temperature:
140°C
Gas composition
Hydrocarbons: 74.2% Reservoir Reservoir
650 bar 24 bar
Methane: 69%
Ethane: 3%
Propane: 0.9%
Butane: 0.5% Record recovery
Pentane: 0.2% Since 1957 and the start of Lacq gas paving the way to a more detailed
Hexane and other: 0.6% production, 246 billion cubic meters understanding of reservoir geometry
Acid gases: 24.8% of gas have been recovered here. for optimized siting of production
Hydrogen sulfide: 15.3% Pressure inside the reservoir has wells. The result: proven recovery
dropped from 650 to 24 bar. of 94%. Lacq has thus also enriched
Mercaptans: 0.2%
A great number of seismic surveys Total’s experience in the production
Carbon dioxide: 9.3% and studies were carried out of substantially depleted mature
Water: 1% to model the reservoir in 3D, reservoirs.
11
sweet thio
gas thiochemicals
products
commercial gas
raw gas Condensate
removal lpg
(butane, propane)
ethane
Ethylene
steam cracker
light hydrocarbons
condensates
petroleum products
lacq crude oil stabilization
the drilling assembly and plug the well. When the drill string was pulled
out, the engineers discovered an unusual phenomenon – the gas had
altered the molecular composition of the steel and caused cracking in
all the welded parts.
s
pp Parallel research culminated in the choice and optimization
of amine-based processes (see page 14), the chemical key to the gas
sweetening process. Total also worked on the sulfur recovery aspects,
and developed Claus-type processes enabling liquid sulfur production
with energy recovery. The construction of the gas processing plant got
under way at the end of 1955, while appraisal of the field continued.
In all, 34 wells were drilled: 32 turned out to be producers.
A GAs GiAnt
The first production phase began in April 1957, with a processing and
production capacity of 1 million cubic meters per day. It included
desulfurization, condensate removal, the recovery of sulfur from
the H2S, and the refining of the by-products. This phase yielded streams
of purified gas along with hydrocarbons that are used by the chemical
industry — ethane, propane, butane — and sulfur. Three additional
phases were commissioned in July 1958, May 1959, and 1960,
boosting processing capacity to more than 20 million cubic meters
of gas per day, with an unflinching emphasis on the highest standards
of industrial safety.
Through Total’s determination and efforts, Lacq grew into a world-class
complex. The sulfur from Lacq accounted for 100% of French output,
and 8.5% of world supply. In 1960, the field produced 90% of the gas
consumed in France. The complex began to take shape as a hub
of industry, with a power plant, an aluminum plant, and various plants
manufacturing methanol, fertilizers and vinyl chloride, all of which
made use of residual gas from the Lacq operations. At its plateau
production level in the 1970s, the site was producing 33 million cubic
meters of gas a day.
Ram River,
35% H2S
tUrninG A ConstrAint into A leAdinG edGe
In 1961, capitalizing on the Although Lacq’s gas production is currently on the decline, the
experience gained at Lacq, momentum set off by this field is stronger than ever. Developing
Total first exported its know- ever-more efficient sweetening and recovery processes (see page 14),
how to the Pincher Creek field the Group has also exported its know-how internationally, as operator
in Alberta, Canada. In 1972, or through licensing. Around the world, more than 60 sour gas fields
the Company rose to a new
— including Elgin/Franklin (United Kingdom), South Pars
challenge by producing the
and Dorood (Iran), Sleipner (Norway), and very sour gas reserves
gas from Alberta’s Ram River
field. H2S content: 35%! By in Abu Dhabi — are now being produced using Total processes.
successfully sweetening this gas Starting with the Lacq field, Total has turned a geological constraint
with an amine technology, Total into a technological advantage. nnn
set yet another international
precedent, demonstrating that
its solutions can be effectively
applied to the development
of ultra-sour gas resources.
Elgin/Franklin, the challenge of variable composition
succeeded in using a single
sweetening unit designed to treat
the mix from these two sources,
which is a gas with variable
composition.
Using amine technology (activated
MDEA), the sweetening unit
directly delivers a gas that meets
export-sales specifications, with
1.5% ± 0.2% CO2 and less than
1 ppm H2S. To absorb the H2S,
the chosen option is moderately
activated MDEA, which allows
simultaneous, controlled
absorption of the CO2 at a rate
that varies with the CO2 content
of the stream. The concentration
of CO2 in the raw stream and
in the treated gas is very precisely
monitored and the operating
parameters of the unit are adjusted
accordingly, using a mass transfer
model developed by Total.
Guaranteeing a gas output in full
Combining record depths with reservoirs in the central part of the compliance with export-sales
record pressures and temperatures UK sector of the North Sea hold specifications regardless of the
(5,500 m burial depth, 1,100 bar vast reserves of gas condensate. The inlet composition of the stream,
and 190°C), the highly innovative composition of the gas is not quite this installation will accept flow
tandem development of the Elgin the same in the two reservoirs rate variations of up to 70%,
and Franklin fields also constitutes – the CO2 content varies between meaning there is no need for
an exceptional performance 2.4 and 4%, while the H2S content flaring when changes in flow rates
in sour gas treating. The two can range up to 50 ppm. Total has and/or composition occur.
Simplified process
flow diagram.
14 //. expertise
Continuous
innovation
SOUR GAS
s sss
Taking advantage of steady progress in the field of
amines, Total has developed efficient and cost-effective
solutions for sour gas processing. The success story
of innovation is now continuing with the conquest
of ultra-sour gas fields, notably via optimized amines
and the new Sprex® process.
Ever since the first studies for the Lacq gas field in the 1950s, Total
has steadily improved its amine-based sweetening processes to hone
their efficiency and expand their scope of application. These intensive
and sustained R&D efforts have produced a rich and diversified palette
of solutions for all types of sour gas streams, consolidating Total’s
leadership through the years.
Qatar, Russia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere chose Total’s amine
technologies to treat their raw sour gas, either entrusting the operations
to the Group or applying Total’s technologies under license.
s
pp Total R & D systematically screens potential molecules and then
tests the efficiency of each formulation using a pressure pilot at Lacq.
This new type of process can supplement existing solutions to remove
compounds that resist the amines, thereby reducing overall energy
consumption. With its mastery of the entire gas treating chain,
Total is fully equipped to move rapidly from tests to an industrial solution.
Re-injection
17
Condenser
- 30°C
Raw gas in
Low-
temperature
separation
Reflux
(H2O
rectif)
Distillation
Reboiler
(HC stripping)
Purified
gas out
Scrubber
Liquid H2S
60-70°C
H2O
In the period from April 2005 to July 2006, the Sprex® process was
validated at the Lacq plant in a unit with a treating capacity of
70,000 cubic meters of raw gas per day. The feed stream was a License
water-saturated gas containing 18 to 40% H2S. The experience gained co-management
by running this industrial pilot has allowed Total to demonstrate with IFP
the robust qualities of the Sprex® process, which has now been fully
Total has entrusted the French
integrated into the Group’s portfolio of sweetening solutions. nnn
Petroleum Institute (IFP)
with the management and
marketing of its gas sweetening
processes. IFP’s wholly-owned
subsidiary Prosernat designs
the sweetening units.
Sustainable
management
SOUR GAS
of residual products
s sss
Total is developing specific techniques to make
the development of sour resources as safe as possible
for the environment. Injection is an option that avoids
sulfur production and reduces emissions of CO2.
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reservoirs, deep saline aquifers, and coalbeds, but also the use of CO2 for
enhanced oil recovery (EOR). In 2001, Total E&P teamed up with various
research institutes and partners in academia and industry to undertake an
R&D program dedicated to CO2 capture and storage. The program gives
the Group a role in a number of national and international initiatives that
Crystallizing sulfur
draw on theoretical and experimental research, industrial pilot installations,
and lessons learned from ongoing projects. For example, Total is a
in the reservoir
member of CO2 ReMoVe, a consortium uniting different industries and An alternative to geological
research organizations to foster the development of projects for the storage of H2S is to produce
geological storage of CO2 in Europe and neighboring countries. The Group solid sulfur not in surface
is also a member of the ENCAP (ENhanced CAPture) working group, facilities, but in depleted
coordinated by the Swedish energy concern and power producer, hydrocarbon reservoirs that
contained H2S. This principle
Vattenfall. ENCAP focuses on the development of CO2 capture processes
involves burning the H2S or
for coal-, natural gas- and oil-fired power generation systems. The Group
sulfur to obtain SO2 that can be
also supports Picoref (Piégeage du CO2 dans les Réservoirs en France) reinjected into the reservoir. In
which is preparing industrial demonstrations of CO2 injection in France, a Claus reaction, the contact of
notably in hydrocarbon reservoirs and salt aquifers around Paris. More this fluid with the native H2S
concretely, Total is participating in the project on the Sleipner field, in the reservoir would yield
where CO2 has been injected into an aquifer since 1996. The Group is water and sulfur. If it proves
also a partner in the CO2 injection project in the Statoil-operated SnØhvit feasible, this method will offer
field (Berens Sea). In this project, the CO2 is extracted onshore in an the advantage of a long-term
LNG plant, then piped back out to sea and injected via subsea wells into solution to the problem posed
by H2S, since solid sulfur is
the saline formations of the Tubåen sandstone, at a depth of 2,600 m.
perfectly stable. This option
On Canada’s Weyburn oil field, Total is a partner in yet another R&D
could thus be applied in
project centered on the first industrial-scale application of CO2 capture appropriate depleted reservoirs
combined with enhanced oil recovery.In 2005, the Group launched the near producing sour gas fields.
study phase in preparation for the construction of a pilot oxyfuel
combustion installation for CO2 capture and storage in the depleted
reservoir of the Lacq basin in France. nnn
20 //. expertise
Production
safety
SOUR GAS
s sss
Toxic, corrosive and sometimes flammable, sour gas raises
critical production safety issues. Using purpose-designed
materials, dense arrays of sensors and leading-edge risk
modeling, Total can produce these challenging resources
without compromising on safety.
1 3
total
worldwide
SOUR GAS
in 2006
s sss
Present in more than 130 countries, Total is one of
the most dynamic players in the global oil and gas industry,
with a number of truly major technological and economic
achievements to its credit.
Photo credits: F. Guiziou/Hémisphères, Photodisc, DR/Total, Castano, M. Dufour and M. Roussel for Total – Infographics: Idé, Total –
Design-production: – Printing: Comelli – © Total – March 2007.
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