A technical assessment of options for transporting associated gas produced from deepwater oil developments in the Gulf of Mexico has been completed. The options considered included gas pipeline and several processes that convert the gas to another state or product for transport by a vessel to shore. The processes studied included Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and Gas-To-Liquid (GTL).
The purpose of this assessment was to:
- To generate consistent or analogous information on the various systems,
- To treat all systems in a uniform and consistent manner, but
- Not to attempt to determine which system is “best”. “Best” in a project sense will depend on project-specific factors and operator-specific drivers and opportunities – both technical and economic.
The results of this study provide information that will be useful to the MMS in assessing gas transportation options that might be proposed for deepwater development projects in the Gulf of Mexico during the next decade. The study also provides information that is useful for studies pertaining to alternative systems for deepwater oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico.
This technical assessment of gas transportation options was conducted by the Offshore Technology Research Center (OTRC) for the Minerals Management Service. The Offshore Operators Committee (OOC) provided assistance through helping to coordinate industry input and participation in this project.
This report describes the study, summarizes the assessment for each gas handling option and presents an overall comparison of the options. Detailed results are presented in the appendices as follows:
Appendix A – Pipelines
Appendix B – Liquefied Natural Gas
Appendix C – Compressed Natural Gas
Appendix D – Gas to Liquids
