Mega-Methanol:
Opening New Markets, Wednesday, January 19, 2005
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Luncheon and Registration
1:00 - 1:15 PM
Welcome, Workshop Opening and Review of Objectives Bob Nimocks, president,
Zeus Development Corporation Nimocks will review the objectives for the megamethanol
and DME workshops and review the agenda for the day.
1:15 - 2:00 PM
Evolution of Methanol Towards Mega and Jumbo Projects
-- How We've Gotten Here and Where We're Headed Jim Crocco, methanol industry consultant
Five years ago the methanol industry was reeling from
California Governor Gray Davis' decision to cancel plans
for MTBE. In April, the industry's state-of-the-art plant
design leapt from 2,500 tons per day to 5,000. How has this
miraculous turnaround happened? What will methanol markets
look like 10-20 years from now. Crocco, a well-known industry
analyst, will review these issues to open the workshop and
set the parameters for follow-on presentations.
2:00 - 2:45 PM
Advancements in Process Designs Allowing Methanol's
Rapid Escalation in Unit Size and Corresponding Unit-Cost
Reductions Neils Udengaard, Haldor Topsøe Haldor Topsøe is working on mega-methanol and DME projects
in Iran and China, and auto-thermal reforming systems for
GTL plants in Qatar. Udengaard has been asked to discuss
what has happened to allow the methanol industry to jump
from 2,500 tons per day (TPD) to 5,000 TPD and soon 10,000
TPD and implications for per-unit CAPEX and OPEX. Undengaard
has also been asked to provide Haldor Topsøe's perspectives
on downstream MTO or DME process opportunities.
2:45 -3:15 PM
Break
3:15 - 3:45 PM
Lurgi's Mega Methanol Process,
Experience from Atlas to Zagros James G. Aiello, director of business
development, Lurgi Lurgi AG has successfully started up the world’s first
MegaMethanol plant (the Atlas 5,000 TPD unit) in Trinidad
and is constructing two more just like it (Zagros 1 &
2) in Iran. Lurgi is in discussions with a number of other
project developers in such locations as Qatar, China and Saudi
Arabia. Further increases in single-train plant capacity may
be achieved from technical work at their Freiberg pilot plant
using POX - pure Autothermal Reforming at higher pressure
without a syngas compressor. Aiello has been asked to describe
the process and plans for new projects and processes.
3:45 - 4:15 PM
The Methanol Plantship: Starchem's
Super Large Methanol FPSO Lowell Fraley, vice president, Starchem
Technology Starchem is making progress with a methanol plant design
on a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit
to process 11,000 TPD. Fraley has examined the underlying
causes of the high and fluctuating gas prices in the USA and
the use of methanol to alleviate that situation. He will discuss
the "Methanol Plantship" as well as his U.S. market
analysis.
4:15 - 4:45 PM
Methanol-Derived Plastics and
Polymers: Redefining the Olefins Industry Jim Andersen, light olefins manager,
UOP As methanol feedstock costs fall below $100 per ton, opportunities
for new product markets emerge. One very promising market
is ethene and propene, feedstocks commonly derived from petroleum
for polymers and plastics. High crude prices combined with
advantage for low-cost feedstocks and the need for higher
propene to ethene production ratios has generated strong interest
in methanol to olefins (MTO).
4:45 - 5:00 PM
Wrap-up
5:00 - 6:00 PM
Reception
DME:
Getting to 400 Million Tons per Year, Thursday,
January 20, 2005
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Luncheon and Registration
1:00 - 1:10 PM
Call to Order, Review of Any Previous Day's Conclusions
Concerning DME, Objectives Bob Nimocks, president,
Zeus Development Corporation
1:10 - 2:00 PM
DME's Growing Momentum, Especially East of the
Suez Ron Sills, gas conversion
network leader, exploration and production technology
group, BP and senior advisor to the International
DME Association The International DME Association has championed
the use of DME as a cooking, heating, power, and transportation
fuel. Now, the technology and markets are poised for
broad commercial use. Sills will provide persepective
of the International DME Association.
2:00 - 2:45 PM
U.S. DME Markets, Manufacture, Storage and Transfer:
Lessons Learned from 30 Years of Experience Joseph A Creazzo, DuPont Akzo Nobel and DuPont initiated the development
of DME markets in the 1960s when desire for a replacements
for chlorofloro carbons emerged. DME was found to
behave like LPG but non-toxic and biodegradable.
2:45 -3:15 PM
Break
3:15 - 4:00 PM
DME Production Process
Comparison (Technical Aspect) and Toyo's DME Technology
Features Hiroshi Fukuyama, Licensing
Manager, Licensing and Patents Dept., Toyo Engineering
Corporation (TEC) TEC has completed a feasibility study for a DME
business, together with companies who hold gas reserves
and own the markets for products. They are progressing
to the next step of introducing DME products into the
Japanese market. Fukuyama will provide a DME process
comparison and describe Toyo's technology features.
4:00 - 4:45 PM
Toyo's DME Project Experience
in China Hiroshi Fukuyama, Licensing
Manager, Licensing and Patents Dept., Toyo Engineering
Corporation (TEC) Toyo Engineering was awarded earlier last year a
contract to build a 110,000 mt/yr fuel-grade dimethyl
ether (DME) plant for the Luthianhua Group (Luzhou,
China). The plant will use Toyo's technology. Toyo was
previously awarded a contract to build the related methanol
plant and the first commercial DME plant in the world
for fuel use. Fukuyama will describe the DME experience
of Toyo in China.
