Honeywell wins bid from Qatar Shell for gas-to-liquids facilities

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Honeywell (NYSE: HON) has been selected by Qatar Shell to design and implement the integrated process automation and control system for one of the world’s largest Gas to Liquids (GTL) plants.

As the main automation contractor, Honeywell will supply Qatar Shell GTL Ltd. with some of its highest profile solutions – the Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) Release 300 platform, the UniSim™ process simulation solution, Safety Manager™ instrumented protection and fire & gas systems – to enable a smooth startup and safe and reliable operations for the Pearl GTL project. Last year, Qatar Shell GTL awarded Honeywell a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to conduct preliminary engineering for the site.

The Pearl GTL project will be the leading operation in the rapidly growing GTL industry. Located about 53 miles north of Doha in the industrial city of Ras Laffan, the project includes two gas production platforms -- which will produce 1.6 billion cubic feet per day of wellhead gas, which will in turn be transported and processed to produce approximately 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and ethane -- and an onshore GTL plant that is expected to produce 140,000 barrels per day of GTL products, including naphtha and transport fuels. Virtually free of sulphur, nitrogen and aromatics, GTL products are environmentally friendly, as well as engine efficient.

“A project like this presents many implementation challenges, and the key to overcoming them is deep engineering knowledge coupled with state-of-the-art technology,” said Jack Bolick,

Honeywell Process Solutions president. “The integrated solution will enable Shell to efficiently control Pearl GTL operations from production at the platforms, to processing at the onshore plant, to shipping of the finished product.”

Experion will tie together all critical subsystems – including non-Honeywell systems – in the Pearl GTL plant to give operators a complete picture of operations. Data from equipment such as process controls, field devices and safety systems will be sent to the control room, enabling operators to make better decisions faster.

The Pearl GTL project will be one of the largest Foundation Fieldbus installations in the world. A main driver for using Fieldbus is obtaining benefits from the extensive use of diagnostics from field instruments. For example, Honeywell Asset Manager will send system diagnostic information to operators and maintenance personnel that can help them determine if certain pieces of equipment aren’t functioning properly, enabling them to quickly take the right action.

Honeywell Safety Manager, another Experion component, will be used to bring processes to a safe state in the event of an incident that endangers personnel safety, and/or the environment, and to protect against equipment damage. UniSim, Honeywell’s family of process simulation software, will be used for dynamic studies, engineering verifications and operator training. Honeywell also will provide a range of temperature and pressure transmitters, program and project engineering services, and will closely work with Shell’s construction and engineering companies from around the world.