Japan National Oil Corporation (JNOC) and Iran’s Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) have agreed to commence technical collaboration on the process development for the OCM (Oxidative Coupling of Methane) technology. The project agreement between the parties was signed on December 25, 2002.
With its abundant oil reserves, Iran is one of the most important countries as a stable petroleum exporter to Japan. Recognizing Iran’s importance, JNOC has conducted various cooperative activities with Iran in order to promote petroleum resource development there and contribute to stabilizing petroleum supply to Japan, according to a company press release. The geological and geophysical survey on Azadegan oil field is one of such cooperative projects with Iran.
Technical collaboration on the process development for the OCM technology, as a new cooperative project, will be implemented on the basis of technical information and know-how of both parties acquired through their individual undertakings on OCM technology development.
Using OCM technology, natural gas is oxidized into ethylene and other products. Ethylene can be oligomerized into gasoline. This collaborative project will include various works such as catalysts preparation, reactor design for the synthesized catalyst, total process development for gasoline production, and economic viability evaluation.
In November 2001, JNOC and RIPI agreed to initiate two collaborative research projects—reservoir properties estimation in the Azadegan oil field and basin modeling in the Central Alborz Basin. The studies were completed in October 2002 and the compilation of the final reports on the studies is now under way. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
