Optimal Selection and Design of a Methanol Process with Enhanced CO2 Utilization

The recent discoveries of significant reserves of shale gas have spurred various monetization pathways including the production of methanol. There are several routes to convert shale/natural gas to methanol. The decisions for technology selection and process design were typically based on techno-economic criterial. Because of the growing interest in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of gas processing, carbon footprint is emerging as a primary criterion in the selection and design of the process. The purpose of this work is to carry out process synthesis, selection, and design of a shale-gas to methanol process with multiple objectives including profitability and carbon footprint. Several reforming pathways along with the associated downstream processing are considered. In addition to the screening of individual types of reforming, the study also considers combined reforming of methane which incorporates three types of reforming, namely steam reforming, partial oxidation, and dry reforming. It is desired to consider existing technologies and to also modify the design of an existing methanol technology to include combined reforming. Utilization of COv2 is addressed while maintaining the suitable syngas ratio for methanol synthesis, and minimizing COv2 emissions, waste water generation, and energy requirements of the overall process. A methanol from natural gas production plant with a capacity of processing 280 MMSCFD is considered as the base case scenario. The plant employs conventional reforming (e.g. steam reforming, partial oxidation, or ATR) to generate syngas for methanol synthesis. Aspen HYSYS is used to simulate the process scenarios and SWROIM is used to aid determining the ultimate reforming configuration based on economic and sustainability indicators. Heat and power integration are performed to improve the sustainability and profitability of the process, through identifying water and heat sinks in the overall design. A techno-economic analysis of the proposed designs are conducted, including the fixed capital cost, carbon taxes, and utility requirements. Sensitivity analysis of each proposed design is carried out to assess the impact of natural gas and methanol prices on the profitability. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the effects of imposing carbon tax and carbon credit regulations. Keywords: syngas, carbon footprint, integration, design, sustainability

Optimal Selection and Design of a Methanol Process with Enhanced CO2 Utilization

The recent discoveries of significant reserves of shale gas have spurred various monetization pathways including the production of methanol. There are several routes to convert shale/natural gas to methanol. The decisions for technology selection and process design were typically based on techno-economic criterial. Because of the growing interest in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of gas processing, carbon footprint is emerging as a primary criterion in the selection and design of the process. The purpose of this work is to carry out process synthesis, selection, and design of a shale-gas to methanol process with multiple objectives including profitability and carbon footprint. Several reforming pathways along with the associated downstream processing are considered. In addition to the screening of individual types of reforming, the study also considers combined reforming of methane which incorporates three types of reforming, namely steam reforming, partial oxidation, and dry reforming. It is desired to consider existing technologies and to also modify the design of an existing methanol technology to include combined reforming. Utilization of COv2 is addressed while maintaining the suitable syngas ratio for methanol synthesis, and minimizing COv2 emissions, waste water generation, and energy requirements of the overall process. A methanol from natural gas production plant with a capacity of processing 280 MMSCFD is considered as the base case scenario. The plant employs conventional reforming (e.g. steam reforming, partial oxidation, or ATR) to generate syngas for methanol synthesis. Aspen HYSYS is used to simulate the process scenarios and SWROIM is used to aid determining the ultimate reforming configuration based on economic and sustainability indicators. Heat and power integration are performed to improve the sustainability and profitability of the process, through identifying water and heat sinks in the overall design. A techno-economic analysis of the proposed designs are conducted, including the fixed capital cost, carbon taxes, and utility requirements. Sensitivity analysis of each proposed design is carried out to assess the impact of natural gas and methanol prices on the profitability. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the effects of imposing carbon tax and carbon credit regulations. Keywords: syngas, carbon footprint, integration, design, sustainability

Dadan Archaeological Project. An Overview of the Results of the 2020/2021 Field Seasons

International audienc

The Dadan Archaeological Project. Preliminary Results of the Fall 2022 Field Season

International audienc

The Dadan Archaeological Project: results of three excavation and survey seasons at an ancient North-Arabian capital

International audienceLocated in the oasis of modern al-ʿUlā (AlUla), in northern Hejaz, the ancient city of Dadan was a major political and commercial hub in ancient northwest Arabia. It was settled from the late 3rd or early 2nd millennium BCE and flourished during the 1st millennium BCE with the development of long-distance trade along the “Incense Road”. During this period, it was the capital of two successive kingdoms: the local kingdom of Dadan (early/mid-1st millennium BCE) and the larger, tribal kingdom of Liḥyān (second half of the 1st millennium BCE). In 2020, a new program, the Dadan Archaeological Project (CNRS/AFALULA/RCU), was launched to carry out a comprehensive archeological investigation of this major site. It includes large-scale excavations, a systematic survey of the site and its mountainous hinterland, and a wide array of specialized studies (epigraphy, ceramology, archaeozoology, archaeobotany, study of rock-carving techniques). This paper will present the results of the first three field seasons, which shed critical new light on the organization, chronology, political history, religious life, and material culture of the site

Results of the 2nd field season of Dadan Archaeological project (2021)

International audienc

The Dadan Archaeological Project. Preliminary Results of the 2022 Field Season

International audienc

A Multiscale-System Analysis of the Techno-Economic and Environmental Aspects of Shale and Natural Gas Monetization Pathways

Within the context of increasing global efforts to minimize CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere, attention has been directed toward finding cleaner means of energy generation and feedstock production to sustain global demands for energy and raw materials. As a result, shale/natural gas emerged as a transition fuel toward achieving net-zero emission targets. This work aims to synthesize novel tools to effectively harness the benefits of shale/natural gas monetization pathways. The research develops approaches to address the following problems: (1) development of a systematic selection methodology for the available methane reforming technologies, (2) development of shortcut cost correlations and carbon-footprint estimation of shale/natural gas reforming units, and (3) an overall collaborative approach between process systems engineering and catalysis to accelerate the development of chemical processes. In light of the first problem, the different pathways for methane reforming processes were studied and their unique attributes considered. A selection methodology is presented to identify the most suitable reforming pathway based on the downstream application of interest. The technologies were characterized based on eight key process metrics: (i) H₂/CO ratio, (ii) capacity range, (iii) capital intensity, (iv) operating pressure and temperature, (v) ability to tune H₂/CO ratio, (vi) steam requirements, (vii) O₂ requirements, and (viii) CO₂ intensity. To address the second problem, over 350 plants worldwide that utilize a reforming unit were surveyed. Of these, 78 were considered for further analysis. The types of plants considered included Gas-to-Liquids (GTL), methanol, and ammonia. Rigorous analyses were carried out based on the plants’ reported capital costs to develop an order-of-magnitude (initial estimate) capital cost correlation. A second correlation to estimate the operating costs of the methane reforming unit was developed based on the feed and energy requirements of the primary reforming reactions. A similar approach was applied for the development of the CO₂ intensity correlation. Finally, a collaborative methodology between process systems engineering and catalysis is introduced. The methodology aims to accelerate the development of chemical processes by incorporating research efforts at an early stage of technology development. A case study of a methane-to-methanol process is presented to illustrate the use of the proposed methodology