Qatargas common sulfur programme makes big strides

Qatargas operations, safety, and management representatives were present to open the final valve, which started the flow of the first molten sulfur into CSP, and marked the beginning of CSP start up.

Faisal M Al Suwaidi, CEO and vice-chairman of Qatargas, said:

"This is a moment of achievement for the common sulfur project, which was taken up as a value-added project of Qatargas. I extend my thanks, gratitude and congratulations to all staff involved in implementing this project successfully."

There are two parallel pipelines, each 17.5 km long. This accommodates tie-in points for current and future sulfur producers within RLIC. Qatargas is currently using a 6.9 km portion of the north-south pipeline to flow sulfur from Qatargas Trains 4 and 5. Full scale operations are expected in first quarter 2010.

CSP is designed to receive up to 12,000 tons/day of liquid sulfur via pipelines and convert it into granules, which are stored in a building for shipment to customers worldwide. The natural gas from offshore production fields contains Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), which must be removed to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG). Sulfur is produced as a result of removal of H2S as a byproduct during the production of LNG and is a major commodity chemical used in rubber, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and sulfuric acid manufacturing.