Honeywell wins feed project for Pearl GTL plant in Qatar

Honeywell will provide 'Front End Engineering Design' (FEED) expertise for the Gas to Liquids (GTL) plant located at Ras Laffan in Qatar.

As the Main Automation Contractor, Honeywell's scope of work includes process automation and control including asset management and Fieldbus solutions, safety, fire and gas, and the specification for a multi-purpose dynamic simulator, to be used for dynamic studies, engineering verifications and operator training.

According to Shell, Honeywell's offering is an advanced and complete solution. Its open system architecture is an ideal fit for a large, integrated plant application, such as the Pearl GTL facility.

In the early stages of the process Honeywell, in consultation with Shell, developed a Shell Engineering Toolkit to meet the tender requirements. Honeywell will provide solutions that meet the standards of instrumentation engineering solutions powered by INtools®. This will help Shell to reduce the costs of project delivery and long-term maintenance and support.

"This is a strategic project for Honeywell and positions us as an important Fieldbus provider in the Middle East," said Jerry Walker, vice president global operations, Honeywell Process Solutions. "GTL is fast becoming a high-growth business and the Middle East is emerging as the center of the industry with Qatar in the lead."

The Pearl GTL plant will produce 140,000 barrels of GTL products per day consisting primarily of naphtha and transport fuels with a smaller quantity of normal paraffins and lubricant base oils. Other associated upstream products in the form of condensate and LPG will also be produced at the plant. The project will be developed in two phases with the first phase operational towards the end of the decade. The second phase will be completed around one year later.