Synthetic gasoline production plant to start working in Ovadandepe in 2018

Largest gas chemical plant for production of gasoline from natural gas is under construction on the 32nd kilometre of Ashgabat – Dashoguz motorway. 

According to the client, the State Concern Turkmengaz, the processing of natural gas into liquid fuel - the gasoline, will be carried out on this unique high technology facility for the first time in the world practice. GTG project (gas to gasoline), based on the technology of Danish company «Haldor Topsoe», will allow processing of 1 billion 785 million cubic meters of natural gas and produce 600 thousand tons of A-92 gasoline meeting the requirements of Euro-5 standard. Synthetic fuel will be distinguished by almost ideal ecological features - it will not have neither sulphur nor nitrogen organic components that affect the environment. 

The Consortium of «Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.» (Japan) and «Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanaýi ve Tiçaret Anonim Şirketi» (Turkey), which had contract with the State Concern Turkmengaz for construction of the plant, has committed to start the production in the end of 2018. Owing to the investments of Japanese side and finances of the State Concern Turkmengaz, the plant has been already equipped for 90 percent with top modern (2016 – 2017 years of make) technical and auxiliary equipment. 

Largest companies from different countries including the representative of the Consortium – the companies from Japan and Turkey, were involved in packaging and installation of the equipment. The plant received the reactors from the license holder – Danish «Haldor Topsоe» and Japanese «Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.» companies. Large compressors were supplied by Mitsubishi, programme software by Yokogawa, diesel power packs from German heavy engineering company MAN and pumping equipment was delivered by American, Korean and French manufacturers. Top modern equipment from Holland, Korea, India, Great Britain and Sweden is installed at the plant. 

The enterprise looks like giant chemical laboratory provided with top modern equipment. For example, technology of processing gas to liquid fuel proposed by Japanese specialists required the construction of entire train of technological equipment for deep gas treatment, production of synthesis gas, methanol and production and refining of gasoline. Such laboratory uses high temperatures and pressure for conversion of gas into liquid hydrocarbons. 

- Natural gas delivered from the pipeline will be purified from the sulphur and sulphur containing additives by high quality catalysts in hydrogenation and desulphurization reactors – Aymurad Shamuhamedov, the engineer of the Processing Department of the State Concern Turkmengaz has explained. – In the next section, purified natural gas is mixed with steam until necessary ratio. Decomposition of higher hydrocarbons will occur during steam reforming using Haldor Topsoe catalysts and natural gas will turn into synthesis gas. Heated until high temperature, it will be delivered to auto-termite reforming reactor where it will enter burning reaction with oxygen. After cooling process, the gas will be delivered to methanol synthesis reactor. Later, raw methanol is delivered to gasoline synthesis section where operational cycle of final production is carried out. 

- At present time, the equipment providing the conversion of natural gas has been installed in technology zone. These are reservoirs, reactors, heat exchangers, columns, furnaces, separators, compressors. Water is an important component of the technology. It is required for steam reforming during production of synthesis gas and as a coolant. It is not occasionally that future plant stipulates multi-level system of technical water treatment and its further regeneration. 

Installation of the equipment like water settling tanks, filters, cooling towers, boilers, evaporators and other auxiliary equipment has been almost completed at the section of auxiliary systems where water and technical condensate treatment units as well as air separation installation for producing of oxygen used for synthesis of gas and nitrogen for technical needs are located. 

The trestle with engineering communications has been built in the centre of entire technology zone. The works for installation of underground pipelines, fire fighting and sewage systems are under completion. 

More than 700 hundred foreign specialists and more than 4700 workers and engineers from different velayats of the country are working on construction site. Until the end of the year, they have to accomplish large volume of works for installation of connecting pipelines, to finish laying of engineering communications, install instrument and measuring systems, finish construction of administration building and remote control centre, railway and automobile tank carriers production loading bays. The construction of gas receiving pipeline and 26-km waterway is under process. 

After commissioning of the plant in December 2018, the production of new enterprise – high quality gasoline, which is an alternative of oil motor oil, will make inestimable contribution to the further development of the country.