The World's Largest GTL Facility Runs on LIMS

TheEnglish Eyebrow world’s largest GTL facility runs on LIMS

Pearl GTL includes the largest GTL plant and one of the largest instrumentation and control systems in the world

The challenges that Shell and Qatar Petroleum faced at Pearl GTL, Qatar demanded a proven and reliable data management solution to collate testing data, enhance oil movement and batch tracking as well as improve production and operations management – LIMS was the answer

earl GTL has no shortage of world it an incredibly complex operation. The billions of investor dollars and tens of thousands records. Established by Shell and building phase alone required Shell to create of jobs at stake, data management was a major PQatar Petroleum in 2006, the facility a private offloading quay in Ras Laffan City priority. To maximise production with quick includes the largest GTL plant and one of the so it could import two million freight tonnes decisions, we needed condensed, accurate largest instrumentation and control systems of necessary materials and equipment. information at our fingertips at all times.” anywhere on earth. GTL technology enables It was clear from the beginning that Additionally, Shell and Qatar needed a Qatar – in partnership with Shell – to open up Pearl GTL would need a highly sophisticated solution that would ensure that Pearl GTL’s new opportunities in new markets, monetizing software solution to manage the data labs remained in compliance with ISO 17025 its enormous natural gas resources through coming out of a quality control system and other standards at all times and could the creation of high-quality, easy-to-export that receives a constant stream of 34,000 retrieve data that demonstrated compliance liquid fuels. The facility processes 1.6 billion transmitted measurements. These tests in the event of an audit. cubic feet of wellhead gas per day to remove gauge well content, volume, emissions, contaminants and refine natural gas liquids. equipment condition and hundreds of other LIMS to the rescue Using the proprietary Shell Middle Distillate issues integral to the plant’s operation. In With so many prerequisites for success, Synthesis (SMDS) process, Pearl GTL converts addition to collection and storage, the data Pearl GTL needed a proven solution. The right output from the world’s largest non- also needed to be organized, integrated and laboratory information management system associated gas field into fuels, lubricants and analysed to ensure product quality, plant and (LIMS) would allow Pearl GTL’s sampling other high-quality products which Shell ships customer safety, environmental protection program to meet its designers’ sophisticated to markets around the world. and production efficiency. ambitions. It would present accurate, “A project of Pearl GTL’s magnitude hasn’t unbiased information which enabled Shell The challenge been attempted before,” says Ajith Kumar, senior to maintain the highest standards of safety, The scale and diversity of Pearl GTL makes business analyst for Qatar Shell GTL. “With regulatory compliance and environmental

26 Oil & Gas Technology | www.oilandgastechnology.net रिफाइनिंग और प्रोसेसिंग Refining & Processing

commitment without sacrificing financial The way the LIMS integrates with PI is a marked with radio frequency identification performance. In fact, a LIMS would enhance particular source of efficiency for Shell and tags. When field operators perform sample Pearl GTL’s bottom line by collating testing Qatar Petroleum at Pearl GTL. Whereas some rounds, a handheld computer guides them data, which allows managers to make labs manually send test results to operations, to each sample point and then automatically impactful business decisions quickly. technologists and process engineers, among records the required information, whether Given the operation’s complexity, not other users, at Pearl GTL results become available the sampling task is routine or non-routine. just any LIMS solution would do. In addition to all relevant parties within the PI system as “It’s amazing how much overhead we to organizing sample results, Pearl GTL’s soon as they are authorized in SampleManager. were able to eliminate with the OTTER LIMS would need to be fully integrated This means that the many employees whose system,” says Mansoor Al-Shamri, laboratory and communicate with a variety of other work hinges on quality sampling are receiving manager for Qatar Shell GTL. “Field operators systems, including operations management, the information they need in real time. can do their jobs faster and also more batch tracking and ERP systems. Without full Another critical consumer of lab data is accurately, since they’re not recording integration of the LIMS to existing enterprise Pearl GTL’s oil movement and batch tracking readings by hand. And ultimately, it’s systems, making a venture the size and scale system. Again, the LIMS creates efficiencies by SampleManager that enables the real-time of Pearl GTL successful would be nearly eliminating wait times. When panel operators aspect of the OTTER system to be possible.” impossible. Shell chose Thermo Scientific need to move oil to new tanks in preparation The LIMS is fully integrated with OTTER, SampleManager LIMS for its state-of-the-art for shipping, for example, they do not have to so the data collected in this system are testing laboratories, because the solution wait to be notified of test results, minimizing instantly transferred to SampleManager offered unparalleled support for each of the demurrage charges for loading delays that can from the field for analysis by managers or Pearl GTL facility’s stringent requirements. cost as much as USD 35,000 per day. As soon technicians back in the lab, saving Pearl GTL as the results have been issued in the lab, LIMS an estimated 2,400 hours worked per year. Better production through automation and notifies operators through the oil movement Finally, the LIMS makes it possible for integration system, with which it is seamlessly integrated. Pearl GTL to meet an increasingly crucial One of Shell’s main reasons for choosing Since Pearl GTL opened, the facility has requirement of oil and gas laboratories: the LIMS was its ability to work with other incurred no demurrage charges – an incredible regulatory compliance. ISO 17025 established systems. At Pearl GTL, the LIMS is integrated feat for an operation so large. an international standard for how sampling with an operations management system A LIMS also helps Pearl GTL operators labs manage data collection, security, (known as OTTER), process historian (PI), the oil more efficiently collect data from the field instrumentation, traceability, personnel and movement and batch tracking system, laboratory for analysis in the lab. Using the OTTER more. By collecting complete data records, instruments and other production systems. system, all sample points in the field are the LIMS ensures that Pearl GTL is always in compliance with ISO 17025 and other standards. The solution also guarantees that compliance can be easily proven in the case of an audit.

Conclusion From the moment it broke ground in 2006, the ambitious Pearl GTL project needed to be grounded in proven, dynamic technologies. Shell and Qatar Petroleum used a LIMS to help their ambitious vision excel by managing a highly sophisticated sample program. Pearl GTL’s testing program enables the world’s largest gas to liquids facility to operate efficiently and safely while adhering to regulations and maintaining profitability, and a LIMS is the lynchpin that makes it all possible. n

Mansoor Al-Shamri, laboratory manager, This article was written by Colin and Ajith Kumar, senior business analyst, at the Pearl GTL laboratory Thurston, director of product strategy, Process Industries, Thermo Fisher Scientific.