Influence of the plot area in an economical analysis for selecting small scale LNG technologies for remote gas production

The future commercial exploitation of remote, small and less accessible gas fields might require the development of new technologies. In particular, LNG technologies are a possible solution for the exploitation of such gas reserves. However, the economy of scale is not applicable and constraint in the offshore installation and harsh environmental conditions require compact and efficient solutions. During the last decade several liquefaction technologies are available for small and medium LNG plants. Even though, the comparison between these technologies from an economical point of view is limited to the efficiency of the process and some qualitative parameters. In this work two groups of LNG technologies are analyzed for a given development scenario. The most important aspect in this work is that the cost related to the offshore installation is included as a component of the CAPEX of the project. The plot area required for each technology plays a significant role in the final comparison and this parameter should not be neglected in the economical analysis of future offshore LNG plants. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.