PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Oil and gas major Woodside has inked a cooperation agreement with MAN Energy Solutions to commercialise a liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology for small- to mid-scale LNG production.
Known as Factory LNG, the technology would combine Woodside’s intellectual property and LNG experience with MAN’s global manufacturing and project execution expertise.
The technology would offer ten years’ low-to-no touch maintenance and provide flexible layout options making it easily adaptable to site constraints.
Woodside said on Friday that the partners believed the newly developed infrastructure had the potential to unlock liquefaction capabilities at multiple locations around the globe, as the system was designed and manufactured to be scalable to increase the number of Factory LNG units used as the market grows, delivering LNG at pace with demand.
“Factory LNG’s design paves the way for reduced manufacturing costs and shorter construction timeframes compared to traditional stick-built or modular LNG trains. The solution incorporates the complementary knowledge and skill sets of MAN Energy Solutions and Woodside Energy, which have experience in the development, manufacture and production of innovative technologies, as well as the deployment and operation of LNG facilities,” said senior VP sales & project management upstream & midstream at MAN Energy Solutions, Basil Zweifel.
Woodside VP for technology Jason Crusan described it as a simple and reliable solution for end-users, offering an attractive and accessible option for displacing fuels such as diesel with cleaner and cheaper LNG.
“Woodside sees an important role for natural gas in a lower-carbon future. We are committed to diversifying markets for LNG, including as a lower-emissions fuel for activities such as trucking and shipping. The Factory LNG system also brings potential for green fuel production by coupling it with synthetic methane units or biogas production,” he said.