Enterprise expands US natural gas processing unit
Enterprise Products said Monday that work is nearing completion on a series of infrastructure improvement projects designed to optimize the partnership’s Neptune cryogenic natural gas processing facility in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.
The enhancements made to the Neptune plant will offer greater flow assurance and flexibility for onshore and offshore producers in the Gulf Coast region, the company said.
The various initiatives include construction of a new condensate stabilizer facility at Neptune, new pipelines and associated interconnects, additional compression and installation of other related equipment, including dehydration units.
“Neptune represents one of Enterprise’s most efficient processing facilities and is a strategic part of our important Gulf Coast assets, serving as a natural gas processing hub for onshore and offshore producers,” said A.J. Teague, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Enterprise’s general partner.
“Complementing the optimization program is our existing value chain of integrated assets, which has provided us with a foundation from which we have been able to fill in the infrastructure gaps efficiently and cost effectively, allowing the full capabilities of Neptune to be realized,” he added.
Comprising the various optimization projects are:
• Installation of a new 18,000 bpd condensate stabilizer
To support improved flow assurance of natural gas production transported on the Nautilus offshore pipeline, Enterprise has completed the installation of new equipment designed to stabilize the condensate that develops in the Nautilus pipeline as the rich gas is transported from the deepwaters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The stabilizer replaces a 5,000 bpd unit. Used in tandem with a new 10,000 bpd slug catcher expansion added upstream of Neptune by Enbridge, the stabilizer will promote greater efficiency by significantly reducing the need to divert natural gas that does not meet specifications. Enterprise owns a 26% equity interest in Neptune Pipeline Co., which owns the Enbridge-operated Nautilus and Manta Ray pipelines.
• Columbia Gulf’s East Lateral efficiency optimization project (ELEOP)
In support of Columbia Gulf and its ELEOP strategy, Enterprise has added new pipe and compression facilities that will allow Neptune to process natural gas from the South Marsh Island area of the Gulf of Mexico received via Columbia Gulf’s ELEOP project, it said.
At Neptune, producers will have access to seven residue outlets. In addition, the partnership has added compression and a new 500 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) dehydration unit at Neptune to accommodate these additional volumes.
• Anaconda pipeline
Enterprise recently completed a 46-mile re-route of its 20-inch diameter Anaconda offshore pipeline linking it to Neptune and providing shippers with added processing reliability. To further improve flexibility and flow assurance, Enterprise is moving forward with plans to add an interconnect to the Manta Ray pipeline at Ship Shoal 207, it said.
This new interconnect will provide an outlet to the ANR pipeline system, as well as Nautilus. When completed, the initiative will provide shippers enhanced flow assurance through the Anaconda system should the Nautilus pipeline not be available due to weather, mechanical issues or other unexpected events.
• Calumet to Neptune pipeline
Construction of a new 9-mile pipeline that carries offshore natural gas between Calumet and Neptune is another key component of the partnership’s infrastructure enhancement program. ANR and Trunkline production previously processed at the Enterprise-operated Calumet lean oil facility will be processed at the Neptune cryogenic plant.
The first volumes to Neptune from the Calumet plant, which will be taken out of service, are expected by the end of 2011. In conjunction with the new pipeline, incremental compression has been added at the Neptune facility.
• Walker Ridge Gathering System access
The optimization program also prepares Neptune to accept incremental volumes from the Walker Ridge Gathering System that Enbridge is currently building to handle production from discoveries in the ultra-deepwater region of the Gulf of Mexico.
Enterprise has secured the processing rights from the anchor tenants of the Walker Ridge Gathering System, which will connect to the Manta Ray system that feeds into Nautilus. Initial production is anticipated in 2014.
“As a result of this optimization program, the amount of offshore pipeline accessible to Neptune will essentially quadruple,” said Teague. “ Furthermore, extending Neptune’s reach to multiple pipeline systems prevents us from having to rely on a single source to continue meeting the needs of our customers who will benefit from the increased reliability.”
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