DHAHRAN — Saudi Aramco has successfully completed its new gas treatment facilities in Khursaniya few weeks ahead of schedule. The new facilities, which aim to develop the Karan gas field, can treat a billion cubic feet a day of non-associated gas extracted from field.

Two more units will be in full operation within the next few months, that would increase the amount of processed gas extracted from the field to 1.8 billion cubic feet a day by 2013.

Launched last year, the first development phase produces additional 500 million cubic feet a day of gas extracted from the Karan field, transported through underwater pipelines to the gas laboratory at Khursaniya onshore area.

Three production platforms at the Karan field have already come into operation while the remaining two platforms will be operational in the third quarter of this year and the second quarter of the next year, respectively.

The platforms are remotely operated and controlled from Khursaniya. From the tie-in platform, gas is sent via an underwater pipeline, to the facilities at Khursaniya. H2S, CO2, and water are all removed from the feed gas stream in the gas-treatment trains.

The treated gas is then ready for use. The hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are directed to the sulfur recovery unit where the hydrogen sulfide is converted to elemental sulfur. — SG/SPA