Mossmorran
Encyclopedia
The Mossmorran NGL fractionation plant is part of the North Sea
Brent oil and gas field
system located on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath
, Fife.
After the gas is separated from oil on the platforms offshore, the gas is then pumped ashore in the FLAGS
and Fulmar pipelines to a terminal at St Fergus operated by Shell
. At the St Fergus Gas Plant the methane
is separated from the rest of the gas product. The methane
is then sent to a neighbouring national grid plant, leaving the remaining NGL to be piped south via a 223 kilometres (139 mi) pipeline to the Mossmorran site in Fife
. At the Mossmorran NGL fractional plant natural gas fluid is separated by distillation
(in a number of fractionation columns) into ethane
(C2H6), propane
(C3H8), butane
(C4H10) and natural gasoline
(C5H12). The ethane
is then piped to an adjacent ethylene
cracker plant operated by ExxonMobil
for further processing and cracking. The propane and butane is chilled, liquefied and stored on site within double integrity tanks, the gasoline is also stored on site within floating roof tanks. These liquids are then transported via pipeline to the marine terminal at Braefoot Bay on the Firth of Forth
for loading onto ships for export.
Mossmorran also has an adjacent road tanker terminal for road transportation of Propane and Butane.
The plant originally operated using two identical process modules (each with three columns) with a capacity of approximately 10,000 tonnes per day. This was later increased to 15,000 tonnes per day by the addition of a third process module and a few other up grades in 1992 at a cost of roughly £100 million. As well as the Brent fields the plants at St. Fergus and Mossmorran also process gas from the recently installed Goldeneye Gas Platform
.
The flare
from the Mossmorran site is clearly visible, day and night, from any elevated point in the city of Edinburgh
.
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
Brent oil and gas field
Brent oilfield
The Brent field is an oil field located in the East Shetland Basin north-east of Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland at the water depth of . The field operated by Shell UK Limited was once one of the most productive parts of the UK's offshore assets but is now nearing the end of its useful...
system located on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is 5 miles north-east of Dunfermline and 18 miles north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a Police Burgh in 1890...
, Fife.
After the gas is separated from oil on the platforms offshore, the gas is then pumped ashore in the FLAGS
FLAGS
The FLAGS pipeline is a natural gas pipeline in the North Sea which is used to transport liquids and associated gas from the following fields:* Cormorant A* North Cormorant* North West Hutton...
and Fulmar pipelines to a terminal at St Fergus operated by Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
. At the St Fergus Gas Plant the methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
is separated from the rest of the gas product. The methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
is then sent to a neighbouring national grid plant, leaving the remaining NGL to be piped south via a 223 kilometres (139 mi) pipeline to the Mossmorran site in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
. At the Mossmorran NGL fractional plant natural gas fluid is separated by distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
(in a number of fractionation columns) into ethane
Ethane
Ethane is a chemical compound with chemical formula C2H6. It is the only two-carbon alkane that is an aliphatic hydrocarbon. At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas....
(C2H6), propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
(C3H8), butane
Butane
Butane is a gas with the formula C4H10 that is an alkane with four carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of two structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, butane refers only to the unbranched n-butane isomer; the other one being called "methylpropane" or...
(C4H10) and natural gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
(C5H12). The ethane
Ethane
Ethane is a chemical compound with chemical formula C2H6. It is the only two-carbon alkane that is an aliphatic hydrocarbon. At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas....
is then piped to an adjacent ethylene
Ethylene
Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
cracker plant operated by ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
for further processing and cracking. The propane and butane is chilled, liquefied and stored on site within double integrity tanks, the gasoline is also stored on site within floating roof tanks. These liquids are then transported via pipeline to the marine terminal at Braefoot Bay on the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
for loading onto ships for export.
Mossmorran also has an adjacent road tanker terminal for road transportation of Propane and Butane.
The plant originally operated using two identical process modules (each with three columns) with a capacity of approximately 10,000 tonnes per day. This was later increased to 15,000 tonnes per day by the addition of a third process module and a few other up grades in 1992 at a cost of roughly £100 million. As well as the Brent fields the plants at St. Fergus and Mossmorran also process gas from the recently installed Goldeneye Gas Platform
Goldeneye Gas Platform
Goldeneye Gas Platform is an unmanned offshore gas production platform in the South Halibut basin area of the outer Moray Firth, about 100 km northeast of St. Fergus in Scotland....
.
The flare
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
from the Mossmorran site is clearly visible, day and night, from any elevated point in the city of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.