Methane from Syngas – Status of Amec Foster Wheeler VESTA Technology Development

The pilot plant, erected in Nanjing, China, to demonstrate Amec Foster Wheeler's VESTA methane production technology, was started-up in early July 2014. The pilot plant was designed for a production capacity of 100 Nm3/h of SNG (Substitute Natural Gas) and includes all reactors and control system in order to completely demonstrate a real plant in addition to the verification of the chemical reactions.With VESTA technology, Amec Foster Wheeler could accommodate up to 2 billionNm3/year of SNG in a single train which is the standard commercial size plant for Chinese market. VESTA features the absence of the recycle compressor and the possibility to use low alloy steel, for all the reactors, instead of high alloy steel (or refractory walls). This will allow a substantial reduction in the investment cost and make the plant cost competitive. Additionally the VESTA process has great flexibility: it can handle syngas of a wide variety of compositions, coming from different sources.All these features make the VESTA process a very attractive option for the market and Amec Foster Wheeler is ready for its commercialization.In this article an overview of the VESTA technology and of the pilot plant's status will be shown.