Behrooz Golestani Khalilabad
Reservoir Engineering Expert
Khazar Exploration and Production Company
Behrooz Golestani is a reservoir engineering expert at KEPCO, a subsidiary of NIOC, with a strong academic background in process engineering and sustainable energy research from the University of Tehran. He focuses on the development and production of Caspian Sea deepwater fields, integrating economic assessments alongside technical planning. He is committed to promoting practical, clean, and sustainable energy solutions for a lower-carbon electricity future and welcomes new ideas and collaborations.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Fuels and Molecules
Fueling the Future: Innovations & Strategies for Tomorrow’s Electricity Supply
Forum 13 | Digital Poster Plaza 3
28
April
10:00
12:00
UTC+3
Environmental degradation in the Middle East is worsening due to global warming, reduced rainfall, and ecosystem loss. The Caspian Sea, with its sensitive southern coastline and Hyrcanian forests, faces increasing threats. Pollution from thermal power plants, combined with vegetation destruction during facility construction, underscores the urgent need for sustainable and environmentally responsible alternative energy strategies. َAlso, the Caspian Sea is recognized as a basin with abundant hydrocarbon resources. Several international working groups such as the South Caspian Study Group (including Shell, Lazmo, and Veba) and the Strategic Master Development Plan have identified prospective offshore gas structures in the South Caspian, primarily in deepwater areas. Two key examples are a nearshore prospect (A), located 22km from the coast , and a far-offshore prospect (B), 120km from the coast.
This study evaluates the economic feasibility of a novel offshore gas-to-power scheme. In this approach, gas and condensate are produced from deepwater reservoirs and processed on a floating production, storage, and offloading unit. Unlike conventional methods where products are piped onshore and combusted in ground-based thermal plants, in this approach the produced gas is processed offshore and utilized in advanced power cycles on board a VLCC-class FPSO. The generated electricity is transmitted to shore via High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) or High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transmission cables, depending on the distance to the coast.
Three FPSO-based power generation scenarios were proposed and analyzed:
In this research, the three scenarios were also simulated at a conceptual level, and their feasibility was assessed using Aspen HYSYS v14 software.
The generated power for each process has been calculated as follows, based on an equal feed gas flow rate:
GT: 287 MW
Combined Cycle (GT + Steam turbine): 467 MW
Combined Cycle (GT+ Supercritical Co2): 600 MW
Modeling was performed using Questor 2023Q3, with project parameters calibrated to Caspian conditions. The economic results highlight strong potential in both prospects. Based on efficiency, project profitability, compact equipment footprint, and a faster break-even point, the supercritical CO₂ combined cycle scenario in prospect-B was selected as the most suitable option for implementation.
Net Present Value at 8% discount rate
prospect-A (GT:353 million USD; Combined Cycle-CCGT:1505 million USD; Combined Cycle-GT+sCo2:2392 million USD)
prospect-B(GT:-1241 million USD; Combined Cycle-CCGT:323 million USD; Combined Cycle-GT+sCO₂:1364 million USD)
Also, break-even points for these two structures is as follows:
prospect-A (GT:2043; Combined Cycle-CCGT:2036; Combined Cycle-GT+sCO₂: 2034)
prospect-B (GT: not available; Combined Cycle-CCGT:2040; Combined Cycle-GT+sCO₂:2048)
This study evaluates the economic feasibility of a novel offshore gas-to-power scheme. In this approach, gas and condensate are produced from deepwater reservoirs and processed on a floating production, storage, and offloading unit. Unlike conventional methods where products are piped onshore and combusted in ground-based thermal plants, in this approach the produced gas is processed offshore and utilized in advanced power cycles on board a VLCC-class FPSO. The generated electricity is transmitted to shore via High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) or High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transmission cables, depending on the distance to the coast.
Three FPSO-based power generation scenarios were proposed and analyzed:
- Simple gas turbine cycle (GT)
- Combined cycle of gas and steam turbines (CCGT)
- Combined cycle of gas turbine and supercritical CO₂ (GT+sCO₂)
In this research, the three scenarios were also simulated at a conceptual level, and their feasibility was assessed using Aspen HYSYS v14 software.
The generated power for each process has been calculated as follows, based on an equal feed gas flow rate:
GT: 287 MW
Combined Cycle (GT + Steam turbine): 467 MW
Combined Cycle (GT+ Supercritical Co2): 600 MW
Modeling was performed using Questor 2023Q3, with project parameters calibrated to Caspian conditions. The economic results highlight strong potential in both prospects. Based on efficiency, project profitability, compact equipment footprint, and a faster break-even point, the supercritical CO₂ combined cycle scenario in prospect-B was selected as the most suitable option for implementation.
Net Present Value at 8% discount rate
prospect-A (GT:353 million USD; Combined Cycle-CCGT:1505 million USD; Combined Cycle-GT+sCo2:2392 million USD)
prospect-B(GT:-1241 million USD; Combined Cycle-CCGT:323 million USD; Combined Cycle-GT+sCO₂:1364 million USD)
Also, break-even points for these two structures is as follows:
prospect-A (GT:2043; Combined Cycle-CCGT:2036; Combined Cycle-GT+sCO₂: 2034)
prospect-B (GT: not available; Combined Cycle-CCGT:2040; Combined Cycle-GT+sCO₂:2048)
