The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[OakesCS]

i don't think there would be many complaints about the sulfur although i wouldn't be terribly surprised if the temperature in Qatar didn't cause some problems for an Alberta like pile.

My comment was an oblique reference to the mention of exports of H2SO4, gypsum or alkali sulfate. If sulfur starts accumulating in Qatar like it is in Alberta, then it will be an indication that their export expectations were a little optimistic. I'm guessing that the economics of the gas production and processing in Qatar are a bit dicey because of the high H2S content. If gas prices stay low, then any offset from sulfate/sulfur exports could be important. There is also a cost for processing and storing elemental sulfur (beyond oxidation of H2S to S). The cost for storage in Alberta is about $3/ton so it can become a significant sink.

I've seen some very stupid accounting in companies supposedly staffed by 'grown-ups' and some of that stupid accounting has involved ridiculous estimates for things like sulfur/sulfates and other 'by-products' of gas contaminants. Letting that kind of stupidity get as far as a full blown plant like Pearl would set a new standard so i doubt if the 'by-products' are critical to Pearl's viability.