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Unique Commissioning of EXMAR’s FLNG Frederik Van Nuffel – EXMAR Sara O’Dell – Black & Veatch
Unique Commissioning of EXMAR’s FLNG
Frederik Van Nuffel – EXMAR
Sara O’Dell – Black & Veatch
AgendaIntroduction and History of the Project
Overview of LNG Commissioning
Temporary Regasification Skid
LNG Loading
Permitting for Operation on the Yangtze River
Safe Operations
Benefits of Commissioning in the Shipyard
Results of the LNG Commissioning
Introduction and History of the Project
• Fully self-sufficient floating liquefaction unit that produces 0.5 MTPA LNG
• Near-shore installation
• Black & Veatch’s patented PRICO® SMR technology
• GE LM2500+ gas turbine driver
• Dual fuel power generation with 12 MW capacity
• Contains 16,100 m³ LNG storage in three Type C cargo tanks
• LNG offloading via EXMAR STS technology to a FSU or LNGC
Introduction and History of the Project
Main process flow is as follows:
CO2 Removal Liquefaction
Refrigerant
Make-up
Boil-Off Gas
Handling
Boil-Off Gas
Reliquefaction
Hot Oil System
Inlet Facilities Dehydration LNG storage
Introduction and History of the Project
2009
Project Initiated
by Exmar
2010
B&V selected as
Liquefaction
technology provider
2011
B&V completes
FEED for topsides
2012
Wison selected as
EPCIC contractor
EPCIC phase kicks off!
2013
FLNG Construction
Begins
2014
Launching-
FLNG leaves
dry dock
2015
Design of
closed loop
commissioning
May 2016
Mechanical Completion
and pre-commissioning
achieved
September 2016
Successful Performance
Test completed!
Driver for Commissioning before Sail-Out
• Market turmoil changed project economics
• Pacific Exploration & Production canceled export project
• Construction of the FLNG near completion
• Last phase of EPCIC contract
• Proving the performance of world’s first FLNG
• Industry first
• Project stakeholders
• Operations team
Overview of the LNG Commissioning
Temporary Regasification Skid
(TRS) added to topsides units
CO2 Removal Liquefaction
Refrigerant
Make-up
Boil-Off Gas
Handling
Boil-Off Gas
Reliquefaction
Hot Oil System
Inlet Facilities Dehydration LNG storage
TRS
Overview of the LNG Commissioning
• Closed loop process
• Allowed for full performance test of entire FLNG
• Minimal changes made in order to maintain as
much of the original design/flow scheme as
possible
BOG recycle to warm up the BOG to
compression
Regen gas flow adjusted to balance fuel demand
of turbine
Process set points around mid-point
Temporary Regasification Skid
Single lift module including
• One HP sendout pump
• One HP LNG vaporizer
• One HIPPS skid
• Several control valves and other
instruments
Temporary Regasification Skid
• Designed and constructed as a stand-alone skid to reduce impacts to
schedules of both EXMAR projects
• Thorough safety, design and operational reviews by all parties
• All equipment and instruments borrowed from EXMAR FSRU project
• Capacity larger than required for liquefaction
• HIPPS skid protected downstream units from high pressure, low
temperature
Temporary Regasification Skid
All tie-ins to the FLNG systems were well considered:
• Power requirement of the HP pump
• Closed loop heating water demand of the HP vaporizer
• Instrument air and nitrogen consumption
All existing utility systems could handle the increased load
without modifications
LNG Loading
Since LNG transshipment was not allowed by the Yangtze river authorities,
LNG supply by truck was chosen
• LNG transport by truck is well established in China
• An LNG supply tender was organized
• Nantong Petrochina Kunlun Gas Co., Ltd was awarded with the entire
supply contract
LNG Loading
Dedicated pump skid and vaporizer skid designed and fabricated by Petrochina
• Allowing proper control of flow and pressure
• Increasing the discharge rate by pumping from two trucks simultaneously
• Ensure sufficient and stable vapor return to the trucks
• Redirect all safety valves to the FLNG flare stack
All connections made with LNG hoses, including breakaway couplings and QC/DC connections at the truck side.
LNG Loading
• All LNG came from Rudong LNG terminal, about 150 km away
• Proper LNG sampling and truck weighing procedures have been implemented
• An average rotation time of 4.5 hours for every two trucks has been reached
• A total of 12,000 m³ of LNG delivered for the commissioning
• 270 trucks have offloaded LNG without safety incidents
Permitting for Operation on the Yangtze River
Permitting was a tailor-made process as there was no previous experience
A stepped approach was followed:
Step 1. Development of an integrated Emergency Response Plan
Step 2. Detailed review by government appointed national experts of the ERP
Step 3. Assessment of yard and LNG terminal facilities by local authorities
Step 4. Implementation of Expert recommendations to the yard facilities and
operating procedures
Step 5. Monitoring of commissioning activities by local authorities
Permitting for Operation on the Yangtze River
Key upgrades implemented on yard facilities and procedures were:
• Upgrade of existing firefighting systems
• Firetruck, firefighting boats and tug boats kept on permanent standby
• Restricted marine traffic on Yangtze River during LNG bunkering
• Rigorous access control to the FLNG and bunkering station
• Advanced training of emergency and operations teams
A full permit was obtained well in time before the start of the
operations
Safe Operations
Ensuring that the LNG operations at a yard on the Yangtze
River were conducted in a safe manner required a thorough
safety review
• HAZID and HAZOP studies were caried out on both the
TRS design and the LNG loading operations
• Experienced staff from all parties were involved in the
safety studies
• The FERA study was updated for the specific operations
• Evacuation and escape ways were reassessed
• A detailed Emergency Response Plan was written
Safe Operations
• Several HSE audits were conducted
• Specific operational HSE procedures
were developed, including:
Permit to work system
Lockout and tag out procedures
Job safety assessments
Dedicated toolbox meetings
• Extensive training and drills on potential scenarios
• Daily meetings with all parties were held to monitor progress
Commissioning was completed without major HSE incident!
Benefits of Commissioning in the Shipyard
• Easy personnel logistics
• Resources readily available
Large labor pool at the shipyard
Quick access to local suppliers
• No hassle in bringing spare parts or special tools
on board
• Smooth delivery of all first fills and refrigerants
Results of the LNG Commissioning
• LNG composition changed rapidly over time
Lighter components used as fuel
Heavier components stayed in the closed loop process
• Heavier feed gas required changes to process
• Warmer mid-point temperature to match capacity of heavies system
Results of the LNG Commissioning
Feed gas used during commissioning was heavier than design
800
850
900
950
1000
1050
1100
1150
1200
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Feed
Gas
Heati
ng V
alu
e, B
TU
/SC
F
Feed
Gas
Meth
an
e C
on
ten
t, m
ol%
Performance test time, hours
Actual Methane in Feed Gas (left axis)
Design Methane in Feed Gas (left axis)
Actual Feed Gas Heating Value (right axis)
Results of the LNG Commissioning
• Entire FLNG systems were run in automatic mode, fully DCS controlled
• Minimal operator interference during the performance test
• Black & Veatch PRICO® process easily dealt with changing process
conditions and off-spec design parameters
• Exmar Operations team became fully confident in running the FLNG
safely and successfully
Results of the LNG Commissioning
Actual performance was well above the guaranteed performance
over the 72-hour test
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71
LN
G P
rod
ucti
on
Performance Test Time, hours
Actual Operating Point
Guarantee Point
Conclusion
This Project Achieved many industry firsts
• First Liquefaction operated on board a floating unit
• First Regas and Liquefaction used in a closed loop
• First Gas commissioning completed in a ship yard
• First LNG trucks loaded the floating unit
Project team’s innovation and hard work led to
success, achieving a major milestone for the
FLNG industry!
