EQUIPMENT SELECTION AND DESIGN FOR FLOATING LNG PLANTS

Abstract

PFLNG Satu was the first in the world LNG producing floater amidst the risks and challenges on safety, marine conditions, water sloshing movements, confined plot space, and weight. Safety is of utmost importance whereby the processing unit with hydrocarbon inventory is processed on the deck while LNG is stored underneath in the hull. In ensuring safety, inherently safer equipment and technology had to be selected at the beginning of the project. Storage tanks selected have to ensure that LNG and chemicals are safely stored amidst the sloshing movement of liquid. Equipment with liquid inventory such as vessels and columns are sensitive to fluid movement when the floater tilts and bends, hence internals have to be designed to ensure liquid level measurement in a vessel such as storage tanks and vessels are accurate under sloshing and water movement on the floater. The columns have to be designed with internal features and margins to ensure no vapour bypass to meet product specifications continuously. Heat exchangers selected have to balance between being compact and light but yet deliver the demanding duty requirements. Flare and utility design need to include critical safety features. This paper details the design of equipment and selection for FLNG.