THE MALAYSIA LNG COMPLEXSUSTAINABLE GROWTH LUSINE DE GNL DE MALAISIECROISSANCE SOUTENUE

Ahmad Adzha Kasmuni Senior General Manager Plant Division Goh Ngiang Ann Lead Process Engineer Malaysia LNG Sdn Bhd Tanjung Kidurong PO Box 89, 97007 Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia Jannes Regterschot Lead Engineer LNG Shell Global Solutions International B.V. PO Box 541, 2501 CM The Hague, The Netherlands

ABSTRACT The LNG complex in Bintulu, Malaysia, comprises the Malaysia LNG Sdn. Bhd. plant (referred to as MLNG Satu, 1983, 3 trains) and the Malaysia LNG Dua Sdn. Bhd. plant (MLNG Dua, 1995, 3 trains) . The total export capacity is 15.4 mtpa. In 2003 the complex will be expanded with two more trains belonging to Malaysia LNG Tiga Sdn. Bhd. (MLNG Tiga), bringing the capacity to a production level of some 22 mtpa. All eight LNG trains utilise liquefaction concepts designed by Shell and Air Products and spool-wound cryogenic heat exchangers of progressive design. The successive plant designs reflect the advances in technology, train capacity increase and the success of cost reduction measures over time. The refrigerant compressor drivers changed from steam turbines for the MLNG Satu trains to General Electric Frame 6 and 7 gas turbines for the MLNG Dua trains. Both MLNG Tiga trains presently in EPC phase will apply two GE Frame 7 drivers each. The cooling media range from sea water for MLNG Satu to aircooling for MLNG Tiga. The MLNG Dua trains employ a hybrid system of air and water cooling. The MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua plants are integrated to a certain extent. They have an excellent record on LNG delivery. The MLNG Tiga trains are completely independent from the existing ones, which eliminates the chance of common failures. Those elements that are shared (LNG rundown and storage) are sufficiently spared to guarantee reliable operation. In order to meet customers demand for another 15 to 20 years starting year 2003, a rejuvenation project was started in 1999 for the MLNG Satu facilities. The project target is continued high reliability of the LNG trains through refurbishment or replacement of certain equipment starting in 2003 and ending in 2005. A re-instrumentation project was completed in 2000, replacing pneumatic instruments by a Distributed Control System. This paper summarises the technical developments realised during the successive LNG projects, the integration between plants and its expansions and some of the operational challenges that come with operating a large LNG complex.

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RESUME Lusine de liqufaction de gaz naturel de Bintulu, en Malaisie, comprend les installations GNL Malaysia LNG Sdn. Bhd. (appel MLNG Satu, 1983, 3 trains)et Malaysia LNG Dua Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia Dua, 1995, 3 trains). La capacit totale dexportation excde 15.4 mtpa. En 2003, lusine sera tendue avec laddition de deux trains supplmentaires pour la Compagnie Malaysia LNG Tiga Sdn. Bhd., ce qui augmentera la capacit un niveau maximum de 22 mtpa. Les huit trains de GNL utilisent des procds de liqufaction Shell ainsi que des changeurs cryogniques APCI du type progressif. Les designs successifs des units refltent les avances technologiques, laccroissement des capacits de production et les mesures de reductions de cots. Les compresseurs de rfrigrant sont passs de turbines vapeur pour les trains de Satu des turbines gaz (GE Frame 6 et 7) pour les trains de Dua. Les deux trains de Tiga actuellement dans la phase EPC utiliseront des turbines gaz GE Frame 7. Les refroidissements se font aussi bien au moyen deau de mer (Satu), que dair (Tiga). Le complexe Dua utilise un systme hybride de refroidissement laide deau et dair. Les installations Satu et Dua sont partiellement intgres et possdent un historique irrprochable en ce qui concerne les expditions de GNL. Les trains de Tiga seront totalement indpendants des deux installations actuels, ce qui limine les possibilits de dfaillances communes. Les lments communs (coulage et stockage du GNL) possdent suffisamment de rserve pour garantir la fiabilit de lopration. Un projet de rjuvnation de linstallation Satu a dbut en 1999 dans le but dassurer la production de GNL long terme. Ce projet a pour objectif datteindre une fiabilit leve et continue des trains de GNL, grce la remise neuf ou le remplacement dune partie des quipements dici 2003 2005. Avant ce projet de rjuvnation, un projet de r-instrumentation a t ralis, consistant remplacer les appareils pneumatiques par un systme de conduite centralise (DCS). Les challenges oprationnels lis aux priodes de pollution dair leve, la rduction des missions et des dchets, ainsi que les augmentations de capacit et la rjuvnation des installations sont revus dans cette note.

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THE MALAYSIA LNG COMPLEXSUSTAINABLE GROWTH

INTRODUCTION As early as 1968 substantial natural gas reserves were discovered off-shore of Sarawak, East-Malaysia. The gas fields were located in the Central Luconia area, some 125 km from Bintulu, the location of the Malaysia LNG complex. In 1978 a joint venture company was formed to undertake Malaysias first LNG project. The shareholders of Malaysia LNG Sdn. Bhd. are PETRONAS, Shell Gas B.V., Mitsubishi Corporation and the Sarawak State Government. The MLNG Satu plant consists of LNG trains 1, 2 and 3 with a total design capacity of 6.0 mtpa and operation was started in 1983. All LNG customers are located in Japan and current LNG deliveries amount up to 7.6 million tons per annum (mtpa). As a consequence of further gas discoveries and an increasing demand for LNG, Malaysia LNG Dua Sdn. Bhd. was set up as a company in 1992 with the same shareholders as Malaysia LNG Sdn. Bhd. The gas fields supplying MLNG Dua are located in the same area but somewhat further off-shore (up to some 275 km). Production from LNG trains 4, 5 and 6 started in 1995. The design capacity is 7.8 mtpa and LNG sales have actually reached this level. With the start of the MLNG Dua plant the LNG customer base was extended to also comprise companies in Korea and Taiwan. The rest of the extra LNG production went to Japan, mostly to new power and domestic gas customers. At present the MLNG Tiga plant is being constructed which will consist of LNG trains 7 and 8, each of 3.4 mtpa design capacity. Shareholding in Malaysia LNG Tiga Sdn. Bhd. is slightly different with Nippon Oil LNG (Netherlands) B.V. and Diamond Gas (Netherlands) B.V. being the new shareholders. Other shareholders are PETRONAS, Shell Gas B.V. and the Sarawak State Government. The first train of the MLNG Tiga plant is planned to come on-stream by the end of 2002. Upon completion of the MLNG Tiga project the LNG complex in Bintulu will be larger than any other single LNG production site presently in operation, with a total LNG capacity of 22.2 million tons per annum. This paper specifically deals with the technical developments realised during the successive LNG projects, the integration between the base plant and its expansions and some of the operational challenges that come with operating a large LNG complex.

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THE MALAYSIA LNG COMPLEX

The Company Structure

The Malaysia LNG complex currently consists of 6 LNG trains, 3 in MLNG Satu and 3 in MLNG Dua. Two more trains will be added as part of MLNG Tiga by the end of 2003. MLNG Satu is currently operating the MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua plants and in future the MLNG Tiga plant. A plot plan of the Malaysia LNG complex and an aerial photograph of the MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua LNG trains are presented in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1. Plot plan of the Malaysia LNG Complex

Figure 2. The existing 6 LNG trains of MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua

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The shareholding of the various joint-venture companies owning the complex is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Shareholding for Satu, Dua and Tiga
Malaysia LNG Sdn Bhd PETRONAS 65% Sarawak State Government 5% Shell Gas B.V. 15% Malaysia LNG Dua Sdn Bhd PETRONAS 60% Sarawak State Government 10% Shell Gas B.V. 15% Malaysia LNG Tiga Sdn Bhd PETRONAS 60% Sarawak State Government 10% Shell Gas B.V. 15% Nippon Oil LNG (Netherlands) B.V. 10% Diamond Gas (Netherlands.) B.V. 5%

Mitsubishi Corporation

15%

Mitsubishi Corporation

15%

Organisation

The MLNG organisation is spread over two locations: Kuala Lumpur and Bintulu, the latter one being the location of the plant facilities with the MD/CEO and the Commercial Division based in Kuala Lumpur. All other departments are located at the plant site. The addition of the MLNG Dua facilities has resulted in only a slight increase in staffing, mainly in the Operations department. As a consequence the complex as a whole has become significantly more manpower efficient. Similarly, there will a small increase in staffing level for MLNG Tiga plant operation.
Integration of Plant Expansions

During the development of the MLNG Dua and MLNG Tiga expansion projects, there was a continuous challenge to find the right balance between the overall life cycle cost and optimum reliability of the complex. On the one hand, optimum use of surplus capacity in the existing facilities helps to reduce the cost. On the other hand, the introduction of links between the various plants makes the whole complex more susceptible to common-mode failures impacting on the reliability of the LNG production. The approach for the expansion projects has been to make an assessment of the impact on system reliability for every area where interconnections were considered. There are two separate gas supply systems for MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua. This is because MLNG Satu plant is designed for sweet gas (hardly any H2S), while the MLNG Dua gas is sour, containing up to 300 ppmv H2S. With the expansion of MLNG Tiga, it was decided to utilise the surplus capacity in pipelines and the platform facilities of the MLNG Dua system, to provide some 20-40% of the gas required by MLNG Tiga. Although this introduces an interdependency of the MLNG Dua and MLNG Tiga gas supply systems, the potential consequences on the security of gas supply are considered well acceptable when weighing the risks involved against the benefits, i.e. the cost savings and improved operational flexibility. The MLNG Satu plant is seawater cooled and employs a steam system to run the turbines on the refrigerant compressors and for process heat. For the MLNG Dua expansion the main challenge was to make optimum use of surplus capacity in MLNG Satus large utility systems. This resulted in a partially integrated design with a significant amount of sea cooling water going to the MLNG Dua facilities, mainly to the propane cooling cycle. The full steam requirement in MLNG Dua is supplied from the MLNG

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Satu steam system. No additional power generation facilities were required under the MLNG Dua project. The effects of utility interconnections on plant reliability were investigated by specialist consultants. The resulting Utilities Reliability Study report identified potential system weaknesses. Appropriate remedial actions were implemented where necessary to enhance reliability of the integrated complex. For the MLNG Tiga expansion essentially no surplus capacity was left in the existing utilities system as all had been used by MLNG Dua. It was therefore decided that the MLNG Tiga plant would become self-sufficient as far as utilities were concerned. Where appropriate, interconnections would be provided with the MLNG Satu and the MLNG Dua plants to mutually share back-up capacity. In the absence of any surplus steam from the existing facilities, introduction of a stand-alone Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) system was established to be the best way of providing the required process heat in MLNG Tiga. Each MLNG Tiga train has its own independent HTF system that recovers heat from the gas turbine stacks. The MLNG Satu project came with 4 LNG storage tanks of 65,000 m3 net LNG capacity each. For the MLNG Dua project one identical extra tank was built to avoid the LNG storage capacity limiting the whole LNG delivery chain. Similarly, for the addition of the MLNG Tiga plant it was decided that a sixth LNG tank of 120,000 m3 net capacity should be added. In 1994 a second LNG loading berth was installed on the existing jetty structure. This was to allow for maintenance on the first berth and to provide facilities for loading a small LNG ship of 20,000 m3 capacity. The maximum loading rate on this jetty is limited to 11,000 m3/h, which allows the loading of a small and a large 128,000 m3 LNG ship at the same time. For MLNG Tiga a completely separate loading system is being constructed, consisting of a second jetty with a third berth and 2 additional loading lines. Loading in future will be possible from any tank to any berth at a maximum total loading rate of 20,000 m3/h for two large ships.
The LNG Trains

Liquefaction Unit The differences in design reflect the advances of liquefaction technology with time and the potential for integration between the plants with the addition of new facilities. The essential features of the liquefaction plants are shown in Table 2. During all LNG projects Shell acted as the Technical Adviser. Process designs of the liquefaction facilities were produced in close co-operation with APCI. When comparing the successive plant designs, a clear trend is observed towards larger size equipment and a lower number of equipment items. The MLNG Satu plant is steam-driven and requires a huge steam and steam-condensate utility system. In total nine high pressure steam boilers are installed each having a steam generating capacity of 380 t/hr. Compared to MLNG Satu, the MLNG Dua trains have lesser equipment. This is because of the absence of any large utility systems and also significant reduction in the number of main process equipment items, as a result of further rationalisation of the process design and a significant upscaling of equipment sizes. With regard to the number of equipment items, the MLNG Tiga plant is very similar to MLNG Dua. However, a major saving in specific LNG cost (capital cost per ton LNG capacity) was achieved by a further increase in the LNG production capacity of an LNG train.

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All 3 plants apply the Propane Pre-cooled Mixed Refrigerant (C3-MR) liquefaction concept where pre-cooling of the Natural Gas (NG) and the Mixed Refrigerant (MR) is done by means of a propane cooling cycle. The actual liquefaction of NG happens through cooling against MR in a spool-wound cryogenic exchanger. All three plants make use of one propane compressor and two MR compressors. The propane compressor in MLNG Tiga is about twice the size of that in MLNG Satu. Another development is that the number of compression stages was increased from 3 to 4, which gives an increase in the cycle efficiency. Also the size of the MR compressors increased considerably. For the MLNG Dua and MLNG Tiga projects an axial LP MR compressor was selected to accommodate the increased MR flows. Table 2. Main features of the liquefaction designs
Plant Year of initial start-up Design capacity Realised production Compressor drivers per train Cooling medium Liquefaction technology Propane compressor stages Cryogenic exchanger: -bundles -NG bundle break -warm end circuits MLNG Satu 1983 3 x 2.0 mtpa 7.6 mtpa 3 steam turbines once-through seawater C3-MR 3 MLNG Dua 1995 3 x 2.6 mtpa 7.8 mtpa 1 Frame 7 gas turbines 1 Frame 6 gas turbines Hybrid (seawater + air) C3-MR 3 MLNG Tiga 2002 (planned) 2 x 3.4 mtpa 2 Frame 7 gas turbines per train air-cooling C3-MR 4

-warm, mid, cold -yes -NG, HMR, LMR, LPG reinjection

-warm, cold -no -NG, HMR, LMR

-warm, mid, cold -yes -NG, HMR, LMR

The cryogenic exchangers in all three plants were supplied by APCI. The MLNG Satu exchanger is a 3-bundle design (warm, middle and cold) with 4 feed circuits into the warm bundle (NG, light MR, heavy MR and a low pressure LPG reinjection circuit). This exchanger also has a so-called bundle break on the NG circuit, allowing the supply of a reflux of -60 C to the scrub column. This was necessary to meet the refrigerant make-up requirements under all conditions. The cryogenic exchanger design for MLNG Dua was a lot simpler with only two bundles and 3 warm-end feed circuits. A drawback of the 2bundle design was that the exchanger appeared less forgiving with respect to operational upsets and tube leakages occurred more frequently than observed for MLNG Satu. This resulted in a need to very strictly follow operational guidelines and to try to prevent sudden changes in process conditions as much as possible. In discussion with APCI it was decided to select a 3-bundle design for the MLNG Tiga plant. The MLNG Tiga exchanger has 3 warm-end feed circuits and employs the latest APCI bundle support system. The exchanger has a bundle break in the NG circuit, located in-between the warm and the middle bundle. The piping of the bundle break contains a check-valve to prevent cold liquids from reaching the warm bundle in case of trips and shut-downs.

PS5-7.7

All three compressors in the MLNG Satu liquefaction trains are driven by identical condensing steam turbines supplied by Mitsubishi. These turbines have proven to be very reliable and are currently on a 9-yearly overhaul scheme. The steam turbines are simple to operate and require relatively little instrumentation and safeguarding. One of the main advantages is their short re-start time after a trip, meaning that an LNG train is most of the time back in service within one hour after a trip. Both MR compressors in MLNG Dua are on a single shaft and driven by a Frame 7 gas turbine supplied by GE. A helper steam turbine driver is connected to the same shaft to assist during gas turbine start-up. During normal operation the helper turbine could deliver up to 10% of the total power requirements of the MR compressor. The propane compressor is driven by a Frame 6 gas turbine via a gear-box with an identical steam helper turbine on the same shaft as the compressor. Compared to MLNG Satu, the compressor driver set-up in MLNG Dua is relatively simple and comes at a significantly reduced cost. A disadvantage is the observed lower reliability of the gas turbines (especially due to an increase in safeguarding functions) and the lower availability due to a higher maintenance requirement. Also the longer re-start times after trips (typically 6 hours) is considered a disadvantage. However, the advantage of a significant capital cost saving clearly outweighs the drawbacks. For the MLNG Tiga plant a similar driver concept was used as for MLNG Dua. A difference is that the propane compressor in MLNG Tiga is driven by a Frame 7 gas turbine, just like the MR system. Furthermore, electric helper motors/generators are installed, allowing transfer of surplus power from the propane system to the MR system or to the power grid. The MLNG Satu trains were designed on the basis of full seawater cooling. A oncethrough cooling water system takes in seawater near the LNG jetty, some 3 km away from the processing plant. By means of 3 parallel lines a total of 210,000 m3/hr of seawater is transported from the port to the plant area. The heated up seawater is discharged via individual seawater out-fall channels from each train to the sea at a maximum discharge temperature of 40 C. The original system was based on a modular design with a spare pump for each train. The surplus cooling capacity from the MLNG Satu system was used to supply seawater to the most critical location in the MLNG Dua trains, i.e. the propane condensers and sub-coolers. Compared to air-cooling, this led to a significant efficiency gain on the propane cycle, resulting in smaller propane kettles and a lower compressor power requirement. An about equal amount of cooling in MLNG Dua is realised by means of air. In order to achieve sufficiently low temperatures in the process, large air-cooler banks are located on top of the main pipe rack over the full length of the LNG train. In absence of any spare cooling capacity from MLNG Satu nor MLNG Dua, the MLNG Tiga plant is fully air-cooled. Figure 3 below gives an impression of the MLNG Tiga plant lay-out. Due to the significantly larger LNG capacity, the installed air-cooling capacity in MLNG Tiga has typically doubled compared to MLNG Dua. Two separate air-cooler banks run in parallel along the full length of the trains. During the design stage of the project detailed simulations and wind-tunnel tests were done to optimise the set-up and performance of the air-cooler banks. The predominant wind directions were taken into account to determine the optimum distance between the air-cooler banks and the preferred train lay-out and orientation.

PS5-7.8

Figure 3. Typical lay-out of an MLNG Tiga LNG train Treating Units Compared to the liquefaction facilities the treating facilities are relatively small, both in terms of plot size and in terms of capital employed. The purpose of the treating units is to pre-treat the gas such that it can be liquefied to LNG without causing any problems in downstream facilities, during shipment or as a product with the final customer. To achieve this, H2S and CO2 are removed in the Acid Gas Removal Unit, water in the Dehydration Unit and mercury in the Mercury Removal Unit. All three plants employ the Shell licensed Sulfinol-D process to remove the acid gas components. In view of size constraints with respect to landing of equipment items, in MLNG Satu two Sulfinol absorbers and two flash vessels were installed in parallel, with both strings coupled to one Sulfinol regenerator. For the MLNG Dua project it was possible to avoid the parallel set-up, which resulted in a considerable saving in equipment, piping and plot space. In all plants the treated gas from the Sulfinol unit is dried by means of molecular sieve beds. With the MLNG Satu plant currently operating up to 125% of original design, the molecular sieve unit is at times restricting the train capacity. This problem is overcome by change-out of the molecular sieve in-between scheduled 3-yearly shutdowns. As a learning point the dehydration unit in the MLNG Dua plant was designed with such a margin that, at the current maximum throughput of 105% of design, operating periods of 3 years can be realised without problems. The design of the MLNG Tiga dehydration unit will be very similar to that of MLNG Dua.

PS5-7.9

Originally the MLNG Satu plant was not equipped with mercury removal facilities. Because of gradually increasing mercury levels in the feedgas, especially during trunkline pigging exercises, fixed bed adsorbers for mercury removal were retrofitted into all 3 MLNG Satu trains in 1995. Both the MLNG Dua and the MLNG Tiga plant have mercury removal facilities as part of their original design.
Gas Supply Arrangements

Both MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua receive their feed gas from wells in the Central Luconia area of the South China Sea, located between 125 and 275 km offshore Bintulu. The proven reserves in the area are 33 tcf in size, which is sufficient to sustain operation of the whole MLNG complex (including MLNG Tiga) for another 20 years. Refer to Figure 4 for an impression of the gas supply situation. Shell Sarawak Bhd (SSB) is the off-shore operator supplying the gas to the MLNG Satu and Dua plants. All wells are connected up to 2 riser platforms at the E-11 fields in Central Luconia. From there, 4 trunklines each of 36" size, are routed to the on-shore gas receiving facilities in Bintulu. The gas supply to both plants is kept separated, in view of the MLNG Dua gas being sour and the MLNG Satu facilities not being designed to accommodate sour gas. Only in unusual situations a spill-over line on E-11 from MLNG Satu to MLNG Dua system can be operated. The off-shore pipeline facilities for the MLNG Tiga plant, is planned to be operated by PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd., a full subsidiary of PETRONAS. The feedgas production for MLNG Tiga will start from 2 new fields, routing to a new riser platform at E-11. Some 20-40% of the MLNG Tiga gas requirement is supplied using the surplus capacity of the existing pipelines and platform of MLNG Dua. Two new trunklines from the new riser platform will transport the MLNG Tiga gas to the new on-shore gas receiving facilities. Some of the gas supply to MLNG Tiga will come via a spill-over from the MLNG Dua slugcatcher to the MLNG Tiga gas metering station.

Figure 4. Gas supply to the MLNG complex

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Operational Challenges

Impact of Haze Over the last few years there have been several periods that haze formation from bush fires in Indonesia and Sarawak severely affected the region. Especially during the second half of 1997 the haze situation in Bintulu was very bad, which posed a real challenge to the operation of the MLNG Dua gas turbine compressor drivers. The very small dust particles in the air originating from the fires could not be completely removed in the gas turbine inlet filter systems. This led to significant fouling of the gas turbine air compressor, even to the extent that the capacity of the MLNG Dua LNG trains started suffering. In order to counteract the fouling process the gas turbine washing was intensified from once a week to daily. Despite the very severe conditions, Malaysia LNG complex was able to keep meeting the LNG supply commitments. The availability of different types of compressor drivers on one complex (steam and gas turbines) certainly helped to mitigate the impact on LNG production, signifying a clear example of the inherent robustness of a diverse and large size LNG complex. Under normal operating conditions (in absence of haze) the performance of the gas turbines is closely monitored and a strict gas turbine cleaning program is followed. Also every opportunity is taken to inspect the air inlet filters and to change them if necessary. Maintenance and Inspection Strategy The increased number of equipment and complexity in the expanded LNG complex, together with the aging of equipment in the MLNG Satu plant presents a major challenge to the maintenance, monitoring and inspection tasks. To optimise these activities and to reduce life-cycle cost while maintaining the required plant availability, a risk-based asset management methodology is being implemented. This includes among others Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) to optimise inspection efforts without endangering the plant integrity and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) to optimise maintenance efforts in a more proactive approach thereby improving unit availability. A structured computerised Corrective Preventive Action (CPA) system is also set up to capture incidents, follow up actions and lessons learnt to prevent recurrence. Through these initiatives, the additional maintenance and inspection activities of the MLNG Tiga plant will also be catered for. Manpower Development and Training With introduction of new technology and complex equipment during the plant expansion such as turbo compressor machineries, etc., the competency of staff including contractors in all operational aspects is also a critical factor in managing the LNG complex. Besides dedicated in-house training programs, sharing of experiences among other PETRONAS operating units is also practised through technical exchange meeting and short-term cross-posting of staff. A staff competency project is being implemented to enhance the effectiveness and development of staff technical skills. It identifies the required competency level for a particular position and introduces structured training program to close competency gap if any. It also includes multitasking as a means to improve work effectiveness. With this better way of resource management and development, the competency level of the technical workforce will continue to be improved in parallel with the LNG complex expansions.

PS5-7.11

To enhance the local expertise and improve the quality of services for future needs, efforts such as implementation of vendor development program have been carried out. This has resulted in the build-up of experiences and skills of the local contractors over the years. To meet increased demand and to allow a higher level of out sourcing on major maintenance activities, continuous efforts in developing local external supports will be carried out. Safety Achievements Over the first 18 years of operation the Malaysia LNG complex has proven to be an excellent safety performer. Many awards have been received for the millions of manhours worked without lost-time incidents (LTIs). The latest milestone was in 1999 when a record number of 10 million man-hours had been worked without LTI. The key factors for success are considered to be the high profile given to safe working practices and the care for other peoples well-being which is an inherent aspect of the South-East Asian culture. This has resulted in a high safety awareness with the people on site and is demonstrated by a strict adherence to safety procedures, the practice of job-safety analyses in case of potentially risky jobs and the avoidance of unsafe situations.
Environmental Developments

Combustion of Sour Gas In the LNG trains the Sulfinol process is employed to remove H2S and CO2 from the feed gas. These components are concentrated in the sour gas flow coming off the overhead of the Sulfinol regenerator. By original design this stream was vented to the environment at safe location. However, unavoidably this stream also contains a certain amount of hydrocarbons. In 1996 MLNG Satu implemented the Sour Vent Gas Combustion Project. The sour gas produced in the Sulfinol unit is collected in a 20 header, transferred to one of the three available steam boilers and introduced into the flames at the burner tips via ring burners. In this way MLNG Satu not only significantly reduced their hydrocarbon emissions to the air but also achieved an improvement in boiler efficiency. With the planned increase in feed gas CO2 levels in the near future, a revamp project is underway to connect the sour gas transfer line to the other 2 boilers in each LNG train as well. For the MLNG Dua and MLNG Tiga expansion projects sour gas incinerators were included in the project scope to minimise hydrocarbon and sour gas releases. Biotreater By original design of the MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua facilities, the process water and the liquids that enter the oily drain system are collected in a Corrugated Plate Intercepter (CPI) where oil is skimmed off from the water phase. The purified water with a very low residual oil content is then discharged to the sea as plant out-fall water. A CPI does not remove water-soluble contaminants however and as a consequence the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the out-fall water was exceeding the specifications. As this situation was considered unacceptable for long-term operation, it was decided in 1998 that a biotreater unit needs to be installed. In the same year, , a new biotreater unit became operational, reducing COD levels of the out-fall water to well within the requirements. Figure 5 shows a photograph of the biotreater facilities. The unit is a socalled SBR unit (Sequential Batch Reactor) and sludge produced is suitable for use as a fertiliser.

PS5-7.12

Figure 5. A view of MLNGs biotreater facilities

Re-instrumentation Project

In 1995, a project was started to replace the pneumatic instrumentation of MLNG Satu by a Distributed Control System (DCS). The change was in the first place needed because of obsolescence of the instruments originally supplied in 1983. But secondly, the introduction of a DCS enables Advanced Process Control (APC) to be applied. APC is planned to be used as a tool to alleviate constraints in the process for optimising plant operation. The re-instrumentation project was completed in the middle of 2000. A state of the art control system is now in place enabling a more efficient and reliable operation of the MLNG Satu trains.
Rejuvenation

By 2003 the MLNG Satu facilities will have reached their original design life of 20 years. To ensure long-term reliability with respect to LNG deliveries, in 1997 a start was made with a so-called Rejuvenation Project. With assistance from the Technical Adviser an assessment was made of the condition of all plant equipment and recommendations were given on how to sustain the original integrity and reliability of the facilities for another 20 years. The options for improvement ranged from a dedicated maintenance effort or a complete overhaul to a full replacement by new equipment items. The opportunity was also taken to critically review the actual performance with respect to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) against latest standards. In 1999 MLNG Satu engaged Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. (KBR), JGC Corporation (JGC) and OGP Technical Services Sdn Bhd (OGP) as the engineering contractor with the task to further firm up and work out the scope for the rejuvenation project. The

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revamp of the MLNG Satu and MLNG Dua Sulfinol units was added to the scope of the contractor in anticipation of higher CO2 feed gas. Actual rejuvenation work will as much as possible be done while the plant is on-line. In case that would not be possible, the next option is to plan the work for scheduled maintenance shutdowns. Only those items that require a longer shutdown than normally available will be delayed until after MLNG Tiga plant has become operational (as of 2003). CONCLUSIONS Since the start of initial operation in 1983, the Malaysia LNG complex has shown a remarkable growth. As a result of various debottlenecking projects and the MLNG Dua and MLNG Tiga plant expansions, over a period of only 20 years the capacity of the LNG complex will have increased from 6 to 22.2 mtpa LNG. The integration of the MLNG Dua and MLNG Tiga plants with the existing facilities has always been the subject of careful study in order not to compromise Malaysias reputation as a highly reliable LNG supplier. Over the years a number of plant modifications were carried out with the objective of keeping the LNG complexs environmental performance in pace with the environmental regulations that are becoming ever more stringent. The Malaysia LNG complex has built up an excellent safety record over the years. This achievement is the result of a high profile given by management to safety and a true safety commitment from each individual. Also a start has been made with a rejuvenation project that will ensure continued operation of the MLNG Satu plant for another 20 years. In many respects the Malaysia LNG complex can be considered a very successful development and with dedicated and continued efforts, its growth will remain to be realised in a sustainable manner, with the objective of a long term and successful presence of Malaysia in the LNG business.

PS5-7.14