LNG Basics

for Petroleum Engineers

Michael Choi

Retired

1
 Primary funding is provided by

The SPE Foundation through member donations

and a contribution from Offshore Europe

The Society is grateful to those companies that allow their

professionals to serve as lecturers

Additional support provided by AIME

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl
2
Present an Overview of LNG Plant
Why LNG?
Pre-Treatment Required
Typical Multi-Trains Plant
Natural Gas Liquefaction
Thermodynamics
Commercial Liquefaction
Processes
Equipment for Liquefaction
Unique Auxiliary Facilities
Oman LNG Plant
Novel Plant Concepts
Concluding Remarks

3
 Stranded Gas Looking for Markets
LNG Proved to be Most Economic for Distances >1,500 Mile
Volume Reduction of 600:1
Transported in Insulated Tankers @ -162C & 1 atm.

Supply
Demand

4
LNG Process & Equipment ?

Big Refrigeration System

Compressor/Driver
Refrigerant Condenser
Evaporator (Process
Heat Exchanger)

Similar to the AC System

in Our Home!

5
 Typical 2-Train LNG Plant
Make- Fuel
Up Fuel
Gas
Train 1
Gathering
Inlet Gas Gas Inlet Gas NGL Liquefaction LNG Storage
Reception Treating Recovery
1.5 Bcfd Liquid LNG
8 Mtpa
NGL (1.1 Bcfd)
Train 2
Fractionation

Propane Propane
Condensate Storage .73 Mtpa
Stabilization (27 Mbpd)

Butane Butane
Storage .5 Mtpa
(17 Mbpd)
Condensate Condensate
Storage 1.2 Mtpa
(34 Mbpd)

6
 Typical 2-Train LNG Plant
Make- Fuel
Up Fuel
Gas
Train 1
Gathering
Inlet Gas Gas Inlet Gas NGL Liquefaction LNG Storage
Reception Treating Recovery
1.7 Bcfd Liquid LNG
Inlet Gas Reception
Inlet Gas TreatingNGL Recovery
9 Mtpa
Pipeline
Amine
NGL forScrub
Manifold CO
Fractionation 2&
Train
Column/KO
2 NGLafter C3 Pre-Cool
H2S Removal (1.2 Bcfd)

Deethanizer
Pig
Receivers
<50 Primarily
ppm & < 4 C4+
ppmFractionation
to Prevent Freezing
Inlet
Vapor LNG
Compression
Separator
Sulfur Heat Value
Recovery Unit ifImportant
H 2S for US & Propane Propane
Condensate
Slug Catcher
Mol Sieve European
DepropanizerStabilization
Dehydration*
& Treating
Markets Storage .73 Mtpa
(27 Mbpd)
1,070 btu/scf Max
95% <
Condensate
100
& 200 psig ppbVP
Stabilization Butane Butane
Need Turbo-Expander for High
<.5ppm Mercury
Multi-Stage
H 2 S & Vapor
<15ppm
Column
C3+
Removal*
S
Removal
Storage .5 Mtpa

Debutanizer Activated
Vapor &Compressor
TreatingCarbon Adsorber
(17 Mbpd)
Condensate Condensate
95%
10-12
& 70psia
psigRVP
VP @100F Storage 1.2 Mtpa
(34 Mbpd)
<.5ppm
De-Odorized
H2S & <15ppm S
7
 180,000 M3 LNG Tank
Full-Containment Tank to Reduce
Impound Area & Improve Safety
Approx. 75M Dia x 40M H
Insulated for <.05%/D of Boil-off
Top Entry In-Tank Pumps

Total Capacity Based on

Tanker Size (135,000 M3)
Plus 4+ Days Production

8
 Inside the Tanks

Single-Stage Multi-Stage

Tank with Pump Caissons

9
LNG Loading System

16 Chiksan Type
3+1 LNG Arms
3,500 M3/Hr/Ea.
10,500 M3/Hr
140K M3 Tanker
4+1 Systems
14,000 M3/Hr
Qmax & Qflex
200K+ M3
1 Vapor Return

10
 Cost of Refrigeration

Methane
or Nitrogen

Cost/Btu
Removed

Ethylene Air/Water
Propane
-162C Temperature 25C
11
 Natural Gas Liquefaction Processes
25C
Gas Cooling

Condensation
Temperature
Min. DT

Liquid
Sub-cooling
-162C

H (Enthalpy - Heat Removed)

12
 Cascade LNG Process
Most Straight Forward of All Processes 80F Propane
Refrig.

Kenai Plant Continuous Operation 1969

1st Stage
CoP Optimized
2nd Stage Cascade Refrigerant Cycle

Temperature
CoP License, Plant Build by Bechtel
3th Stage

1st Stage
Ethylene Refrig
2nd Stage
1st Stage

2nd Stage
Methane Refrig. .
-260F 3th Stage

H (Enthalpy - Heat Removed)

Kenai, Alaska

13
 C3 Precooled Mixed Refrigerant Process
Most Widely Used Licensed by APCI 80F Propane
Refrig.

1st Plant in Algeria Operating Since 1972 1st Stage Propane PreCooled
Mixed Refrigerant Cycle

2nd Stage

Temperature
Plants Built by KBR, Chiyoda, JGC, FW 3th Stage

Mixed Refrigerant

-260F

H (Enthalpy - Heat Removed)

QatarGas LNG Plant

14
 APCI AP-X Process
Largest Train Capacity @ 8 Mtpa
Overcome Spiral Wound MCHE Limit APCI Supplies
Process Design
First Unit Started in 2009 (QG-II)
Cold Boxes
No Plants Outside of Qatar Spiral Wound Exchanger
Turbo-Expanders

15
 All Processes Use Similar Equipment

GE MS7001 FB Gas Turbine

Most New Plants Use Large Gas Turbine (& Combined
Cycle) to Drive Refrigerant Compressors
Some Older & Smaller Trains Have Steam Turbine Drives
Many Peak Shaving Plants on Electric Drives
Use Large Process Type Centrifugal Compressors
Main Difference is in the Cryogenic Heat Exchangers
16
Main Cryogenic Heat Exchanger
Use by Mixed Refrigerant Process
Air Products & Chemicals
& Linde: Spiral Wound Ex.
Max. Diameter: 5,030mm
Height: ~55m
Stainless Steel Core
25mm Aluminum Tubing
Externally Insulated
Chill & Liquefy Gas
From 34C to 152C
At 55 to 69 Barg

17
APCIs MR Main Cryogenic Heat Exchanger (MCHE)
Spiral Wound Design

18
Heat Exchanger for Cascade Process

Plate Fin
Exchanger

Many Manufacturers
Use Extensively in Air Separation
Cascade & Other LNG Processes
Cold Box Configuration
19
 Advances in LNG Plants
Onshore
Conventional Design

Near-shore
GBS Design

Offshore
Steel or Concrete
Floater
20
 FLNG is about to be Reality

Shell Prelude Petronas Kanowit

Floated out of dry dock in EPC in progress
Dec. 2013 1.2 mtpa of LNG Capacity
3.6 mtpa of LNG capacity Scheduled for deployment
Start-up expected in 2016 in 2015 ?
21
 Conclusions
LNG Liquefaction Process Same as AC System in Our Home
Pre-Treatment Facilities Can Dwarf Liquefaction System
Mole Sieve Dehydration & Mercury Removal Required
Gas Treating & NGL Extraction May be Needed
Stabilized Condensate & Fractionated NGL Add Value
LNG Exchangers, Storage & Loading Systems Are Unique
Commercial Liquefaction Processes Well Proven, Robust & Can
be Optimized for Plant Size, Gas Composition, Sales &
Commercial Needs
Novel Near-Shore & Offshore Floating Concepts Are Developed

22
LNG ?

23
Your Feedback is Important
Enter your section in the DL Evaluation Contest by completing the
evaluation form for this presentation
Visit SPE.org/dl

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl 24