TPG 4140 Natural Gas 2012

LNG – Fundamental Principles and

Hammerfest LNG Plant
Jostein Pettersen
1-
 Outline
• Why LNG?
• What is LNG ?
• Gas pre-treatment
• Gas liquefaction
• LNG storage and loading
• LNG transport
• LNG receiving terminals

• Overview – Snøhvit field development and Hammerfest LNG plant

• Land plant
• Plant construction

2-
 Why produce LNG?
LNG is mainly produced for transportation purposes
• When the gas market is far from the source of the natural gas it
can be more economical to transport the gas as LNG instead of in a natural
gas pipeline.
• LNG also offers greater flexibility than pipeline gas

3-
 LNG Density
1 m3 LNG corresponds
to ca 600 Sm3 natural gas
S = Standard state, 15C, 1 atm

At temperatures above -110 ºC

Natural gas
LNG vapour is lighter than air

LNG is lighter than water

LNG Density: 450 kg/m3
Water density: 1000 kg/m3
LNG

4-
 Types of LNG plants
• Base-load plants
Large plants which are directly based on a specific gas field development and are the main
plants for handling the gas. A base-load plant has typically a production capacity of above 3
Mtpa (million tons per annum) of LNG. The main world-wide LNG production capacity come
from this type of plants
• Peak-shaving plants
Smaller plants that are connected to a gas network. During the period of the year when gas
demand is low, natural gas is liquefied and LNG is stored. LNG is vaporized during short
periods when gas demand is high. These plants have a relatively small liquefaction capacity
(as 200 tons/day) and large storage and vaporization capacity (as 6000 tons/day). Especially
in the US many such plants exist
• Small-scale plants
Small-scale plants are plants that are connected to a gas network for continuous LNG
production in a smaller scale. The LNG is distributed by LNG trucks or small LNG carriers to
various customers with a small to moderate need of energy or fuel. This type of LNG plants
typically has a production capacity below 500 000 tpa. In Norway and China several plants
within this category is in operation.

5-
 Natural gas liquefaction plants
Base load capacity

Source: IHS CERA.

00406-6_2808

Source: CERA
6-
 Gas processing

7-
 Simplified LNG plant block diagram
Fuel
gas
(CO2 and H2S)
CH4/N2

End
flash

HHC
Extraction

(C5+) (C4 and C3)

Power
&
heat

8-
 Jetty

Plant example: Atlantic LNG –

Trinidad (Air cooled)
Jetty

Compressors

Air cooled
condensers
Cold boxes
(Heat exchangers)

9-
 Gas conditioning (pre-treatment)
• Acid Gas (CO2 and H2S) removal
− Acid gas causes corrosion, reduces heating value, and may freeze and create solids
in cryogenic process
− Typical requirements for LNG: Max 50 ppmv CO2, Max 4 ppmv H2S
(ppmv - parts per million by volume)
− Usual process: aMDEA (Amine)

• Dehydration (water removal)

− Water will freeze in cryogenic process
− Typical requirement: Max 1 ppmw (weight) H2O
− Usual process: Adsorption (Mol sieve)

• Mercury removal
− Mercury can cause corrosion problems, especially in aluminium heat exchangers
− Requirement: Max 0.01 g/Nm3
− Usual process: Adsorption

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 Liquefaction process

11 -
 Natural gas path through liquefaction
pressure-enthalpy diagram (C1:89.7% C2:5,5% C3:1.8% N2:2.8%)
100
-200oC -150oC -100oC -50oC 0 oC 50oC

Liquefaction Precooling
Subcooling

Expansion
Pressure [bara]

10

JT Throttling

1
-900 End
-800 flash -700 -600 -500LNG -400 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200
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Enthalpy [kJ/kg]
 Vapour pressure of pure fluids relevant for LNG
processes Refrigerant Vapour Pressure

100

CO2
C1 Ethylene
N2 C2
N2
C1
Pressura(Bara)

C3 C2
10 C3
NC4
CO2
Ethylene

n-C4
LNG Range

1
-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50
Temp(C)

13 -
 Liquefaction process licensors –
Base load LNG plants (3+ Mtpa)
• Air Products and Chemicals Inc (APCI)
− World leader since since the 1970s – ca 80 operating trains
− C3MR process
− AP-XTM Hybrid (QatarGas II, III and IV, RasGas III: Six trains of 7.8 Mtpa each, Start up 2008)

• ConocoPhillips (Optimised) Cascade

− Trinidad: Atlantic LNG - 4 trains
− Egypt: Idku
− Alaska: Kenai (Operating since 1969!)
− Australia: Darwin LNG
− Equatorial Guinea

• Shell DMR – Double Mixed Refrigerant (Sakhalin, 2 x 4.8 Mtpa –start-up 2007)
PMR (same as C3MR – but parallel MR circuits) – no references

• Linde/Statoil MFC® Mixed Fluid Cascade Process (Snøhvit, 4.3 Mtpa – start up 2007)

• Axens Liquefin™ (No references)

14 -
 Simplified cascade process for natural gas
liquefaction
1.4 bar 45 bar

1.4 bar 19 bar

1.4 bar 7 bar

-96 °C -32 °C 12 °C
LNG -155 °C NG

Methane
Ethylene
Propane

15 -
 Temperature stages in cascade process

16 -
 Example of single-mix refrigerant cycle for
natural gas liquefaction (Prico cycle)

NG Composition:
12 °C 30 bar
NG Refrig
C1 0.897 0.360
12 °C 6,5 °C
C2 0.055 0.280
99,8 °C C3 0.018 0.110
nC4 0.001 0.150
-155 °C 5 bar
LNG N2 0.028 0.100
-155 °C -155,5 °C

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 Temperature – enthalpy diagram of Prico example
150

Mixed refrigerant dew point line

100 Mixed refrigerant 30 bar
Mixed refrigerant bubble point line
NG
12 °C 30 bar
50
NG 60 bar
12 °C 6,5 °C
Temperature, C

0 99,8 °C

-155 °C 5 bar
LNG -155 °C -155,5 °C
NG dew point line
-50
Mixed refrigerant 5 bar
NG bubble point
-100 line

-150

-200
-1500 -1000 -500 0 500 1000 1500
Enthalpy, x 10^6 kJ/hr

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 Propane-precooled MR (C3MR) Process

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 LNG storage and
loading

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 LNG tank containment principles

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 Above-ground full-containment LNG tank design
• Pre-stressed concrete outer walls
constructed by slipforming, sheathed
internally with a gas-tight layer of
nickel-alloyed steel.

• Inner tank in nickel-alloyed steel,

separated from the outer walls by a
layer of perlite - a variety of volcanic
obsidian highly suitable for insulation

• Extra layer of steel and insulation at

the transition between outer wall and
tank bottom to protect it against
strong local stresses should the
inner tank begin to leak.

• Heating cables under the tanks will

ensure that the ground remains
above 0°C in order to prevent frost
heaving.

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 Typical storage and loading system

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24 - 2010-09-26
 LNG ships

25 -
 LNG transportation – technical aspects
• LNG is transported at – 163 deg. C and at atmospheric pressure
• This low temperature require that the LNG is transported and handled with special
consideration, i.e.
− Completely separated from the ship’s hull
− LNG temperature must be maintained during the voyage – requiring efficient insulation
of the cargo tanks and handling of boil off gas (BOG)
− All cargo handling equipment must be able to operate at the low temperature of -163
deg. C
• Two basically different cargo containment systems are used:
− Self supported independent tanks (Moss Rosenberg spherical tanks, IHI SPB,
cylindrical tanks)
− Membrane tanks (Gaz Transport and Technigaz (GTT))
• Market share between the two concepts has been about. 50/50 - but the membrane concept
has been increasingly selected for recent newbuilding orders.

26 -
 Cargo containment systems
Spherical tanks Membrane containment
(Moss Rosenberg)

27 -
 LNG Receiving
Terminals

28 -
 Sabine Pass LNG Terminal (Planned)
Artist’s Rendition

Source: Cheniere Energy, Inc.

29 -
 LNG receiving terminal - principles

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 Hammerfest LNG Plant

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- A Successful Frontier LNG Project

• The first LNG liquefaction plant in Norway and Europe

• The first offshore development in the Barents Sea
• The largest industrial development in northern Norway ever

• New technology on several areas

• New markets
• New organisation in a new area of Norway
70°39′48″N
23°40′55″E
Facts:
Discovered: 1981 – 84 Snøhvit, Albatross
and Askeladd
Water depth: 250 – 340 m
Distance to shore: 140 km
Gas in place (GIP): 317 GSm3 Original 2002
Recoverable reserves : 193 GSm3 figures
Condensate: 34 MSm3

Owners:
Statoil ASA (Operator) 36.79%

Petoro AS 30.00%

Total E&P Norge AS 18.40%

GDF Suez Norge AS 12.00%

RWE Dea Norge AS 2.81%

0 100 200 km
G:\T&P\ANT\MBM\NKG\Mapdata\NO\Norge_Oversikt\Lisenskart\Mxd\Statoil_Hydro_let_lic_tot_20070401vle.mxd
Hammerfest – Melkøya (May 2006)

2010-09-26
 Slug catcher Inlet facilities

SNØHVIT Pretreatment
Simplified overview

Carbon dioxide

MEG LNG production

recovery Precooling cycle Liquefaction cycle Subcooling cycle

Snøhvit
Production wells
Fractionation

Production wells

Plem

Condensate production
CO2 Injection well

LPG production Storage and loading:

CDU LNG, LPG, condensate

Production wells

Albatross

Seabed
CO2 Injection Production well
well Reservoir

2010-09-26
Prepared by Petrolink as
Hammerfest LNG plant - block flow diagram
N2 to atm.
CO2 reinjection
(to pipeline)

CO2 drying
and Nitrogen
recompression removal
Fuel gas
system LNG
Storage

Feed from
pipeline Slug Inlet facilities/ CO2 De- Mercury Natural gas LNG
catcher Metering removal hydration removal liquefaction Storage

C1 / C2 / C3 Refrig. Make
-up
Fractionation
MEG (Refrigerant LPG
Recovery Make-up) Storage

Lean MEG
(to pipeline)
Condensate Condensate
treatment Storage
Utility Flare Control
Systems Facilities room

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 LAYOUT - HAMMERFEST LNG PLANT
Area 1 Area 2 Area 3

HP flare

Grid substation LP flare

Subsea road tunnel Camp area

Administration building / control room

Sea water outlet /sea water inlet

Holding basin / waste water treatment
Utility substation
MDEA storage / fuel gas
Compressed air and inert gas facilities Condensate storage
Landfall tank
Offshore utility substation
MEG process area LNG storage tanks
MEG substation Product jetty
MEG storage tank area
LPG storage tank
Hot oil and chemical Storage & loading substation
storage tanks N2 cold box
Pig receiver NG Cold box
Process substation

Electrical power generation

Compression area, barge
Process area, barge

Construction jetty

Slug catcher

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 HAMMERFEST LNG – Process area
1
3
2 Natural gas Cold
Box

Nitrogen Removal
Cold Box
Process
substation

Process area

Compressor area

Electric power
generation
Mixed Fluid Cascade (MFC®) Liquefaction process and
power/heat generation at Hammerfest

65 MW

NGL

32 MW

65
MW
 Melkøya before construction start-up…
June 2001

2010-09-26
Melkøya August 2006
 Prefabrication and use of
large modules
Why this very large extent of
prefabrication?
• Harsh weather conditions
• Remoteness – lack of necessary infrastructure
• Reduce the necessity of steel work at site
• Higher productivity at construction yard
• Reduce work at site in general -
of the total estimate of 15 million man-hours to
build the plant, 50 % is done at site.

2010-09-26
Cold box
Process
plant
Prefabrication – LNG plant on a barge
Process systems on the barge
Weight: 21.000 tonnes
Height over deck: 60 m

Barge
Weight: 10.000 tonnes
Size: 154 x 54 x 9m
Blue Marlin and process barge in Cadiz….
Hammerfest – here we are!
In-docking of process-barge….
21 August 2007: Production start

13.09.07 First LNG to tank

26.09.07 First condensate cargo
20.10.07 First LNG cargo
 Arctic Shipping

51 - 2010-09-26