USING CFD AND DYNAMIC SIMULATION TOOLS F OR THE DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF LNG PLANTS

Tania Simonetti , Dominique Gadelle , Rajeev Nanda

1 1 2

1. LNG Department, Process Division, Technip France 2. LNG Department, Process Division, Technip Houston Keywords : 1. CFD; 2. Dynamic simulation; 3. Hot air recirculation ; 4. Air tower design ; 5. Cooldown procedure; 6. LNG 1 Introduction and objectives In recent years, an increase in LNG plant design production capacity and a step out in technology has been observed; newly designed train capacity has risen to 6.3 MTA for OKLNG project and to 7.8 MTPA for Qatar individual trains as examples. Along with this development, equipment sizes have grown to exceed previous common experience while overall plant layouts have evolved towards more spread out or congested configurations due to the need of installing larger and larger trains. This context amplifies a need for the best possible design tools, capable not only to investigate and prove the proper performance of critical pieces of equipment, but also to optimise capital investment in equipment, piping and layout without compromising the proper performance of the plant. In parallel, enhanced computing capabilities have widened the domain of application of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Dynamic simulation, allowing these tools to occupy an increasingly important place in terms of verification and improvement of design. Nowadays, these simulato rs are capable not only to describe the performance of a single piece of equipment but also to give a complete picture of an installation and of its response to operation al upsets or procedures. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate some recent applications of CFD and dynami c simulation, where these simulators have stepped out of their traditional roles and have been employed to validate layouts of specific areas or even whole LNG plants, or used as design tools for pieces of equipment and layout. The use of CFD and dynamic simulation in the applications discussed, in most cases ended up in significant economi c gains. 2 Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD represents a powerful simulation tool that allows very accurate mechan ical and thermal modelling. CFD is based on numerical solution of equations for the conservation of mass, movemen t quantity, energy (refer to Appendix 1 for equations). In general, a CFD simulation is built in two parts: Geometric model definition via a Computer Aided Design tool Mathemati cal solver based on N avier Stokes equation The simulated domain can be modelled in 2D or 3D: a domain is defined with its boundary conditions. The equations can be solved in steady or unsteady state. The results can be presented in graphic form allowing immediate visualisation and interpretation of hydraulic and thermal profile s. These principles can be best illustrated through case studies developed during some LNG plant projects, such Qatargas II (2 x7.8 MTPA LNG production), Qatargas III (2 x7.8 MTPA LNG production), Yemen LNG (2 x 3.45 MTPA LNG production), OKLNG .(2 x 6. 3 MTPA LNG production), Freeport Terminal LNG.

a. Case study: utilizing Air as Heat Source in Air These air base technologie s are very energy efficient, but a careful evaluation need s to be done to quantify the advantages based on the s pecific site conditions. Some of the main cons i derations are (i) the lower air temperatureduring the cold months ofthe year may require a s u ppleme ntary heat source, that increase capital and operating cos t s, (ii) h t e cold air, dueto negative buoyancy, may end t to recycle back. Any recirculation would esult r in reduction in heat tr a nsfer area and performance justifying rigorous Computation al F luid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, (iii) dealing with o f g problem s, asair gets saturated due to its tempe rature reduction, (iv) handling of condensed moisture from the air and resulting water d isposal issues, (v) demand s on the control s y stem to compensate for variationsin ambient conditions hat t requires dynami c process s i mul ations for analysis of the system. In an air tower or reverse -acting cooling tower, the air exchanges heat with the flowing water by direct contact. The heat trans f er mechanism in an air toweris the reverse ofa cooling tower. The moisture in the air condenses as air gets cooler, and there is a net production of water in the process. The heat of

condensation m akes a significant c o ntribution to the o t tal heat duty. The excesswater is disposed of fr om the air tower sump. Figure 1 s how s how the air tower can be utilized for LNG vaporization. Although variousschemes are po ssible to integrate he t air tower,one of the typical sc h eme s is to utilize the s hell and tube exchanger for LNG vaporization withan intermediate flu id such as ethylene orpropylene glycol flowing in a c losed loop circulation. In such a scheme, the circula ting fluid circulates through the loop consisting of LNG vaporizers and intermediate exchangerswhich could be plate and fr ame type. When the air tower is not operating during the winter, theintermediate fluid isheated in a fired heater.In summer, when no heating isrequired from the fired heater, h t e intermediate fluid exchangesheat with water from the air tower. For flexibility, the system would be designed to have part of the heat from the air tower and par t from the fir e d heater. It is important to note that the power consumption is significant in c irculating the water bypump s for the system. There is a point of diminishing return o t extract the heat from the a i r tower as winter approaches.

Figure 1: Utilizin g Air Tower o f r LNG Vaporization The air towercan be designed conceptually byextending the concept rom f a normal cooling tower with the following detailsto be addressed: i. The fill material and type should be tes ted to confirm that the quantityis adequate. In the case of the air tower, water condensation tak es place ins tead of evaporation as in the cooling tower.It is important thatappropriate fill material and quantity are used. ii. The air that comes out of the air tower is at low temperature and there is a tendency for air to settle down due to negative buoyancy. ComputationalFluid Dynamic s (CFD) modelling is required to confirm the amount of e-circulation r and the impact on design. Due to rec i rculation of cold air, under some conditions the tower performance candeteriorate significantly. iii. T he wind speed and direction havesignificant impact on the tower performance. Again, the impact can be studied from CFDmodelling. The location of the air tower based on the results of CFD modelling is key to its successful performance and optimization of the design. iv. The local ambie nt air tempe rature and fluctuation are also impo rtant cond ition s for understanding the duration of reduced perfor m ance. These conditions impact the design of he t air tower. A backup vaporization system and its design should be al s o based on the same. v. There would be a net generation of waterin the air tower due to condensation. Thi s wate r quality is generally the s a me as rainfall, which h s ould be drained off to a suitable location. vi. The water that circulates in the air tower and the piping system is moderately corro sive. Special metallurgy or internal coating for equ ipment and piping is needed. Generally, water treatmentby dosing chemicals will be e v ry expensive as there is a net overflow of water out of the system resulting in a o l ss of expensive chemi cals. Moreove r thiscould also be a permittingissue.

Figure 2: Enve lope Indicating Temperature Below Ambient Figure 2 and 3 illus t rate the envelope of low air temperature due to cold air recirculation. The envelope shows air re -ci rculating back to the inlet of a i r tower. Itis important that the amount of recir culation be computed as it would impact the design of he t air tower. The temperature reduction at the in l et of the air tower can significantly educe r the tower performance. It is important to note that the horizontal an f configuration will no t perform well under low wind speed. This is illustrated by the CFD envelope shownbelow in Figure 3.The low wind speed resultsin the cold air settling nearthe tower intake area.The higher wind speed e r sults in more turbulence, bettermixing and less cold air recirculation.

Figure 3: Temperature Enve lope for Weak Wind Speed By CFD modelling the impact of us i ng vertical and horizontal fansin an air tower was studied. In the final des ign for Fr e eport LNG Terminal the vertical fans were adopted after extensive t sudy of local meteorolo gical data, plot plan and the s ite location. The overa ll control system was extensively s t udied and verified using process dynamic simulations. Als o tests were conducted to measureand validate the heat and mass transfer coefficients for the actual ill f material used in th e air tower.

Figure 4: Comparison ofVertical and Hor i zontal Air TowerDesign The map s of velocity vect or and surface e t mperature reveal the impact due to the presence of other equipment in the plot plan. T he interference from other equ i pment on the air tower performance cannot be ignored.

Figure 5: Velocity VectorAround Air Tower

Figure 6: Surface Temperature ar ound Air Tower T he analysis of the air tower s ystem as illustrated above required the following as p ects to be evaluated in detail: i. Heat and Mass Transfer Mechanism: The heat exchange is in reverse direction when compared with the standard equipment utilized for similar s ervice. The correlations derived from the cooling tower design required verification through testing. ii. Air Recirculation: The plot plan and the local meteor o logical conditions play an impo rtant role in the design ofsuch systems. iii. Location of Equipment: The location and orientation of the a i r tower on the plot plan were found to be a key factor o t its perfor m ance. The effect of wind s peed and direction, prevalent wind direction and interference with otherequipment is significant. iv. Temp erature at S ite: Average ambient conditions can be misleading for detai led evaluation and des ign. Detailed evaluation of minimum and max imum temperatures and changes were found to bevery important for the final design and optimization of the system. In s ome case s, the average temperature at best

v.

vi.

may be used for initial n s apshot studies at the onset of the project. Full Backup Vaporizer during the winter: At Freeport, as in many cases, full backup vaporizers are required for operation during the colder months. A cost benefit analysis is required to justify the initial capital investment against fuel savings and NOxand CO emissions. Condensation of Water: Excess water would e r quire collection and disposal. Special metallurgicalrequirements wereevaluated, and resulted in improvemen ts such as the internal coat ing of the water circ u lation pipe.

b.

Case study: CFD application to slug catcher performance assessment

In this case study, CFD s i mula tion has been used to assess gas distribution and incoming liquid separation efficiency in a large finger type slug catcher consisting of 12 x 48 fingers. Gas distribution was successfully simulated using 3Dsegregated implicit o s lver. This gave velocity (refer to figure 7 here below) and pressure profile throughout the slug catcher.

Figure 7: Slug catcher perfor m ance assessment via CFD: velocity pr ofile Liquid separation efficiency was modelled by injection of liquid droplets. Two droplet injection models were developed; the ass umption s underlying each one ar e the following: i. No shear: in this case all dr o plets agglomerate and form liquid ilm f when they enter in contact with any wall ni the slug catcher ii. Shear: in this s e cond ca se only the dropletsthat enter in c ontact with fingerswall solely, are tr a pped and agglomerate. The range of droplet sizes used in the model varies from 1 to 400 m. Based on these CFD simulations, the amount of s topped and escaped droplets from the slug catcher could be computed. In either case, the eff i ciency of the slug catc her in terms of gravitational separation could be assessed by plotting the curves of percentage of trapped droplets against droplet diameter per each type ofdroplet injectionmodel. The actual efficiency of the slug catcher in terms of liquid s e paration versus droplet diameter is somewhere in between the no-shear assumption caseplot and shear cas e assumption plot (see here below figure 8).

Figure 8: Slug catcherperformance assessment via CFD:liquid separation efficiency

The geometry, boundary conditions and fluid zones drawn by using the Gambit software. The hydraulic behaviour simulated with Fluent software. c. Case study: Hot air recirculation studies in LNG plant

In LNG plant , LNG production capacity is directly linked to refrigeration power. This refrigeration power is dependant upon ambient air temperaturebecause of the influence on gas turbine av a ilable power when these are used as mechanical drives, and als o because it determines the refrigerant condensing temperature when air is us e d as the cooling media. Cons e quently, ambient air temperature directly affects LNG production. Hot air recirculation studies aim toevaluate actual air temperature at th e inlet of both gas turbines and air coolers. Airtemperature may in fact be higher than sugges t ed by site meteorological records due to recirculation of hot air from sources such as air coolers plum e and exhaust s t acks. The results of s u ch a study are used then to validate the layoutand plot plan of theinstallation. In the case s tudy described, CFD was used to evaluate hot ia r recirculation and to validate the layout of a a l rge, two train Wes t African facility. The CFD simulation model included two LNG ains, tr LNG and LPG tanks. The model geom etry was built taking into account all large -scale obstacles such as compre ssor houses, driers, substations, technical rooms,etc and significant detailsin congested areas, e.g. cable tr a ys, piperack, zones below main compressors (nozzles, pipes,auxiliaries). On the other hand, downwind units were considered to have alesser impact on aircirculation and wereexcluded from the model. The model took into account atmospheric conditions, e.g. prevailing wind directions, ambien t temperature, wind velocity and turbulence profiles. The sources of hot air for this application were the gas turbines and waste heat e r covery unit exhaust gase s. Refer to figure 9 for viewsof the model and hot air s ources.

AIR COOLERS OUTLET 310 TO 337K

GAS TURBINES INLET

EXHAUST AT 480K

EXHAUST AT 827K AIR COOLERS INLET 300K

Figure 9: CFD application to h ot air recirculation study: twotrains model for CFD simulation. The study led to the f o llowing results: i. Air temperature rise observed at each air cooler and gas urbine t inlet for all h te selected wind condit ions. ii. Therma l amplification observation: gas u t rbines exhaust led o t local temperature rise higher than 50C whilst air coolers cause d l ocally tempe rature rise of 25C. This allowed identifying specific areas where the air temperature rise with respect to forecastambient temperature may impact the design of equ i pment. Figures 10 and 11 offer a visual appreciation of he t configuration and ass ociated air temperature rise.

Figure 10: CFD application to hot air recirculation study: thermal amplification.

Figure 1 1: CFD application to hot air recirculation study: two trains r esultin g heat plume.

Validation of the configuration via air recirculation s t ud y: The air temperature rise wasdetermined for actual site condit ions and the performance of affected equipment was able to be checked.In conclusion, the air e r circulation study allowed he t efficiency of the LNG plant to be confirmed and to valid a te the s elected plot p lan.
d. CFD applied to other engineering studies

CFD has proved to be a valuable tool for a number of other engineering s t udies such as v apour/ liquid s eparation, compressor suction ine l hydraulics, optimisation of compressor u s ction piping layout, optimisation of piping routing ups t ream of critical e s parators.

Case study: CFD application to vapour/ liquid disengagement in large LNG trains propane evaporators. Propane evaporators areat the core of the LNG plant, and good plantperformance r e quires the pressure drop tobe minimised. A critical iss u e in these evaporators isthe good separation of liquiddroplets in the chillers . The objective of thisstudy was to evaluate hydraulic behaviour withrespect to pres sure drop and separation eff i ciency, good separation eff iciency trans lating into homogeneous and optimal ve l ocity across the evaporator mesh. The evaporators studied wer e HP, MP, LP and LLP chillersof Feed Gas and Mixed Refr igerant in a large baseload project using A ir ProductsC3/MR p roce ss. Simulations were built so as to examine only the gas eous phase above High Liquid Level.The geome tries of the evaporators including nozzles, headers and wiremesh mist eliminators were fully described in the models. The results of this case study in dicate d that the operation ofthese chillers is s a tisfactory: i. Pressure drops were all within a percentage of operating pressure that is acceptable for thistype of equipment. ii. Mesh velocities were ina range that isjudged acceptable for liquid e sparation. Therefore, the study led to the conf irmation that the operation of thes e chillers issatisfactory. In addition a number of e r comm endations for the design ofthe evaporators were able tobe made, such as the preferred use of aheader with elbows rather tha n a T to reduce pressure drop. Such results are es p ecially valuable for large capacity equipment that represent a step out with respect to experience and eferenced r equipment s izes. ii. Case study: CFD application to verific ation of compressors suction line hydraulics Verification of line hydraulicswith CFD answers a need for design andoptimisation of critical lines, with a tool that is versatile and user friendly. In LNG plantsminimisation of pressure drop in compressor suction lines brings significant gains in terms of compressor power, which in turn al lows an increase in available refrigerationduty and LNG production. In view of this objective, CFDhas been used on a number ofrecent projects to screen compressor suction lines thoroughly for press u re drop and velocity profile at the compress o r flange and validate modifications. In the case study six c ompre ssors suction lineswere verified: Low press u re, Medium Pressure, High Pressure Propane and LowPressure, Medium Pressure, HighPressure Mixed Refrigeran t.

i.

The CFD geometry took into account the linetself i and detailed geometry ofconical filters , venturis, butterfly and non-slam check valves, drums and associated internals (vane type distributors; me sh pad), kettles and outlet manifold. The CFD output consisted of complete pressure drop and velocity profiles. These results have allowed the following: i. Verification of compliance with compressor vendor e r quirem ents for pressure drop, ii. Analysis of distribution at compressor nozzles and impleme ntation of modifications to layoutand piping when necessary. The most remarkable modifications that esulted r from the study wer e as follows : i. LP MR suction line: CFD s howed that pr e ssure drop exceeded vendor requirements. In addition poor distr i bution was observed at the compressor flange. CFD was then applied to different line configurationsand sizes leading to a solution where the diameter was increased to 64 from 60. In figure 12, the results for gas distribution across compre ssor nozzles can be compared for the two configurations, the former based on s tandard (good) engineering practice criteria applied to line sizing and the latterdesigned using CFD. In addition, as a final result the resulting pressure drop was reduced by 45% with respect to the ini tial configuration. ii. MP MR suction reducer geometry was e-specified r to improve h t e velocity distribution across the inlet nozzle. This al lowed a reduction in pressur e drop of 12%. Figure 13 shows the CFD output from the differ ent tests that lead to the finally retained arrangement. It can be s e en that CFD output allows a quite straightforward interpretation ofresults. iii. T he CFD study first s h owed pressure drop to be significant. Fr om the velocity and pressure drop profile, it was possible to identify he t most effective modification that consistedin increasing the distribution pi pe diameter at the e k ttle manifold: a comparison of the two configurations and e r sulting pressure drops and velocity profile can be seen in figure 14.

Figure 1 2 CFD application to compressor suctio n line hydraulics ver ificati on: LP mixed refrigerant s uction line.

Figure 1 3: CFD application for compressors suction line hydraulics verification: MP Mixed refrigerant s uction line.

Figure 14: CFD application forcompressors suction li ne hydraulics verifica tion: modifications in LP Propane s uction system. This study showsfirstly how CFD simulation can accurately picture the pressureand velocity profiles of a given sys t em, allowi ng modelling of fitt ings such as control valves, strainers, c h eck valves and internals. Pressure drop calculations arefar more accurate than with t sandard engineering tools.

Furthermore, CFD allowed severaltests to be performed in order o t find the optimum solut i on. The improvemen t in lfow pattern e r sulting from each modification could be eas i ly visually appreciated from the output profiles.

Case study: application of CFD for layout design for refrigerant compressors suction lines CFD can be used to optimise compressor layout for minimum investment cos t while res pecting pressure drop constraints.

iii.

On one project aCFD study ofthe Low Pressure Propane Compressor suction line was carried out to find the min imum compressor table height that still met the s pecified maximum pressure drop hus t achieving substantial economic savings. In fact, through CFD it was possible to identify an improved arrangeme nt for suction line fitt i ngs (elbows, strainers) to meet the allowable press u re drop and with an acceptable flow pattern . Figure 15 shows the effect on velocity prof ile at the compressor inlet nozzle for a difference of one metrein compressor a t ble height. Figure 16 shows the nozzle velocity profile w ith the final geometry. In this case s t udy CFD proved to be an effective layoutdesign tool, allowing a c l ear basis for disc arding a costly configuration.

Figure 1 5: Impact of raising compressor suction table height on LP Propane case study: CFD output.

Figure 1 6: Impact of revised geometry after CFD study for LP Propane case study.

Other case studies: CFD application to verification of critical separators performances CFD allows the proper operation of eparator s internals tobe verified. Such performance verificat ions are usually carried out with thepurpose to ensure the correct operation of theseparator, nonetheless CFD can also be used to relax piping routing criteria ups t ream critical drums internals with a view to reducing straight lengths and amore compact installation . For one LNG project, CFD simulations of critical s e parators such as the LP MR u s ction drum and LP C3 suction drum led to the re l axing of str a ight length requirements between the las t elbow and the drum inlet, thus simplifying the piping outing. r Figure 17 and figure 18 show the e r sults of these CFD simulatio ns: it can be easily s een that the veloci t y profile at the mesh inlet is rather homogenous, indicating good distribution acrossthe section and efficient dropletseparation despite thereduced straight lengthsupstream the drums.

iv.

Figure 1 7: LP MR suction drum separator performance: velocity distribution at mesh inlet.

Figure 1 8: LP Propane suction drum separator performance: velocity distribution at mesh inlet.

CFD applied to separators may alternatively lead to e s parator size r e duction, bringing substantial investment savings. Asan example, separator volume reduction aft er CFD ver i fication is summarised in the Table 1: data ar e taken from an optimisation s tudy aimed at e r ducing drum investment cos t while maintaining gas liquid e s paration performance. In this case study all the CFD study drums are fitted with multi-vane inlet deviceand wiremesh mist eliminator s.
Table 1: reductions of critical drums Drum number Weight of initial

Weight after

Weight

Material

106 -V - 101 106 - V - 102 106 - V - 103 106 - V - 104 106 - V - 105 106 - V - 106 106 - V - 107

design (Tons) 206.7 148.5 172.6 66.6 63.9 58.5 53.8

optimization (Tons) 171.7 120.2 79.4 60.1 57.6 52.3 48.7

Reduction (Tons) 35 28.3 93.2 6.5 6.3 6.2 5.1

304L SS 304L SS LTCS LTCS LTCS LTCS LTCS

The total weight reduction for the stainless steel drum was 63 tons on each LNG train . 3 Dynamic simulation Dynamic simulation allows modelling of transient behaviour in processes bringi ng new information useful for system design that cannot be represented with static simulations. Dynamic simulation can address many aspects of process plant design. In the case studies presented, the problems s uccessfull y studied include cooldown procedure for a LNG pipe network, and a typical case of compressor dynamic simulation . a. Case study: Cooldown dynamic study of a LNG pipe network.

The interest of optimisation of cooldown procedure in LNG rundown/loading systems lies in the gain over LNG and cold gas flows used and in duration shortening for such complex operation. The case study for this application was the CLP s torage rundo wn and loading lines belonging to LNG production facilities different than those providing cold gas and LNG for the first cooldown. It was then of utmost importance to limit the duration and the flowrate of cold gas and LNG taken from outside production entity. In this context, dynamic simulation has proven a highly efficient tool to tailor up the cooldown procedure in the perspective of minimising the use of cold gas and LNG and duration. In the study for CLP storage cooldown, th e network is composed of a rundown system of 4km of 22 pipe, a cross over line 500m of 10 pipe and a loading loop with 16km 36 pipe. The cold gas was brought through a 3000 m long pipe of 6 size coming from existing external production facilities. The limit of the system is imposed by the allowable back pressure at cold gas injection point. Pressure at the other end of the network is set. Figure 1 9 gives a schematic view of the network configuration. It is apparent that the 6 line segment represented the controlling section with respect to allowable pressure drop and allowable velocity during the transient for the cold gas.

Figure 1 9: Cooldown dynamic study of LNG pipe network: simplified view of the studied network.

The selected cooldown procedure consists of: i. Step 1: rundown system cooldown with 20t/h of cold gas during 24 hours. Maximum allowable back pressure is respected while cooling down the system to -90C. Loading loop starts to cool down. ii. Transition: cold gas flowrate reduced to 0t/h between t=24h and t=25h to allow LNG injection: back pressure is decreased to 1.1 bara and LNG available at 6.7 bara. iii. Step 2: once cold gas flowrate is reduced to 0t/h, LNG flowrate is increased up to 28t/h. The rundown system quickly cools down, and loading li nes progressively finishes their cooldown in parallel. When LNG arrives liquid at berth 5 (refer to picture 1 9), parallel circulation must be stopped and loop circulation is required. At that time, fluid is about -150 C and pipes wall temperature are aroun d -80C. Jetty drum can be partially filled (up to 1020%) so that pipes wall temperatures decreases below -100 C. The overall profile of reached temperature versus time obtained via dynamic simulation is shown in figures 20 and 2 1 for cooldown of rundown lines and cooldown of loading lines respectivel y.

Figure 20: Cooldown dynamic study of LNG pipe network: overall cooldown of rundown lines chart, achieved wall temperature versus elapsed time.

Figure 2 1: Cooldown dynamic study of LNG pipe network: ov erall cooldown of loading lines chart, achieved wall temperature versus elapsed time. The use of dynamic simulation allows several tests to be run on a built model, in this specific context this made evident that it is not required to cool down the loading loop with cold gas before letting in LNG injection. By this method, cooldown duration and involved flowrates of cold gas could be optimised. Conclusivel y, dynamic simulation applied to network has proven to be an efficient and flexible means of validatin g and customising an operating complex procedure.

Figure 22 Cooldown dynamic study of LNG pipe network: overview of CLP cooldown network.

b.

Case study: Dynamic study of flash gas compressor in LNG plant

In this case study , a dynamic simulation applied to this flash gas compressor was performed on the end flash gas compressor provided downstream the liquefaction facilities in order to confirm the transient phase operati on such as the start-up sequence of the compressor and the compressor behaviour during trips. The result s of such simulation permitted to precisely identify the suitability of selected material such as antisurge valve s size, the need for additional valves, e.g. hot gas bypass, in case of surge during transient, verification of the proper cooldown rate procedure during start-up in order to protect machine at all operating conditions. Therefore the outcome of the dynamic simulation has a direct impact over installation and provided instrumentation. The studied flash gas compressor was a three stage fixed speed machine, feeding the HP fuel gas network. Flash gas compressor compress LNG flash gas from 0.24barg up to 28.5barg. First stage is provided with inlet guide vane valves and s uction drum. Each stage is provided with air cooled aftercoolers to reduce interstage temperature to 45 C. The dynamic simulation has been carried out with Hysis dynamics; the model has been filled in with vendor compressor curves depicti ng polytropic height versus suction flow. The pressure drop in pipe s and air cool ers is rated based on design conditions. The valves included in dynamic s imul ation are filled in with the installed Cv, including anti -surge valve data from compressor vendor.

i. Dynamic simulation: start -up sequence development The flash gas start -up sequence has been defined as follows: i. Initial conditions correspond to the following configuration: outlet shutdown valve is c losed; inlet suction control valve is fully open; inlet guide vanes are closed at 70; antisurge valve is in manual mode and fully open position; pressure control valve to flare is closed; compressor loop is pressurised at suction pressure, i.e. 0.24 barg. ii. Step 1 - motor start -up: in this phase dynamic simulation showed that required load torque curve providing compressor acceleration stay behind the available torque curve at 70% and 100% available voltage. Therefore no problem is encountered to start up the compressor. iii. Step 2 - compressor cooldown: the compressor has reached nominal speed. A start -up pressure control val ve is provided to flare gas from discharge, thus allowing to cooldown the system and place the compressor on line. During this step this valve to flare is opened in manual mode while cold gas is allo wed in compressor. iv. Step 3 closure of antisurge valve and opening of antisurge bypass valve: the antisurge controller is switched to automatic mode, therefore antisurge valve closes down. The relevant closure time is defined from vendor data and specification. Antisurge bypass valves open so as to compensate the closure of antisurge valves. The antisurge bypass valves are used to regulate recirculation so as to slowdown or increase the cooldown rate. The cooldown rate is set in accordance with machine vendor requirement. v. Step 4 closure of antisurge bypass valves: after cooldown t he antisurge bypass valves are set back to automatic mode and close down. No impact on compressor operating parameters is observed. In this phase the cooldown of the compressor is continued vi. Step 5 At the last phase of cooldown, the antisurge bypass valve s are closed and compressor suction temperature reaches -63C. vii. Step 6 Comp ressor on line with process: the IGVs are opened manually from Control Room in order to increase the discharge pressure of the compressor. The IGVs are gradually open so as to reach the required pressure to discharge into high pressure fuel gas network. When this is achieved, the pressure control valve to flare is set to automati c mode. The dynamic simulation permitted then to ensure the following: Compressor motor torque is suffici ent for compressor to reach nominal speed with suction valve open. Compressor can be adequately cooled down and put in line via provided pressure control valve to flare .

ii. Dynamic simulation: compressor behaviour upon trip In the dynamic simulator, it is p ossible to carry out a trip scenario once the start-up scenario is stabilized. The assumption behind a trip dynamic simulation was the blocked outlet case; this assumption was selected because for the actual design and configuration represented the worst case scenario. In picture 2 2, one can see the evolution of process conditions during transient.

Figure 2 3: Dynamic simulation: flash gas compressor trip under blocked outlet, exampl e of process parameters variation. It is observed that upon blocked out let, as soon as the discharge pressure rises up to 30 bara, the compressor is shutdown by the process safety logic, then at this point the antisurge valves are fully open ed (2 seconds time) and inlet suction valve (10 seconds time) is closed. The study showed that each stage compressor is subject to surge in case of high speeds prior to motor complete stop. Based on compressor vendor data, the mentioned surge phenomenon under trip conditions may bring the machine to reverse rotation in case the settling pressure is not reached before total stop of the motor. If this takes place, the remedy to protect the machine is the installation of a hot gas bypass valve. However, by analysing this specific dynamic simulatio n data, it was observed that s ettle out pressure is reached in 21 seconds after trip, when the motor was still at 22% of nominal speed; therefore the surge under trip conditions does not pose a threat in view of lifetime of the compressor according to manufacturer. Conclusivel y, the dynamic simulation n ot only permitted to observe real behaviour of the machine upon process upsets and to identify the concerns to machine integrity during transient phases (surge), but also allowed to take the most suitable countermeasures to ensure the safety of equipment.

Conclusions and Way forward

From the above case studies, one can observe that CFD and dynamic simulation offer the following advantages: Accurate depiction of flow patterns and response of the systems that are not available throughout static simulati on Precise identifications of deviations from process requirements in performance, either in one single equipment or with respect to overall LNG plant layout Quantification of such deviations Several alternates feasible for a given design problem thus all owing to find the optimum solutions from economic and performance point of view Easy visual interpretation of flow pattern and consequence of design modifications Realistic simulation of the dynamic response of a given system, being a unit or the overall plant, thus leading to tailor procedures (cooldown, but also start up and turn- down are some of the potential examples) so as to minimise flaring and improve operability of the plant

All the above findings permit to integrate the CFD and dynamic simulation as design tools in projects. This leads to the following: Confirmation of plant efficiency and LNG guarantee production Confirmation of layout

Confirmation of plot plan design Achievement of CAPEX savings in equipment sizes Achievement of CAPEX savin gs in piping length Increase in compactness of installation Reduction in weight of equipment Reduction of flaring due to tailored operating procedures

All the above benefits are even more attractive in the near future development of LNG plant , expected to be on moving supports, where gains in compactness, weight, piping lengths and layout design are even more crucial issues to designer and investor. Acknowledgements Matthieu Chambert, Technip Process Division Phil Hagyard, Technip LNG product line Jocelyne Launois, Technip Process Division Julien Metayer, Technip Process Division Henri Paradowski, Technip Process Division