Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Facilities

09NA1010 09NA3011 P Pratheek Kumar D Sandeep

What is FLNG?
Refers to water-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations employing technologies designed to enable the development of offshore natural gas resources FLNG is a revolutionary technology that allows access to offshore gas fields that would otherwise be too costly or difficult to develop

What is FLNG?

FLNG in current scenario...

No FLNG facilities currently exist
A facility is in development by Royal Dutch Shell, and is due to be completed by around 2017

FLNG Working Principle

Floating above an offshore natural gas field, the FLNG facility will theoretically produce, liquefy, store and transfer LNG (and potentially LPG and condensate) at sea before carriers ship it directly to markets

FLNG Working
The FLNG facility will be moored directly above the natural gas field
It will route gas from the field to the facility via risers

When the gas reaches the facility, it will be processed to produce natural gas, LPG, and natural gas condensate

FLNG Riser Mechanism

FLNG Working
The processed feed gas will be treated to remove impurities, and liquefied through freezing, before being stored in the hull
Ocean-going carriers will offload the LNG, as well as the other liquid by-products, for delivery to markets worldwide

FLNG Working

FLNG Construction

Conventional method LNG Production

The conventional alternative to this would be to pump gas through pipelines to a shore based facility for liquefaction, before transferring the gas for delivery

Conventional method

Underwater pipelines

Underwater pipelines
One of the major hurdles for laying undersea pipelines is the topography and distance
The more rough and rocky the underwater terrain is, the more expensive and complex the pipeline construction Beyond its topography, pipeline engineers have to take into account the sub-zero temperatures of the ocean floor and stormiest waters and strongest currents

Advantages/Uses of FLNG
Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel
It is also abundant and affordable and may be able to meet world energy needs by realising the potential of otherwise unviable gas reserves FLNG technology also provides a number of environmental and economic advantages

Advantages - Environmental
Because all processing is done at the gas field, there is no need to lay long pipelines all the way to the shore
There is also no requirement for compression units to pump the gas to shore, dredging and jetty construction or the onshore construction of an LNG processing plant, all of which significantly reduce the project's environmental footprint

Advantages - Environmental
Avoiding construction also helps preserve marine and coastal environments
Additionally, environmental disturbance would be minimised during the later decommissioning of the facility, because it could be disconnected easily and removed before being refurbished and re-deployed elsewhere

Advantages - Economic
Where pumping gas to shore can be expensive, FLNG makes LNG production economically viable
As a result, it will open up new business opportunities for countries to develop offshore gas fields that would otherwise remain stranded, such as those off the coast of East Africa

Challenges associated with FLNG

Moving LNG production to an offshore setting presents a demanding set of challenges
In terms of the design and construction of the FLNG facility, every element of a conventional LNG facility needs to fit into an area roughly one quarter the size, whilst maintaining the utmost levels of safety and giving increased flexibility to LNG production

Challenges associated with FLNG

Once a facility is in operation, wave motion will present another major challenge
LNG containment systems need to be capable of withstanding the damage that can occur when the seas wave and current motions cause sloshing in the partly filled tanks

Challenges associated with FLNG

Product transfers also need to deal with the effects of winds, waves and currents in the open seas
Many solutions to reduce the effect of motion and weather are again to be found in the design, which must be capable of withstanding and even reducing the impact of waves

Further Advancements...
In this area, technological development has been mainly evolutionary rather than revolutionary, leveraging and adapting technologies that are currently applied to offshore oil production or onshore liquefaction

Further Advancements...

For example, loading arms have been adapted for different sea/ocean conditions as:
Traditional LNG loading arms in open water

Hose-based solutions for both side-by-side transfers in calmer seas

Tandem transfers in rougher conditions

Tandem Loading

Further Advancements...
The cold of the ocean depths can also be utilized by pumping water to help cool the gas, avoiding the need to for extra equipment on deck
The Components of the facility can be stacked vertically to save space; the operating plant, for example, can be placed above LNG storage tanks The sheer size of the full-scale facility could be used to withstand very high winds and giant waves

Prelude FLNG - SHELL

The floating facility will chill natural gas produced at the field to 162C, shrinking its volume by 600 times so it can be shipped to customers in other parts of the world
Ocean-going carriers will load the LNG as well as other liquid by-products (condensate and LPG) for delivery to market. The Prelude FLNG facility will be 488m long, 74m wide and will displace around 600,000 tonnes of water. It will be the largest floating offshore facility in the world

Prelude FLNG - SHELL

The Prelude FLNG facility will be built at Samsung Heavy Industries Geoje Island ship yards in South Korea
Once constructed, the facility will be towed to its location, approximately 475 kilometres north-northeast of Broome, Western Australia. The facility will be moored and hooked up to the undersea infrastructure and the whole production system commissioned.

Prelude FLNG - SHELL

The Prelude FLNG facility has been designed to withstand the most powerful tropical cyclones (Category 5)
It will remain moored at the location for around 25 years before needing to dock for inspection and overhaul In addition, it will be secured in place by one of the largest mooring systems in the world

Conclusion
FLNG technology provides an efficient solution for the development of remote offshore gas fields
It can be more economic than a offshore production facility plus a pipeline and an onshore LNG plant

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