Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Yutaka Shirakawa
Senior Manager, Energy Production Department
yutaka-s@tokyo-gas.co.jp
Toshihiro Meguro
Manager, Energy Production Department
t-meguro@tokyo-gas.co.jp
Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
1-5-20 Kaigan Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8527, Japan
ABSTRACT
Before starting operations at an LNG terminal, it is necessary to cool down all LNG
facilities in the terminal because of LNGs very low temperature. Drying and purging are
also necessary before introducing LNG. The initial cooling down should be performed
using the LNG from the first cargo, so the duration of mooring of the LNG vessel
considerably affects the expense of commissioning. Commissioning, which includes
cooling down, drying, and purging is essential for the safety and reliability of the LNG
terminal. Methane release to the air, one of the procedures of commissioning, directly
affects the global environment.
Based on the knowledge accumulated through Tokyo Gas own experience, we have
established commissioning procedures that are safe, reliable and environmentally-friendly,
and are also very efficient, enabling huge cuts in costs and duration. Many new LNG
terminals are currently at the planning stage. Commissioning procedures need to be
adapted to the particular circumstances of each terminal to meet requirements regarding
safety, duration, cost, regulatory compliance, and environment. Tokyo Gas expertise in
this area will be extremely useful for assisting newcomers to commission their LNG
terminals.
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INTRODUCTION
LNG terminals are located throughout Japan, and there are many more terminals
under construction. Our accumulated knowledge can be useful for these LNG terminals in
Japan, and in other countries, too.
Figure 1. LNG terminals and natural gas trunk lines (Tokyo Gas)
Table 1. LNG terminal main facilities and their capacities (Tokyo Gas)
Berths 1 3 1
Vaporizers 16 35 4
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Statement of principles
We perform start-up of a LNG terminal with careful attention to the following points,
to ensure that facilities are shifted safely and reliably to an operation state.
- Cost minimum: The individual processes involved in the start-up of each facility
are extracted and examined to find cost cuts.
Organization
In the case of Tokyo Gas LNG terminals, all start-up work is done by our company.
The team handling the start-up consists of construction staff and terminal staff.
In the case of LNG terminals belonging to other companies, the organization varies
with a contract form, as shown below.
Case 1 Case 2
Process flow
LNG from a tanker is transferred via unloading arms and temporarily stored in tanks.
The LNG is then gasified according to the demand for gas and sent out to consumers. A
gasification process is introduced, pumping the LNG with a LNG pump into a vaporizer,
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where it is gasified by heat exchange with heat media such as seawater. When sending
out as city gas to Japanese consumers, the calorific value of the natural gas is adjusted to
standardize the calories, flammability, etc., and an odorization process is added. BOG is
generated naturally by heat entering the LNG tank, and it is usually sent out as fuel for
power generation after raising the pressure with a BOG compressor.
Vent
stack
Return gas
blower BOG compressor Generator
Gas
LNG
tanker Odorize
LNG
Vaporize
Calorific value City gas
adjustment mixer
LPG
Utility facilities
-Air
-Water
-N2
-Steam etc. LNG tank LNG
pump
Start-up steps
After starting up the utility facilities, the start-up process for LNG facilities is carried
out in order: receiving, discharge facilities, then gas manufacture related facilities. LPG
facilities for the purpose of adjusting the calories of natural gas calories are installed
independently from other facilities, so these are started up before starting up the calorific
value adjustment facilities.
START-UP TECHNOLOGY
O2 purging
The first step in the start-up procedure is the task of O2 purging. O2 purging is
unnecessary for air lines, steam lines, etc. which always contain O2, it is necessary for
LNG lines and BOG lines, etc. When LNG tanks and LNG lines are constructed, they are
initially filled with air. When methane is first introduced into tanks, there is the risk of
creating an explosive mix of methane and oxygen. The air needs to be purged and
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replaced with nitrogen gas to ensure the concentration remains below the explosive limit
when methane gas is added. O2 purging lowers the O2 concentration by supplying N2.
In the case of methane, the standard for O2 concentration, which also considered the
rate of safety, is determined from the marginal explosive range of the mixture of methane
gas, nitrogen gas and air.
To high pressure
Inflammable Atmospheric
mixture pressure
N2
Nitrogen gas/Air
contact
N2
Air
Air
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One pattern of O2 purging in a LNG tank over time is shown in the graph below.
Top
1st day
LNG tank [m]
Distance from the top of
2nd day
Nitrogen gas/Air
3rd day
contact
4th day
5th day
Bottom
0 21
O2 gas [vol%]
Drying
The next important task is the drying step. Although drying is unnecessary for
normal temperature gas lines, etc., it is necessary for cryogenic lines such as LNG lines
and BOG lines, etc. Moisture may result in solid deposits when LNG and BOG are
introduced at low temperature. For this reason, problems such as piping blockages and
pump failure may occur if moisture remains in piping, or on the insides of a tank, etc.
Therefore, it is necessary to reduce moisture as far as possible to a level at which there is
no adverse influence before LNG introduction. This is achieved by the drying step. The
completion of the drying process is generally determined from the dew point, and drying
is performed together with O2 purging in many cases.
Drying is carried out efficiently and economically to achieve the maximum possible
cost cutting. For example, drying with air for control precedes O2 purging because it
reduces the amount of nitrogen gas amount required. Moreover, the dew point falls
further in the following step, Substitution to methane gas.
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20000
Amount of moisture [ppm]
Drying
0
-80 20
Dew point [C]
Substitution to methane gas follows O2 purging and drying. Since the atmosphere
inside the piping and tank before substitution to methane gas is nitrogen, a gaseous mix of
methane and nitrogen is released from a vent stack.
The facility called a vent stack is used to release gas that deviates from quality
standards or to release gas in cases where pressure in facilities such as LNG tanks or
vaporizers rises unusually due to a breakdown of some form. If there is no consumer to
use surplus gas at the time of start-up, it is released from a vent stack.
Therefore, in order to not impact the safety of other facilities in the neighborhood,
wind direction is checked and calculations are made in advance to ensure that gas
concentrations at ground level remain within standards.
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Cooling down
When introducing LNG into LNG piping, one concern is to prevent leaks from
flanges due to the piping bowing (deforming). For this reason, cooling down is
performed before introducing LNG into the LNG piping. In the case of piping, the
bowing will occur if a difference of temperature arises between the upper part and the
lower part of the piping.
Bowing is a phenomenon which the lower part of piping is cooled and piping
deforms into a bow due to the difference in heat contraction difference between the top
and bottom of the pipe when LNG flows into the piping that is being cooled. If this
deformation exceeds the tolerance level, there is the risk that the deformation may not
fully recovers after cooling down, creating the possibility of a LNG leak.
LNG
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A simplified diagram of the process for cooling down receiving piping and the LNG
tank is shown on the next page. There are two methods of cooling down. The first method
is to use LNG from the first LNG carrier to enter port. The second method is to use LN2
from road tankers. When using a LNG ship, LNG is introduced to the receiving piping
after cooling it down using low-temperature gas from the ship. Next, the LNG tank is
cooled down. In contrast, when using LN2 from road tankers, the receiving piping and the
LNG tank are cooled down before the first cargo arrives.
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(a) Step 1
Cooling down the receiving piping using low-temperature gas from a ship
Open
(b) Step 2
Introduction of LNG to receiving piping, and cooling down the LNG tank
Shut
Figure 11. Cooling down utilizing LNG from the first cargo
Simulation
Temperature [C]
End
Middle
Inlet (Arm)
Time [h]
Figure 12. Temperature change during cooling down (LNG receiving piping)
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The decision on whether to use LNG or LN2 is made according to the likelihood of
drainage remaining inside the piping and according to conditions such as the amount of
low-temperature gas required to cool down the facilities, restrictions imposed by
temperature conditions and mooring time, etc.), assessed from a viewpoint of cost. Recent
startups are increasingly using BOG from an LNG carrier.
Introduction of LNG
When LNG is introduced to piping such as receiving piping, care must be taken to
avoid the phenomenon called "geysering. If the fluid in the piping is warmed by external
heat to an extent that it exceeds the saturation temperature, air bubbles will be generated.
If these air bubbles rise inside perpendicular piping, the bubbles grow and form
intermittent blockages. This pushes up the liquid above the bubble, eventually generating
large vibrations and sounds it the piping. Tokyo Gas takes preventive measures against
geysering by raising the pressure in the piping, using thermal insulation, and preventing
the accumulation of external heat by increasing the liquid flow velocity, etc.
Oscillations
generated
Heat
CONCLUSION
Tokyo Gas has utilized the expertise described here to safely and reliable commission
many LNG terminals in Japan and elsewhere, including other companiess terminals. The
knowledge accumulated and the enhancements that we have evolved are available to
assist with the commissioning of new LNG terminals worldwide.
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