Facility Inspection Report

Liquefied Natural Gas Facility

Prepared by:
International Process Plants
Hamilton Business Center
17A Marlen Drive
Hamilton, NJ 08691

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Liquefied Natural Gas Facility

Executive Summary
• The liquefaction process was shut down in June 2010 and the LNG
storage tank was emptied in January 2011. The entire facility was
significantly upgraded (€20 MM) in 2003 – 2008 with the goal of
safely operating another 20 years.

• The facility can liquefy up to 2,400 Nm³/hr of natural gas, which is 4

m³/hr of LNG.

• The site has good rail and truck access. There is a dock for
equipment loading on a major waterway 800 meters from this
facility.

• There are no licenses involved with this process.

• New electronic instruments and Siemens PCS-7 control system.

• Documentation at this facility is excellent and well organized.

Every piece of equipment has specification sheets and several
pages of additional support information. We have electronic copies
of the P&IDs and some specification sheets on key equipment
available immediately.

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LNG Plant Process Description

Overview Process Flow Diagram

The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Peak Shaving Plant is part of a larger natural gas
transmission and storage system.

Liquefaction (left) and Vaporization (right)

This facility can liquefy up to 2,400 Nm³/hr of natural gas, which results in 4 m³/hr of
LNG (600:1 ratio of gas to liquid). The entire facility was significantly upgraded from
2003 to 2008 with the goal of safely operating another 20 years. The €20 MM
upgrade included:
• Two submersible, retractable pumps
• Two high-pressure pumps
• New instruments and Siemens PCS-7 DCS for entire plant
• New Linde cold box
• New BOG compressor
• Replacement of all process valves with stainless steel valves
• Various optimization improvements

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Detailed Process Overview:

Liquefaction End

In the first section of the plant, the natural gas is treated to remove any impurities that
might interfere with the liquefaction process. Water, carbon dioxide, and heavier
hydrocarbons will freeze at the LNG liquefaction temperatures and plug up the
system. Natural gas is supplied from the 67 bar main transmission pipeline and is
reduced to 40 bar prior to entering the treatment facility.

Liquefaction End Process Flow Diagram

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Aromatics PSA Carbon Oxides PSA

The first treatment step is a two-bed pressure-swing absorber (PSA) system for
removing water and heavier hydrocarbons, which are typically aromatic compounds.
The carbon steel vessels are 1.6 m diameter by 4.6 m tall and are rated for 50 bar at
350oC.

The second unit operation is a three-bed PSA system for removal of carbon
monoxide and carbon dioxide. The carbon steel vessels are 1.6 m diameter by 8.1 m
tall and are rated for 50 bar at 300oC.

The gas that naturally flashes from the main LNG storage tank is used for
regenerating the PSA beds in both PSA unit operations. The flashed gas along with
any impurities from the PSA bed regeneration are eventually compressed and put
back into the main natural gas transmission lines where the volumes of natural gas
are so great that the minor amount of impurities cause no problems.

The main regenerative gas feed is

supplied by the main compressor, but
two Sundyne turbo-compressors boost
the regenerative gas recycle flow
during regeneration of the PSA bed.

Sundyne Regen Booster Compressor

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Burckhardt Compressor

Type 3K140-3F 1 Year 2005

Serial No. 100438

Stage Temp (C°) Press (bar)

Suction 30 0.05
1 st
Discharge 176 4.7
Suction 45 4.6
2 nd
Discharge 190 27.9
Suction 45 27.7
3 rd
Discharge 160 69
NG Pipeline 45 68.3
Boil-Off Gas Compressor

The Boil-Off Gas (BOG) compressor is a 2005 Burckhardt 3-stage model 3K140-3F-1
reciprocating unit. It has a 250 kW Loher electric drive motor that turns the
compressor at 595 rpm. The maximum allowable discharge pressure is 90 bar, but it
typically runs under 70 bar. This compressor takes the regeneration gas from the
PSA systems and puts it back into the 67 bar pipeline.

A Mixed Refrigerant Liquid (MRL) cycle is used for cooling the natural gas to
cryogenic temperatures. The MRL is a mixture of methane and propane that is
adjusted seasonally based on ambient temperatures. It typically runs about 45%
propane and 55% LNG. Half (four of eight stages) of the main compressor is used to
compress the MRL for the deep cooling cycle necessary for liquefaction
temperatures. The main compressor is covered in more detail later in this report.

One of the MRL Stages

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Cooling for liquefaction is

accomplished by cross-exchanging the
MRL with the natural gas in two
aluminum plate exchangers located
inside a Linde designed cold box unit.
The first exchanger drops the
temperature to -89oC where any
remaining heavy hydrocarbons are
condensed and removed. The LNG is
at 40 bar and -129oC when it leaves
the cold box, but it drops to -165oC as
the pressure drops when it enters the
near-atmospheric pressure LNG
storage tank. The cold box is filled
with Perlite, a pellet-type insulation
typical in cryogenic applications. A
process flow diagram of this
complicated system is shown below.
Cold Box

Cold Box Process Flow Diagram

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Main Compressor

A large reciprocating compressor is

used to compress both the flash gas
NG I MRL 1a
and the MRL. This Ingersoll-Rand 14”
stroke, model 8HHE-VG-4-3
compressor has eight stages and is NG III MRL 1b
powered with a 2,800 kW Garbe,
Lahmeye & Co. motor running at 330
rpm and direct-fed by a 10,000 voltage NG II NG IV
power line. The suction pressure is
near atmospheric and the discharge is
67.5 bar for the natural gas (4-stage) MRL 3 MRL 2
and 54 bar for the MRL (4-stage). The
capacity of this machine is 6.1 Nm³/hr
on the natural gas side and 6.8 Nm³/hr
on the MRL side. MOTOR
This compressor is currently being “slow-rolled” daily to prevent any bearing damage
from extended downtime. Although the main compressor has eight stages, they
really operate in pairs so that there are only four sets of interstage conditions as
shown below:

P suct P disch T suct T disch

o o
Stage (bar) (bar) ( C) ( C)
1st 0.14 2.78 30 167
2nd 2.54 9.23 40 149
3rd 8.90 28.1 40 154
4th 27.2 71.1 40 146

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The LNG is stored in a double-wall steel tank. The inner tank is constructed of X8Ni9
steel, which is a 9% nickel alloy specifically designed for cryogenic operations. The
inner tank roof is constructed of AlMg4.5, which is an aluminum alloy containing 4.5%
magnesium. The outer tank is constructed of carbon steel. There is one meter of
Perlite, a pellet-type insulation (same as is used in the cold box) in between the two
tank walls. There is foam-glass insulation on the tank bottom and 3-6 meters of fiber
wool insulation between the two tank roofs. The tank foundation is heated to prevent
the groundwater from freezing and upheaving the tank foundation structure.

LNG Storage Tank

The tank is 37 m diameter by 32 m tall with a capacity of 22,700 m³ or 14 million Nm³

of gas at the design pressure of 68 mbar. The tank is designed to API 620 Q code
specifications and is surrounded by an earthen embankment capable of containing
the entire liquid contents of the tank.

Some natural gas boils off of the tank over time. Instead of re-liquefying this gas, it is
instead used to regenerate the five PSA beds in the conditioning section of the plant.
After cleaning the PSA beds, the gas is compressed with the new BOG compressor
and sent back to the pipeline. This process is discussed earlier in this report.

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Two submersible and retractable pumps are used for pumping LNG from the tank.
They are two-stage centrifugal pumps rated for 80 m3/hr at -162oC and 6 bar. They
have a 140 mm impeller and pump casing constructed of aluminum alloy. They have
a 10 kW motor with a Siemens Micro Master variable frequency drive. There is a
Bentley Nevada model 3500 vibration monitoring system installed on these pumps.
The internal pump column is 333 mm diameter by 30 m tall.

The submersible pumps feed the high-

pressure pumps, which are necessary
to load tank-trucks or provide feed for
the LNG vaporizers. The high-
pressure pumps are Bingham model
JVCR 4” X 6” with 15” impellers. They
are driven by 320 kW electric motors
turning at 2970 rpm. The pumps can
put out 82 m3/hr of LNG at 70 bar.
One of the high-pressure pumps is
variable-speed and the other is single-
speed.

High-Pressure LNG Pumps

The LNG in the storage tank is held at -165oC and 65 mBar. It is much more pure
than the pipeline natural gas since most of the purities have been removed. It is
typically 99.2% methane.

When the reserve of liquefied natural gas is required back in the distribution system,
it is pumped from the storage tank with the submersible pumps and then boosted in
pressure to about 70 bar with the high-pressure pumps. At this point, liquid nitrogen
is added to the liquid natural gas to bring the calorific value in line with that of the
distribution system.

The liquid nitrogen is stored in three

cryogenic storage tanks. The 39 Nm3
tanks are double-wall construction with
2.5/2.9 m diameters and 12.7/13.7 m
height. The inner tank is rated for 18
bar at -196oC and outer tank rated for
full vacuum. The liquid nitrogen
pumps are rated for 5,000 Nm3/hr at
80 bar and -196oC with 45 kW motors.
Liquid Nitrogen Storage

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The mixture is then fed to two

submerged combustion vaporizers at a
rate of up 100,000 Nm3/hr. The
vaporizers are 85 kW rated natural gas
fired units with forced combustion air
blowers. They warm water to about
45oC for cross-exchanging within the
submerged unit with the LNG. The
product inlet design temperature is -
167oC and outlet is +15oC.

Vaporizers

Tank-trucks can also be loaded using

the high-pressure pumping system.
LNG at a rate of 35 Nm³/hr can be
pumped to the tank-truck loading
station. Truck scales are then used for
weighing and billing.

LNG Truck Loading Station

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Utilities:

The instrument air compressor is a 1995 Neuman-Esser unit with a capacity of 218
Nm3/hr at 8.5 bar discharge pressure. It is powered with a 30 KW electric motor that
turns the compressor at 1000 rpm.

Generator Air Compressor

The 1992 generator set has a 221 kW Iveco model 1500UPM diesel engine. The
generator is a 200 kW Leroy Sumer unit running at 1500 rpm.

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APPENDIX-A
Process Flow Diagrams

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APPENDIX-B
Major Equipment Details

Water/Hydrocarbon Absorbers (2): Carbon steel vessel 1.6 m diameter by 4.6 m

tall with 36 mm wall thickness, rated for 50 bar at 350oC. Weighs 11,000 kg.

Carbon Oxide Absorbers (3): Carbon steel vessel 1.6 m diameter by 8.1 m tall with
33 mm wall thickness, rated for 50 bar at 300oC. Weighs 17,500 kg.

LNG Storage Tank: Double-wall steel tank. The inner tank is constructed of X8Ni9
steel, which is specifically designed for cryogenic operations and is a 9% nickel alloy.
The inner tank roof is constructed of AlMg4.5, which is aluminum alloy containing
4.5% magnesium. The outer tank is constructed of carbon steel. There is one meter
of pellet-type insulation in between the two tank walls. There is foamglass insulation
on the tank bottom and 3 - 6 meters of fiber wool insulation between the two tank
roofs. The tank foundation is heated to prevent the groundwater from freezing and
upheaving the tank foundation structure. The tank is 37 m diameter by 32 m tall with
a capacity of 22,700 m³ or 14 million Nm³ of gas at the design pressure of 68 mbar.
The tank is designed to API 620 Q code specifications and is surrounded by an
earthen embankment capable of containing the entire liquid contents of the tank.

LNG “In-Tank” Pumps (2): Submersible and retractable 2-stage centrifugal pumps
rated for 80 m3/hr at -162oC and 6 bar. 10 kW motor with Siemens Micro Master
variable frequency drive. Bentley Nevada model 3500 vibration monitoring system.
Internal pump column is 333 mm diameter by 30 m tall. 140 mm impeller and pump
casing constructed of aluminum alloy.

LNG High-Pressure Pumps (2): Bingham centrifugal pump model JVCR 4” X 6”

with 15” impellers pumps rated for 81.5 m3/hr at -167oC and 70 bar. 320 kW Garbe-
Lahmeyer motor turning at 2970 rpm with variable frequency drive.

Liquid Nitrogen Storage Tanks (3): Double-wall tank with 2.5/2.9 m diameters and
12.7/13.7 m height. Inner tank has volume of 39 Nm3 and is rated for 18 bar at -
196oC and outer tank rated for full vacuum. Inner wall is 9 mm thick and outer wall is
12 mm thick carbon steel. Each tank weighs 27,030 kg.

Liquid Nitrogen Pumps (3): Rated for 5,000 Nm3/hr at 80 bar and -196oC with a 45
kW motor.

LNG Vaporizers (2): Natural gas burners rated for 85 kW with 50,000 NM3/hr
product gas flow. Inlet design temperature is -167oC and outlet is +15oC with a water
temperature of +45oC.

Boil-Off Gas (BOG) Compressor: 2005 Burckhardt 3-stage model 3K140-3F-1

reciprocating unit with 875 Nm3/hr capacity. It has a 250 kW Loher electric drive
motor that turns the compressor at 595 rpm. The maximum allowable discharge
pressure is 90 bar.

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Main Compressor: Ingersoll-Rand 14” stroke, model 8HHE-VG-4-3 reciprocating

compressor has eight stages and is powered with a 2,800 KW Garbe, Lahmeye &
Co. motor running at 330 rpm and direct-fed by a 10,000 voltage power line. The
suction pressure is near atmospheric and the discharge is 67.5 bar for the natural
gas (4-stage) and 54 bar for the MRL (4-stage). The capacity of this machine is 6.1
Nm³/hr on the natural gas side and 6.8 Nm³/hr on the MRL side. The total weight of
this machine is 30,000 kg.

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