An Integrated FEED (Front End Engineering Design) process engineering solution proposed in our previous work is applied to the Pre-FEED process engineering phase of Generic LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading) topsides process systems. The concept of the selected generic LNG FPSO topsides Systems is introduced to build an integrated FEED process engineering solution. The proposed solution leads all process activities of the Pre-FEED engineering phase of generic LNG FPSO topsides systems to an automated and integrated processing. The results of the application show that the solution increases engineering efficiency considerably by reducing critical factors such as costs, length of time, and human error in the generic LNG FPSO project. Therefore, the integrated FEED process engineering solution can be useful in offshore topside engineering fields including LNG FPSO topsides FEED.
In recent offshore projects conducted by major oil companies, requirements have been changed considerably compared to previous projects. Firstly, the method of contract completion has changed to EPIC (Engineering, Procurement, Installation and Commissioning) from the more traditional AFC (Approved For Construction) contract type. This means has meant that the contractor must assume responsibility for all controversial points, from the engineering phase to the construction phase. So, the technical level of offshore engineers becomes more important than other factors. Secondly, the application of Engineering Management (EM) as a part of the Project Management (PM) is being requested by many oil companies because the concept of life cycle management, connected to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), is widely used when contractors prepare bids for offshore projects. (Infield Co., 2005 and Mather, 2002) This in turn means that the building of engineering infrastructure is being requested when the contractor performs offshore projects. Thirdly, the globalization of contractors is being requested. Among three major requirements, our study focuses on building engineering infrastructure to prepare EM in the future.
