Nigeria - NGL Export - A Case History Available to Purchase

This paper describes the design and operational aspects of a unique NGL export facility which is believed to be the first in the world. Conventionally, liquid hydrocarbon gases are exported either as LPG or LNG which are relatively pure products with well known physical properties. The requirements for the design and operation of the facilities to safely store, and export them, are well covered in the literature and governed by various international codes. In this case, NGLs, which are a mixture of C2+ hydrocarbons with physical properties somewhere between LPG and LNG, will be stored and exported as a product. Although the facilities required are similar to those for LPG and LNG, the characteristics of NGL require a compromise between the two extremes. This paper describes the considerations given in the design during the project development to cryogenically store and export the volatile NGL mixture.