Abstract
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has been a significant contributor to the global energy market. This is emphasized with continuous demand from industrial and population growth. ADNOC LNG has stepped up efforts to enhance its asset reliability and utilize every opportunity with utmost attention to HSE, bolstering its role as a key gas operating company. ADNOC LNG runs 3 facilities, in which three operating trains are LNG producers.
Over several years, the company has conducted tests and studies with assistance of global engineering service companies and vendors. The rationale was envisaged in 2011 to check for possibilities of debottlenecking LNG Train-3. The aim of the conducted studies was to exceed the design LNG production capacities of 384 ton/hr and 390 ton/hr in summer and winter respectively. The study objective was to establish the limit for production rate considering all operating parameters at post 2009 overhaul, bottleneck process findings, Integrity & Reliability issues and safety elements. The scope of this two phase study was detailed in a "Management of Change" approval for process plants for the purposes of this paper, in which the next auxiliaries’ adequacy step based its analysis.
Following a structured process (study, classify, prioritize, debottleneck, test, assess); the conducted studies surfaced a number constraints that limited LNG production. Recommendations were implemented to surpass the identified constraints. In short, this entailed minor modifications including replacement of 2 valves for better controllability, 1 set of PSV’s and structural reinforcement/monitoring.
Ultimately in 2015, ADNOC LNG achieved a new rated Train-3 LNG production capacity of 394 ton/hr and 408 ton/hr in summer and winter respectively. This gain of 10 ton/hr has yielded additional returns and the accomplishment has paved the way for safe increased production with a satisfactory margin to operate within.
