Emerson expects more FLNG contracts

Operators working on floating liquefied natural gas facilities will face challenges in the demanding circumstances the facilities will be operating in.

But not only the remote and isolated operation of the floating LNG production, storage and offloading facility brings its prerequisites, also the engineering, building and construction phase of such an innovative project brings specific demands on applied technology, execution capabilities and organization. The nature of LNG production operations and the production facility uptime makes the safety aspects, equipment diagnostics, systems architecture, transparency and security even more key than ever.

Emerson, which is already working on two FLNG developments “is very well positioned for the future FLNG projects,” commented Wim van Loon, Senior International Project Manager at Emerson and MAC Project Director for the Prelude FLNG project, to LNG World News, during an interview.

Emerson is currently working on Shell’s Prelude FLNG project, within the framework adapted from previous global frame agreement for Technip contract.

The company is also involved in the development of the first Petronas FLNG facility, which is being built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering shipyard in Okpo, South Korea.

“The FLNG market is very challenging; it is a new area, and a lot of new technologies are being applied,” van Loon said.

Prelude FLNG

The 5.3 mtpa, which includes 3.6 mtpa of LNG, Prelude FLNG is currently under construction at the Samsung Heavy Industries yard in Geoje, South Korea.

Once complete, the facility will have decks measuring 488 by 74 metres, the length of more than four soccer fields. With its cargo tanks full it will weigh roughly six times as much as the largest aircraft carrier, according to Shell.

“Emerson has won several contracts for the Prelude FLNG project. From Process Safety & Automation systems UPS, Tank Level Gauging, Pressure and Temperature Instrumentation to supply of Flow meters, Valve Actuators and Control Valves for Package Units,” van Loon explained.

“For FLNG projects it is crucial that all the equipment provide diagnostic data on the top level. Shell has invested a lot in the intelligence of the Prelude FLNG to make sure that everything is integrated,” he said.

The Prelude FLNG will be located in a harsh environment, about 200 kilometers off Australia’s north-west coast, “so it is important for Shell to have a single point of contact for automation control.”

Collaboration between Shell and Emerson also resulted in increased diagnosis of the Prelude FLNG instrumentation. “Together we developed a solution to predefine the alarm settings and integrity information from the field devices so that these settings can be easily mapped into the system.

With this enhancement in the tool you benefit from more efficient commissioning activities of the field instrumentation and systems,” van Loon added.

According to van Loon, a large execution organization, based in Singapore with a back-office in Pune, India, was set up for the Prelude FLNG.

“Emerson had a small team working in Paris at the beginning of the project with Technip and Samsung, but later on we moved to Singapore because it is the LNG center of excellence for us”, he explained.

He added that Emerson has also “automated the subsea part of Prelude FLNG,” which will be moored in a water depth of 787 feet (240 meters).

“The Prelude FLNG project has been a big job for Emerson but so far we have managed to keep things running on schedule and confirm expectations from our customer,” he concluded.

Images: Shell