Maintenance Training

RasGas Pumps Up Production

EP Editorial Staff | May 16, 2016

Setting the pace for the global LNG industry involves many things, including working with experts who deliver solutions that ensure process safety, reliability, and efficiency.

Drilling for natural gas is only the start in getting it to market. It must be super-chilled into liquefied form (LNG) for export. For Qatar’s RasGas Co. Ltd., that chilling takes place onshore, in a processing plant called a “train,” far away from offshore wellheads. One of the world’s leading integrated LNG enterprises, RasGas has seven of these trains, including two of the largest on the planet.

Setting the pace for the global LNG industry involves many things, including working with experts who deliver solutions that ensure process safety, reliability, and efficiency.

Exploration engineers discovered natural gas off the Northeast coast of Qatar in 1971. At the time, the magnitude of the discovery couldn’t have been imagined. Since then, however, the North Field (as it is now known) has been confirmed to be the largest, non-associated natural-gas field in the world. With more than 900-trillion standard cubic feet of reserves, the North Field represents 10% of the world’s natural-gas reserves.

Drilling for gas is only part of the story with regard to the North Field. Although Qatar’s natural gas is located in this giant, offshore area, it still needs to be super-chilled into liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export. That chilling operation takes place onshore, many kilometers (or miles) away in a gas-processing plant called a “train.” RasGas Co. Ltd., Doha, Quatar, one of the world’s leading integrated LNG enterprises, has seven of these trains, including two of the largest on the planet.

Capitalizing on the North Field discovery required RasGas to develop new, world-class facilities for the extraction, storage, processing, and export of LNG. Long-term agreements to supply customers around the globe, including Korea, India, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, Belgium, and the United States, have positioned RasGas to become the largest supplier of LNG worldwide (see Sidebar).

To meet these demands, RasGas needed to identify a partner that could provide timely design information in the engineering phase of this massive project, as well as consistent design throughout its development. Moreover, all work had to be handled from a combination of different engineering locations. Ultimately, RasGas determined that Schneider Electric, Foxboro, MA, and its comprehensive portfolio of products, services, and solutions, offered the most holistic and cost-effective way to optimize operational performance and overall profitability.

Project execution

Schneider Electric’s strong project-execution capability and deep knowledge of LNG applications and the existing RasGas installation were key factors in the company’s selection. Among other things, the ability of Schneider Electric experts to operate in an ever-changing environment and handle late-design information from package vendors would be crucial in minimizing impact on the project schedule.

Take, for example, the company’s rigorous approach to Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) that helped integrate a Foxboro I/A Series distributed-control system, Triconex Critical and Safety Systems, and other applications systems. All of these systems were tested within an integrated environment.

Due to the large scale of the project and extended testing period, the team had to be very detailed in FAT, taking into consideration many diverse concerns, including shipment constraints. The goal was to ensure a seamless process-automation implementation.

While the company’s team members worked on the live system, they identified the need for vital tie-in package engineering to follow strict quality-control procedures—and made sure the system passed through a stringent review process and gained approval from RasGas. The team also formulated a risk and mitigation plan for the client.

The solution

Screen Shot 2016-05-16 at 9.33.00 AMThe existing RasGas control system had multiple operating platforms and hardware versions. Schneider Electric had to strike a delicate balance between existing and new technology. Limits on data traffic in the existing system, coupled with the number of control stations, also had an impact on the addition of new stations and applications.

To achieve the desired goals, Schneider Electric delivered best-in-class Foxboro control and Triconex safety systems, providing expertise in serial data communications (HART, modbus, ProfiBus, OPC, and high-speed Ethernet), all in a single system. Enabling real-time communication between the offshore wellheads and onshore operations, this integration represents the longest safety system peer-to-peer network in the world—an achievement that lets onshore operators shut down the remote wellheads from a distance of 130 km (approx. 81 mi.)

Schneider Electric’s unique solution allows interoperability on a solid integrated platform by using the Foxboro I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC) engineering suite, imbedding field-device tool (FDT) technology, and field-device management (FDM) into a single consistent engineering environment. All fieldbus standards interoperate within the system, using one coherent project database for the system and field devices.

The Foxboro I/A series, the world’s first open distributed-control system allows users to continuously deploy advanced control strategies, application, and engineering packages. Foxboro technology makes it possible to migrate from older technology to the newest technology and provides a guarantee of systems and hardware being continuously current.

Capitalizing on the giant North Field natural gas discovery required RasGas to develop new, world-class facilities for extraction, storage, processing, and export of the commodity. Working with a partner that delivered proven expertise and advanced technologies through all phases of the massive project was key to achieving RasGas’ goals of safe, reliable, environmentally friendly operations and lower production costs.

Capitalizing on the giant North Field natural gas discovery required RasGas to develop new, world-class facilities for extraction, storage, processing, and export of the commodity. Working with a partner that delivered proven expertise and advanced technologies through all phases of the massive project was key to achieving RasGas’ goals of safe, reliable, environmentally friendly operations and lower production costs.

Energy to succeed

Through this RasGas expansion and retrofit project, Schneider Electric delivered analysis, measurement and continuous improvement of LNG-production performance at the lowest risk level and with highest life-cycle value. Advance Alarm Package, Loop Performance, and Instrument Asset Management were provided for Trains 6 and 7 at the project site. The solution suite was enhanced with control systems for pretreatment, production and throughput, refrigerant composition and load, main heat exchanger, liquefied-petroleum gas recovery, and fractionation system quality.

As expected, Schneider Electric’s extensive and long-term experience in Qatar and strong track record in design and implementation were a big plus whenever unanticipated situations arose. Thanks to their significant flexibility and adaptability in handling late changes in design data without affecting project-delivery dates, the company’s team of experts were able to engineer, install, and pre-commission the required control systems within record-breaking timeframes.

Today, more than 60% of the world’s LNG production is enabled with Schneider Electric’s technologies and expertise, both of which are key in achieving RasGas’ goals, i.e., safe, reliable, environmentally friendly processes and lower LNG-production costs. With such experience, Schneider Electric is well qualified to service RasGas for the entire 25-yr. life cycle of this installation. MT

For more information on the products, services, and solutions referenced in this article, visit triconex.com and foxboro.com.

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