Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• PHD topic:
Dynamic simulation of LNG heat exchanger
• Sponsors:
Statoil,
NFR
• Supervisors:
Prof. Geir A. Owren (Statoil/IEP)
Prof. Morten Hovd (ITK)

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• Subject of presentation:

Dynamic simulation of LNG plant (Not using gProms)

Brief look at an LNG plant
Simulator description
Experimental data comparison for the heat exchanger

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• LNG ”Liquified Natural Gas”

• Methane rich gas, condensed, stored and shipped at

~ -162 °C
• Why?
~ 1/640
liquid/vapour volume
ratio

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant
• A base-load LNG plant usually consist of the following sub
plants:

Inlet facilities
CO2 removal
Dehydration
Fractionation
Natural gas liquefaction
LNG storage
LNG loading facilities

• Worldwide: 25 base load plants

• First plant: Arzew Algerie 1964
Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• MFCP – The Mixed Fluid

Cascade Process.
ƒ Novel LNG liquefaction technology
ƒ Concept based on well known elements

• Statoil - Linde Proprietary -

Liquefaction Technology

• First full size plant: Snøhvit

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

•Snøhvit
•Subsea
installations and
160-kilometre line
with multiphase
flow
•Receiving and
processing plant
on Melkøya island
outside
Hammerfest
•LNG shipments
by special carrier
to markets in
Europe and the
USA

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• Framework for the simulator:

ƒ SEPTIC - Statoil Estimation

and Prediction Tool for
Identification and Control

ƒ TPLIB - NTNU/SINTEF
Thermodynamic function
library

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• Process units:

Tank Pump
Column Compressor
Scrubber Liquid expander
Valve Heat exchanger

PID controllers

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• The entire flow sheet gives a set of differential

algebraic equations (DAE)
• Solving the DAE set
Modular based:
- PH-nodes
- Analytical linearization of the mass flow system
Equation oriented:
- UV-nodes
- Analytical second derivatives

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• The spiral wound heat

exchanger (SWHE)

• Dimensions:
Height 10-50 m
Diameter 3-5 m
Core tube diameter 1m
Tube length 70-100 m
Tube diameter 10-15 mm

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• The Heat exchanger model

ƒ Formulation: Hyperbolic PDE

1 ∂h ∂h
=− +Q
v ∂t ∂x
ƒ MOL spatial PDE to ODE
transformation
ƒ Fixed grid
• Main assumptions:
ƒ Homogenous flow
ƒ Axial conduction/dispersion neglected
ƒ Volume lumping of all tubes
ƒ Constant composition

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant

• Comparison to experimental data

Industrial scale prototype LNG facility in South Africa
• CASE:
The feed of natural gas is reduced from an initial 100%
loading to 80% loading. The new loading is maintained for a
period of 30 minutes, before returning the process to its
original state.

Trondheim, 2003
 Dynamic simulation of LNG plant
35 - 25 1.2
S hell out Shell in S hell Flow
1.1

Normalized
- 30
30
1.0
[ C]

- 35
0.9
o

25
- 40
measurement
0.8 model
20 - 45 0.7
20 40 60 80 1 00 120 20 40 60 80 100 120 20 40 60 80 100 120
40 - 25 1.2
NG out NG Flow

[Normalized]
NG in - 30 1.1
35
1.0
[ C]

- 35
0.9
o

30
- 40
measurement
0.8 model
25 - 45 0.7
20 40 60 80 1 00 120 20 40 60 80 100 120 20 40 60 80 100 120
40 - 25 1.2
MCRg out MCRg Flow

[Normalized]
MCRg in - 30 1.1
35
1.0
[ C]

- 35
0.9
o

30
- 40
measurement
0.8 model
25 - 45 0.7
20 40 60 80 1 00 120 20 40 60 80 100 120 20 40 60 80 100 120
40 - 25 1.2
MCRl in MCRl out [Normalized] MCRl Flow
- 30 1.1
35
1.0
[ C]

- 35
0.9
o

30
- 40
0.8
25 - 45 0.7
20 40 60 80 1 00 120 20 40 60 80 100 120 20 40 60 80 100 120
[min] [min] [min]

Trondheim, 2003