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Operating Experience with the SplitMR Machinery Configuration of the C3MR

LNG Process

Article  in  SPE Projects Facilities & Construction · June 2006

DOI: 10.2118/105623-PA

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 Operating Experience With the Split MR
Machinery Configuration of the C3MR
LNG Process
A. Brimm, ExxonMobil Development Co.; S. Ghosh, RasGas Co. Ltd.; and
D.J. Hawrysz, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co.
Summary
Efficiency and economics have motivated RasGas Trains 3
through 5 to implement a novel compressor-driver arrangement
comprising both propane and mixed-refrigerant (MR) compressors
on a single shaft. One Frame 7E gas turbine drives the low-pres-
sure (LP) and medium-pressure (MP) MR compressors, while a
second Frame 7E drives the propane and high-pressure (HP) MR
machines. With minor control system adjustments after startup, the
refrigerant compressors in RasGas Train 3 are operating reliably.
Introduction
The propane precooled mixed refrigerant (C3MR) process devel-
oped by Air Products has been the dominant process technology
employed in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry for more
than 30 years. This process uses a propane refrigerant system to
chill the feed gas from ambient temperature to approximately
–33°C and an MR to chill the gas to LNG temperatures. Because
pure propane is used in the precooling refrigeration cycle, the
minimum temperature of this cycle is limited to the boiling tem-
perature of propane near atmospheric pressure. The total duty that
can be transferred to the propane refrigerant is thereby naturally
limited to heat that can be transferred within this range.
Because of the propane’s limited temperature range, one of the
characteristics of the C3MR process arrangement is that the MR
refrigeration system requires nearly double the compression power
of the propane refrigeration system. The actual difference depends
on the number of propane stages, the ambient conditions, the
environmental cooling medium, and other process arrangements.
To drive these refrigeration compressors, early LNG plants
used steam turbines that could be sized to fit the required service
(e.g., Marsa el Brega). Later projects determined that gas-turbine
drivers were a more efficient and less costly option for driving
the compressors.
For procurement, maintainability, and sparing purposes, an op-
erating facility would prefer to have each of the compression ser-
vices driven by the same type and model of gas-turbine driver. For
the C3MR process, such an arrangement is typically inconvenient
because of the inherent power consumption mismatch between the
propane and MR services.
Use of Gas-Turbine Drivers
ExxonMobil has been driving LNG plant-compression systems
with gas turbines since 1978, with the startup of the PT Arun LNG
plant in Indonesia. Each train of this plant used three Frame 5C
gas-turbine drivers, one for the propane system and two for the MR
system. This arrangement was a good fit for the desired capacity as
well as the 2:1 power/draw ratio for the MR and propane services.
When designing the QatarGas facility, each train was supplied
with four Frame 5D drivers, one for the propane service and three
for the MR service. To satisfy the characteristic 2:1 power ratio,
more power was required on the propane service. The propane
Copyright © 2006 Society of Petroleum Engineers
This paper (SPE 105623) was revised for publication from paper IPTC 10861 and first
presented at the 2005 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar, 21–23
November. Original manuscript received for review 12 December 2005. Paper peer
approved 20 March 2006.
June 2006 SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction
compressor was split into LP and HP cases so that the LP case
could be driven by the gas turbine and the HP section could be
driven by a separate motor.
Subsequently, RasGas Trains 1 and 2 were designed with a
substantially higher throughput than the QatarGas trains. The proj-
ect determined that the use of Frame 7E drivers could reduce the
number of drivers and provide economy of scale advantages over
the Frame 5 series. Trains 1 and 2 used Frame 7E drivers for both
the propane and MR services. These trains provided some MR
intercooler duty with propane refrigerant as a method of shifting
duty from the MR compressors to the propane compressors—a
concept that increased the propane circulation rate and, therefore,
the duty. At the same time, the MR compressor duty was decreased
because the compressor suction temperature was lowered. A single
variable-frequency drive (VFD) served two 8-MW motors re-
quired for starting the gas turbines. These motors were only rated
for short-duration use.
The RasGas expansion project, consisting of three trains of
higher capacity than RasGas 1 and 2, further took the concept of
shifting load to the propane driver. Instead of circulating more
propane, this concept arranged the machines so that one of the MR
compressor bodies was coupled to the propane driver. Such an
arrangement is convenient because the compressor supplier has a
great deal of flexibility in selecting an MR compressor section that
can absorb the remaining power from the propane driver.
By implementing this arrangement, these trains were able to
fully use two identical Frame 7E drivers while taking advantage of
the relative efficiency and economy of scale offered by these ma-
chines. Each gas turbine is equipped with a 12-MW motor that
assists in starting and also provides power when the gas turbine is
derated because of high ambient temperature or fouling. RasGas
Train 3, the first train to employ this concept, started up in 2004.
Train 4 subsequently started up in the third quarter of 2005, and
Train 5 will start up in 2006.
Process Overview
RasGas Train 3 was designed to process 800×106 scf/D of feed gas
to LNG. After treatment to remove C5+ hydrocarbon liquids, free
water, and acid gas, the feed gas is chilled by one stage of propane
refrigerant before dehydration. Following dehydration and mer-
cury removal, the gas is chilled by four more stages of propane
refrigerant. Designated as low-low pressure (LLP), LP, MP, and
HP, the evaporation levels chill the feed gas and the MR to
–33°C—a temperature at which the MR is partially condensed and
enough feed gas is condensed to reflux the scrub column. The
evaporated propane refrigerant is compressed in a single compres-
sor body with four inlets and one discharge nozzle. The com-
pressed propane is then cooled and condensed by a closed-loop
cooling water system.
The MR is responsible for cooling the feed gas to approxi-
mately –156°C. The compressed refrigerant is chilled by four
stages of propane, where it is separated into vapor and liquid
refrigerants that enter the bottom of the main cryogenic heat ex-
changer (MCHE) in separate tube-side passes. The HP liquid por-
tion is subcooled as it travels up the MCHE and exits at a midpoint
in the exchanger, where it is expanded across a hydraulic turbine
and introduced to the shell side as the refrigerant. The HP vapor
portion of the MR is condensed and subcooled as it travels to the
1
top of the MCHE, where it is expanded across a Joule-Thompson
(JT) valve and introduced to the shell side as the refrigerant.
The evaporated refrigerant from the MCHE is recompressed in
three separate compressor bodies, designated as the LP, MP, and
HP MR compressors.

Mechanical Design
The machinery arrangement for RasGas Trains 3 through 5 is
depicted in Fig. 1. The propane and HP MR compressors are
coupled to a gas-turbine driver, site rated at 77,554 kW, as the
prime mover. The LP and MP MR compressors are coupled to a
second GE Frame 7EA gas-turbine drive, site rated at 78,285 kW.
The HP MR takes up roughly 30% of the load of the gas-turbine
drive. This arrangement was chosen to balance the power usage
between the two gas turbines. The compressor supplier first de-
signed the propane machine to define the speed necessary to meet
the process conditions. It then selected the HP MR compressor to
define the suction pressure needed to meet the required MR dis-
charge pressure, realizing that the HP MR machine would turn at
the same speed as the propane compressor. Finally, the LP and MP
MR compressors were designed to meet the inlet pressure require-
ments for the HP MR machine.
Speed/torque curves were developed for these arrangements to
determine that 12-MW motors were needed for starting. These motors
are rated for continuous use so that they can be used to supplement
the gas-turbine power, particularly during the hot summer months.
An individual VFD is coupled to each of these motors.
Vendors are required to submit to a meticulous qualification
process when bidding for a project of such a magnitude. When
providing their quotation for this project, Elliott demonstrated that
these compressors were within their experience limits. They were
able to demonstrate that there were no technology limitations con-
sidering wheel dimensions case size, shaft diameter, bearing span,
bearing size, thrust balancing, or dry gas seals.
The effectiveness of this machinery arrangement is partially
responsible for the capacity increase of Train 3 relative to Trains
1 and 2. The annualized throughput of RasGas Trains 1 and 2
is now approximately 3.3 million tons per annum (MTA) per train.
In contrast, the annualized throughput of Train 3 is approximately
4.7 MTA.
Control Philosophy
The control philosophy is designed to maximize the production of
on-spec LNG when faced with the challenges of process upsets,
feed-gas changes, and ambient condition changes.
The speed of the propane compressor is set to maintain refrig-
eration performance at the current conditions. On the same shaft as
the propane machine, the HP MR compressor is constrained to the
same speed. The speed of the LP and MP MR compressors are
controlled to meet both the HP MR discharge pressure and the
required refrigeration capacity. If the refrigeration capacity is too
low, the speed of the driver is increased to increase the flow rate.
If the driver reaches maximum speed and cannot provide the re-
quired refrigeration capacity, the LNG flow rate is reduced. If the
driver is at the minimum speed and the refrigeration capacity is
still too high, then the recycle valves are opened.
The propane system operates with the load determined by the
MR system. The propane-compressor discharge pressure is not
directly controlled, but is determined by the vapor pressure at the
condensing temperature. The compressor speed can be manually
adjusted, if necessary.
The composition of the MR is primarily controlled through
monitoring the temperatures at the top, middle, and bottom of
the MCHE. Adjusting the vapor/liquid ratio in the MR separator
is the primary means for dealing with day-to-day fluctuations.
To deal with more extreme fluctuations, the MR composition is
adjusted by purge and component makeup. There are various
ways to reduce production, depending on the extent and duration
of the reduction (e.g., light components in the MR system may be
vented to reduce refrigerant mass flow rate and provide less re-
frigeration capacity).
Fig. 1—Compressor-driver arrangement.
Startup Procedure
This section will briefly describe the startup procedure of the two
compression strings following defrost with a methane-rich gas.
Propane System Startup. The propane system, isolated from the
defrost gas system, is pressurized with propane vapor from storage
and vented several times to purge the majority of the methane from
the system. Significant residual methane could lower the liquid evap-
oration temperature to the extent that the evaporator metallurgy
could be in danger. To prevent this danger, any residual light com-
ponents are purged from the propane accumulator during operation.
The propane compressor recycle system is charged with pro-
pane vapor from storage to 1.4 bara, and liquid propane, also from
storage, is loaded into the accumulator and the evaporators. At this
time, the 1st- and 2nd-stage propane recycle valves are open, and
the 3rd- and 4th-stage recycle valves are closed. The gas-turbine
driver for the propane and HP MR compressors can be started once
cooling water flow is initiated to the propane desuperheater, con-
denser, and subcooler. As the compressor starts and the suction
pressure drops, propane is made up to the 1st-stage suction to keep
this pressure above atmospheric. The 1st-stage antisurge controller
has a suction-pressure override control to prevent deep vacuum
conditions at the main suction of the compressor; see Fig. 2 for
value arrangement.
The control system automatically runs up the speed to the mini-
mum governor speed of 95%, at which time the 1st-stage suction
pressure is adjusted to its operating point. The 3rd- and 4th- stage
recycle valves are now fully opened. The startup bypass valve can
now be closed—at which time the recycle valves can be placed in
automatic operating mode. At this time, the propane-compression
system can be connected to the propane heat-exchanger system
and the level controllers are placed on automatic.
The HP MR compressor is on the same shaft as the propane
compressor and must be started at the same time. The HP MR
recycle loop is initially pressurized with defrost gas to no more
than 1.6 bara. As the propane system starts, this compressor runs
on total recycle with defrost gas being made up to keep the suction
pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.
MR System Startup. To start the MR system, gas from the scrub-
column reflux drum is used to pressurize the LP and MP recycle
systems to 1.61 bara. Cooling water is introduced to the intercool-
ers and aftercooler, and the gas-turbine driver is started and auto-
matically controlled to its minimum governor speed of 95%, dur-
ing which time the suction pressures are controlled so that they do
not exceed 1.6 bara. After minimum governor speed is attained, the
discharge pressures are controlled so that they do not exceed the
maximum operating pressures. The recycle valves are now placed
in automatic mode. As the suction pressure drops, gas is made up
from the scrub column reflux drum such that the suction pressure
is maintained at approximately 1.4 to 1.5 bara.
At this time, methane-rich gas from the scrub column reflux
drum is introduced to the MP MR suction drum to equalize the MP
suction pressure to the LP compressor discharge pressure. After
equalization, the LP MR discharge valve may be opened. The HP
MR compressor, on the same shaft as the propane machine, is
already running with defrost gas on full recycle. The suction pres-
sure of HP MR is equalized with the discharge of MP MR, by
adjusting flow from the scrub-column reflux drum. Once the dis-

2 June 2006 SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction

 Fig. 2—Propane-compressor startup.

charge pressure of the MP MR compressor equalizes with the Operational Experiences

suction pressure of the HP MR compressor, the MP MR com-
pressor discharge valve may be opened. At this time, the main
cryogenic heat-exchanger pressure may be equalized with the LP
MR suction pressure, and the MR separator pressure may be equal-
ized with the HP MR compressor discharge pressure. The MR
composition is then adjusted to the design conditions; see Fig. 3
for value arrangement.
As with any first-time installation, several minor operational issues
have been corrected since the initial startup of Train 3.
Maintenance Considerations. A characteristic of the RasGas
Trains 1 to 2 machinery configuration is that the gas-turbine driv-
ing the propane compressor is typically approximately 70%
loaded, while the MR gas turbine is approximately 100% loaded.

Fig. 3—MR-compressor startup.

June 2006 SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction 3

Consequently, degradation of the propane-gas turbine is less of a
concern than degradation of the MR gas turbine. Capacity of the
train is, therefore, intimately linked to the performance of the MR
gas turbine.
In RasGas Train 3, both gas turbines are equally loaded, mean-
ing that the performance of the train is intimately linked to the
performance of both turbines. If one of the gas turbines degrades
or fouls faster than the other, it could result in operational diffi-
culties and more trips. To prevent this situation, all seals in both
gas turbines will be replaced at each overhaul, whether or not they
appear worn.
Initial Startup. The first attempts to start the train resulted in
some trips of the first gas turbine to be started. The trips were the
result of an enhanced safety factor imposed by the gas-turbine
control center. During startup, the gas-turbine controls monitor the
speed of the turbine and ensure that the speed increases during
every 30-second interval. The design of Trains 1 and 2 ensure only
that the speed did not decrease during a 30-second interval, which
is a less stringent condition. During the Train 3 startup, the gas
turbine encountered 30-second intervals during which the speed
remained constant, resulting in a trip of the turbine.
The root cause of this delay in speed increase is still being
assessed. A possible cause is that the gas-turbine speed/torque
curve does not match the load speed/torque curve because of the
pressure in the compressors. There is also uncertainty whether the
extra protection afforded by this trip mechanism is necessary be-
cause it was not needed in the Train 1 and 2 operation.
The plant operators have developed several techniques to pre-
vent this trip condition and to successfully start the train. Options
include increasing the analysis interval from 30 to 60 seconds,
introducing richer fuel gas to the turbine, and depressuring the
compressor cases as much as possible, which has been the most
effective option.
Sympathy Trips. A unique problem of “sympathy” trips occurred
as a result of the configuration of the compressors. Upon a trip of
the propane compressor, the HP MR compressor was forced to trip
because the two machines share a common driver. After the trip of
the HP MR compressor, the discharge pressure of the MP MR
machine rose enough to cause it to trip also, resulting in a loss of
MR inventory and an increase in downtime and restart time.
The system was initially designed such that a propane com-
pressor trip caused all of the propane antisurge valves and the HP
MR antisurge valve to open fully. However, the LP and MP MR-
compressor recycle valves were allowed to react to the normal
process variables, which was too slow to prevent those machines
from tripping.
The problem of sympathy trips has been resolved by modifying
the control logic to allow a kickback action. A feed-forward signal
from the tripped compressor triggers the remaining recycle valves
to ramp open. This signal allows the MP MR system to react
much faster than the normal process instrument diagram (PID)
action of the antisurge controllers, resulting in better control during
trip events. To prevent the gas turbine from bogging down because
of the sudden load increase, the LP and MP MR recycle valves
are opened over a 12-second interval, rather than their fastest
opening time of 6 seconds. The gas turbine driving the LP and MP
MR machines can now remain running in the event of a propane
system trip.
Surge Events. A high number of MR-compressor surge events
occurred because of the installation of a hydraulic turbine on the
MR stream, which was a feature not included in RasGas Trains 1
and 2. The control logic was initially set up to trip the MR hy-
draulic turbine in the event of any process trip. Because the ma-
jority of the MR flow normally passed through the hydraulic tur-
bine, the trip of the turbine acted as a blocked discharge on HP MR
machines. This phenomenon was not observed on Trains 1 and 2
because the 60-second closure time of the JT valve caused the flow
rate to decrease much more slowly than the flow decrease associ-
ated with a hydraulic turbine trip.
4 June 2006 SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction
Upon the hydraulic turbine trip, the flow rate dropped at a
sufficiently high rate that the usual PID action of the antisurge
valves could not react quickly enough, resulting in the compressor
surging. The control philosophy was subsequently modified to
prevent these surge events by implementing a kickback action.
Rather than allowing the local indicators to initiate the antisurge
action, a feed-forward signal was initiated from the process-trip
interlock. This trip signal immediately set the antisurge controllers
to ramp open. Additionally, a safety system was implemented to
trip the machine upon the occurrence of three surge counts within
30 seconds. These modifications to the control system have pre-
vented spurious trips and have improved reliability.
Another series of surge event was caused by the HP MR re-
cycle valve becoming stuck closed. Multiple surge events were
recorded in a short period of time, resulting in the trip of the HP
MR gas turbine. The kickback action prevented the LP MR and
MP MR compressors from tripping, resulting in a minimal loss of
inventory and reduced startup time.
Future Projects
The compressor arrangements described in this paper have already
been proved in RasGas Train 3 and will be used in Trains 4 and 5.
The next phase of expansion of the RasGas facilities is already
under way. Each train of this two-train project will produce 7.8
MTA of LNG, using the proprietary AP-X* LNG Process. This
process includes the C3MR process to liquefy the feed gas and a
separate nitrogen refrigeration cycle to subcool the LNG, resulting
in three refrigeration services.
To power the compressors required for this process, the project
will install three Frame 9E gas turbines in mechanical-drive ser-
vice (e.g., 126-MW Intl. Standards Organization). The first turbine
will power the propane compressors; the second, the MR com-
pressors; and the third, the nitrogen machines. Each shaft will also
have a motor and VFD rated for 45 MW of continuous duty and 60
MW of intermittent duty. The 60-MW intermittent duty is for
startup under full-pressure conditions.
The power mismatch between the propane and MR compres-
sors still exists for this process, although it is not as severe because
some of the MR duty is taken up by the nitrogen cycle. Depending
on conditions, the MR compressors may require 20 to 50% more
power than the propane machines in this process. The power draw
of the nitrogen machines is slightly higher than that of the propane
compressors.
To adjust to the power-draw mismatch, the motors and VFDs
are used to transfer power among machines. Under all conditions
but the hottest days, the gas turbines driving the propane and
nitrogen compressors can generate more power than the compres-
sors can absorb. In this case, the motors can act as generator
to export power to the MR compressor-helper motor or to the grid.
In case the propane and nitrogen drivers cannot supply all of the
extra power required by the MR driver, extra power is drawn from
the grid.
Conclusions
The C3MR process has been widely used in the baseload LNG
industry, despite the inherent power-consumption mismatch be-
tween the propane and MR refrigerant services. Considering the
procurement and operational advantages to using identical drivers
for all services, techniques have been developed to effectively
install the required driver capacity. Steam-turbine drivers that can
be sized to any load were initially used, but later gas-turbine driv-
ers were found to be a less costly and more efficient option. When
driving the refrigerant compressors with gas turbines, early trains
simply installed multiple drivers on the MR refrigerant service and
a single driver on the propane circuit. Attempting to minimize
rotating equipment, later trains used a single driver for each service
and attempted to shift load to the propane drive by using propane
to intercool the MR compressor.
* Trademark of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Allentown, Pennsylvania (11 July 2005).
 RasGas Train 3 introduced a novel method of approaching this
problem. Instead of shifting loads between services, this project
placed the HP MR compressor body on the same shaft as the
propane compressor. Because it was coupled to the propane ma-
chine, the HP MR compressor was sized to fully load a Frame 7E
driver, while the LP and MP MR compressor fully loaded another
Frame 7E gas turbine. RasGas Train 3 has proved our ability to
overcome the technical challenge of driving two refrigerant ser-
vices with the same prime mover through sound design and oper-
ating practices.
This machinery arrangement initially started up with minor
operational problems, as can be expected in a new design. Updates
to the operating procedure and slight modifications to the control
system resolved these issues and have resulted in the reliable op-
eration of these machines.
The benefit of implementing this machinery configuration is
clear. The balanced loading of the gas turbines allowed RasGas
Train 3 to be designed to produce 4.7 MTA of LNG. In contrast,
RasGas Trains 1 and 2 that used the same drivers in a more
traditional arrangement is currently producing approximately 3.3
MTA per train.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge discussions with Kuruvilla
Philip and Venkat Venkatachalam of RasGas Co. Ltd., Jim Bla-
hovec of Elliott Turbomachinery, and William A. Kennington Jr.
of Air Products and Chemicals Inc.
June 2006 SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction
View publication stats
SI Metric Conversion Factors
kW × 1.055 056 E+00 ⳱ Btu/s
m3/D × 1.589 873 E–01 ⳱ bbl/D
Allen Brimm is currently coordinating evaluation of new tech-
nologies ready for commercialization or emerging technolo-
gies for Exxonmobil in the following areas: liquefaction, utili-
ties, storage, and loading for LNG plants (e-mail: allen.e
.brimm@exxonmobil.com). His prior experience includes work-
ing on design, construction, startup, and operation of oil and
gas facilities. He began his work at the Pegasus Gas Plant lo-
cated near Midland, Texas, and has worked on international
projects for the last 15 years, including RasGas in Qatar. Brimm
holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from the U. of Illi-
nois. Samiran Ghosh is the Lead Process Engineer in the Process
Engineering Section of RasGas LNG Co. in Doha, Qatar (e-mail:
emailsghosh@yahoo.com). His last 8 years of experience has
been in LNG trains commissioning, trouble-shooting, debottle-
necking, and conceptualizing design of facility enhance-
ments. Previous to his joining RasGas, he had 10 years of ex-
perience in downstream refining facilities in fluid catalytic
cracking units in India. Ghosh holds a BS degree in chemical
engineering from the Jadvapur U., India. Daniel Hawrysz has
worked for ExxonMobil in Houston since 2001, first as Senior
Research Engineer developing LNG process technology and
supporting LNG capital projects, and currently as Lead Process
Engineer supporting ExxonMobil’s Rocky Mountain natural gas
production. He holds a BS degree from the U. of Illinois and a
PhD degree from Purdue U., both in chemical engineering.
5