Poster PO-48

APPLYING OPTIMUM COMMISSIONING TECHNOLOGY

OF LNG RECEIVING TERMINALS
Takayuki Morise
Assistant Manager, Environment & Planning Sect.,
Sodegaura LNG Terminal
Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
1-1, Nakasode, Sodegaura, Chiba, Japan
t-morise@tokyo-gas.co.jp

Yutaka Shirakawa
Senior Manager, Energy Production Department
yutaka-s@tokyo-gas.co.jp
Toshihiro Meguro
Manager, Energy Production Department
t-meguro@tokyo-gas.co.jp
Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
1-5-20 Kaigan Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8527, Japan

ABSTRACT

Tokyo Gas has over 35 years experience in construction, operation, maintenance,

technological development and engineering of LNG terminals, include commissioning of
the terminal.

Before starting operations at an LNG terminal, it is necessary to cool down all LNG
facilities in the terminal because of LNGs very low temperature. Drying and purging are
also necessary before introducing LNG. The initial cooling down should be performed
using the LNG from the first cargo, so the duration of mooring of the LNG vessel
considerably affects the expense of commissioning. Commissioning, which includes
cooling down, drying, and purging is essential for the safety and reliability of the LNG
terminal. Methane release to the air, one of the procedures of commissioning, directly
affects the global environment.

Based on the knowledge accumulated through Tokyo Gas own experience, we have
established commissioning procedures that are safe, reliable and environmentally-friendly,
and are also very efficient, enabling huge cuts in costs and duration. Many new LNG
terminals are currently at the planning stage. Commissioning procedures need to be
adapted to the particular circumstances of each terminal to meet requirements regarding
safety, duration, cost, regulatory compliance, and environment. Tokyo Gas expertise in
this area will be extremely useful for assisting newcomers to commission their LNG
terminals.

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INTRODUCTION

Tokyo Gas has 3 LNG terminalsNegishi, Sodegaura, and Ohgishimawhich were

placed into operation in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s. These 3 terminals are connected by
a natural gas trunk line that encircles the Tokyo metropolitan area, and a submarine trunk
line across Tokyo Bay.

LNG terminals are located throughout Japan, and there are many more terminals
under construction. Our accumulated knowledge can be useful for these LNG terminals in
Japan, and in other countries, too.

Sodegaura LNG terminal

Figure 1. LNG terminals and natural gas trunk lines (Tokyo Gas)

Table 1. LNG terminal main facilities and their capacities (Tokyo Gas)

Items Negishi* Sodegaura** Ohgishima

Year of start-up 1969 1973 1998

Site area 481,856 m2 805,691 m2 312,000 m2

Berths 1 3 1

LNG tanks 12 (1,140,000 m3) 18 (1,520,000 m3) 4 (660,000 m3)

Vaporizers 16 35 4

* The first LNG receiving terminal in Japan

** The biggest LNG receiving terminal in Japan

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OUTLINE OF START-UP IN RECEIVING TERMINALS

Statement of principles

We perform start-up of a LNG terminal with careful attention to the following points,
to ensure that facilities are shifted safely and reliably to an operation state.

- Ensuring safety and security: A stringent forecast of dangers is performed to

prevent disasters or accidents.

- Schedule management: Strict schedule management is required in order to start

equipment reliably within the given duration.

- Cost minimum: The individual processes involved in the start-up of each facility
are extracted and examined to find cost cuts.

- Consideration for the environment: Work is planned to minimize the atmospheric

release of methane, and environment-friendly clean start-up procedures are
planned, including procedures such as processing exhaust gas and ensuring proper
drainage.

Organization

In the case of Tokyo Gas LNG terminals, all start-up work is done by our company.
The team handling the start-up consists of construction staff and terminal staff.

In the case of LNG terminals belonging to other companies, the organization varies
with a contract form, as shown below.

Terminal operator staff Terminal operator staff

Tokyo Gas staff Tokyo Gas staff

Tokyo Gas workers Terminal operator workers

Case 1 Case 2

Contract issuer: Terminal operator (or owner)

Contractor: Tokyo Gas

Figure 2. Organization (Commissioning an LNG terminal not owned by Tokyo Gas)

Process flow

LNG from a tanker is transferred via unloading arms and temporarily stored in tanks.
The LNG is then gasified according to the demand for gas and sent out to consumers. A
gasification process is introduced, pumping the LNG with a LNG pump into a vaporizer,

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where it is gasified by heat exchange with heat media such as seawater. When sending
out as city gas to Japanese consumers, the calorific value of the natural gas is adjusted to
standardize the calories, flammability, etc., and an odorization process is added. BOG is
generated naturally by heat entering the LNG tank, and it is usually sent out as fuel for
power generation after raising the pressure with a BOG compressor.

Vent
stack
Return gas
blower BOG compressor Generator
Gas
LNG
tanker Odorize
LNG
Vaporize
Calorific value City gas
adjustment mixer
LPG
Utility facilities
-Air
-Water
-N2
-Steam etc. LNG tank LNG
pump

STEP1 STEP2 STEP3

Figure 3. Process flow and start-up step

Start-up steps

After starting up the utility facilities, the start-up process for LNG facilities is carried
out in order: receiving, discharge facilities, then gas manufacture related facilities. LPG
facilities for the purpose of adjusting the calories of natural gas calories are installed
independently from other facilities, so these are started up before starting up the calorific
value adjustment facilities.

START-UP TECHNOLOGY

O2 purging

The first step in the start-up procedure is the task of O2 purging. O2 purging is
unnecessary for air lines, steam lines, etc. which always contain O2, it is necessary for
LNG lines and BOG lines, etc. When LNG tanks and LNG lines are constructed, they are
initially filled with air. When methane is first introduced into tanks, there is the risk of
creating an explosive mix of methane and oxygen. The air needs to be purged and

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replaced with nitrogen gas to ensure the concentration remains below the explosive limit
when methane gas is added. O2 purging lowers the O2 concentration by supplying N2.

In the case of methane, the standard for O2 concentration, which also considered the
rate of safety, is determined from the marginal explosive range of the mixture of methane
gas, nitrogen gas and air.

Air=100 - Nitrogen gas to add

Methane gas [vol%]
Methane gas [vol%]

To high pressure

Inflammable Atmospheric
mixture pressure

Nitrogen gas to add [vol%]

Figure 4. Marginal explosive range of the mixture

The O2 purging method is carried out as efficiently and economically as possible to

maximize the cost cutting potential. Tokyo Gas employs numerical simulations to
compute the critical amount of nitrogen gas required to support air-nitrogen gas
stratification and uses the findings of the simulations to optimize its commissioning
techniques. Optimization has cut the nitrogen gas requirement to about 1/3 compared
with the case of a simple mixing O2 purging, leading to substantial cost reductions.

Nitrogen gas Outlet Nitrogen gas Outlet

inlet inlet

N2

Nitrogen gas/Air
contact
N2
Air

Air

Figure 5. O2 purging method (example: LNG tank)

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One pattern of O2 purging in a LNG tank over time is shown in the graph below.

Top

1st day
LNG tank [m]
Distance from the top of

2nd day

Nitrogen gas/Air
3rd day
contact

4th day

5th day
Bottom
0 21
O2 gas [vol%]

Figure 6. O2 purging speed (LNG tank)

Drying

The next important task is the drying step. Although drying is unnecessary for
normal temperature gas lines, etc., it is necessary for cryogenic lines such as LNG lines
and BOG lines, etc. Moisture may result in solid deposits when LNG and BOG are
introduced at low temperature. For this reason, problems such as piping blockages and
pump failure may occur if moisture remains in piping, or on the insides of a tank, etc.
Therefore, it is necessary to reduce moisture as far as possible to a level at which there is
no adverse influence before LNG introduction. This is achieved by the drying step. The
completion of the drying process is generally determined from the dew point, and drying
is performed together with O2 purging in many cases.

Drying is carried out efficiently and economically to achieve the maximum possible
cost cutting. For example, drying with air for control precedes O2 purging because it
reduces the amount of nitrogen gas amount required. Moreover, the dew point falls
further in the following step, Substitution to methane gas.

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Tank bottom dew point [C

Air for control Nitrogen gas Methane gas

Inlet gas volume [m3]

Figure 7. Drying (LNG tank)

20000
Amount of moisture [ppm]

Drying

0
-80 20
Dew point [C]

Figure 8. Amount of moisture to dew point criteria (1 atm)

Substitution to methane gas

Substitution to methane gas follows O2 purging and drying. Since the atmosphere
inside the piping and tank before substitution to methane gas is nitrogen, a gaseous mix of
methane and nitrogen is released from a vent stack.

The facility called a vent stack is used to release gas that deviates from quality
standards or to release gas in cases where pressure in facilities such as LNG tanks or
vaporizers rises unusually due to a breakdown of some form. If there is no consumer to
use surplus gas at the time of start-up, it is released from a vent stack.

Therefore, in order to not impact the safety of other facilities in the neighborhood,
wind direction is checked and calculations are made in advance to ensure that gas
concentrations at ground level remain within standards.

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Gas diffusion is simulated using software incorporating Tokyo Gas knowledge of

disaster prevention and safety technology. This software can provide a precise analysis in
a short time, outputting the gas diffusion density distribution under certain wind velocity
conditions.

Figure 9. Calculation of gas diffusion

Moreover, in order that the substitution to methane gas process is performed

efficiently and in a manner friendly to the environment, it is performed in such a way as
to produce stratification, utilizing the fluid specific gravity difference of the nitrogen gas
and methane gas in the LNG tank.

Cooling down

When introducing LNG into LNG piping, one concern is to prevent leaks from
flanges due to the piping bowing (deforming). For this reason, cooling down is
performed before introducing LNG into the LNG piping. In the case of piping, the
bowing will occur if a difference of temperature arises between the upper part and the
lower part of the piping.

Bowing is a phenomenon which the lower part of piping is cooled and piping
deforms into a bow due to the difference in heat contraction difference between the top
and bottom of the pipe when LNG flows into the piping that is being cooled. If this
deformation exceeds the tolerance level, there is the risk that the deformation may not
fully recovers after cooling down, creating the possibility of a LNG leak.

Possibility of a LNG leak

LNG

Figure 10. Bowing

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In order to avoid bowing, it is important to manage cooling down appropriately so

that piping movements fall within a fixed range. For that purpose, it is necessary to
supervise the amount of piping movement and piping temperatures throughout the piping.
In Tokyo Gas, when using piping with large diameters, such as LNG receiving piping, the
piping is cooled down by low-temperature gas in such a way as to minimize the
difference of temperature between the upper part of the piping and the lower part of the
piping.

In addition to the required quantity of low-temperature gas, calculations use the

internal diameter of the receiving piping, the material thickness of the thermal insulation,
the total length, outside temperature, etc., estimating time required for cooling down the
piping through established simulations based on the conditions of LNG receiving piping
end temperature.

A simplified diagram of the process for cooling down receiving piping and the LNG
tank is shown on the next page. There are two methods of cooling down. The first method
is to use LNG from the first LNG carrier to enter port. The second method is to use LN2
from road tankers. When using a LNG ship, LNG is introduced to the receiving piping
after cooling it down using low-temperature gas from the ship. Next, the LNG tank is
cooled down. In contrast, when using LN2 from road tankers, the receiving piping and the
LNG tank are cooled down before the first cargo arrives.

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(a) Step 1
Cooling down the receiving piping using low-temperature gas from a ship

Gas arm Low-temperature gas flow(BOG etc.)

To vent stack etc.

Shut

Open

LNG arm LNG receiving

LNG ship Spray piping
piping
LNG tank

(b) Step 2
Introduction of LNG to receiving piping, and cooling down the LNG tank

Gas arm LNG flow

To vent stack etc.

Open

Shut

LNG arm LNG receiving

LNG ship Spray piping
piping
LNG tank

Figure 11. Cooling down utilizing LNG from the first cargo

Simulation
Temperature [C]

End

Middle

Inlet (Arm)

Time [h]
Figure 12. Temperature change during cooling down (LNG receiving piping)

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The decision on whether to use LNG or LN2 is made according to the likelihood of
drainage remaining inside the piping and according to conditions such as the amount of
low-temperature gas required to cool down the facilities, restrictions imposed by
temperature conditions and mooring time, etc.), assessed from a viewpoint of cost. Recent
startups are increasingly using BOG from an LNG carrier.

Introduction of LNG

When LNG is introduced to piping such as receiving piping, care must be taken to
avoid the phenomenon called "geysering. If the fluid in the piping is warmed by external
heat to an extent that it exceeds the saturation temperature, air bubbles will be generated.
If these air bubbles rise inside perpendicular piping, the bubbles grow and form
intermittent blockages. This pushes up the liquid above the bubble, eventually generating
large vibrations and sounds it the piping. Tokyo Gas takes preventive measures against
geysering by raising the pressure in the piping, using thermal insulation, and preventing
the accumulation of external heat by increasing the liquid flow velocity, etc.

Oscillations
generated
Heat

Air bubbles are Air bubbles expand Liquid is pushed up by

generated by heat from and rise. the intermittent blockage.
the surroundings.
Figure 13. Geysering mechanism

CONCLUSION

Tokyo Gas has utilized the expertise described here to safely and reliable commission
many LNG terminals in Japan and elsewhere, including other companiess terminals. The
knowledge accumulated and the enhancements that we have evolved are available to
assist with the commissioning of new LNG terminals worldwide.

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