FLNG compared to LNG carriers - Requirements and recommendations for LNG production facilities and re-gas units
摘要
An increasing price and demand for natural gas has made it possible to explore remote gas\nfields. Traditional offshore production platforms for natural gas have been exporting the\npartially processed natural gas to shore, where it is further processed to permit consumption\nby end-users. Such an approach is possible where the gas field is located within a reasonable\ndistance from shore or from an existing gas pipeline network. However, much of the world’s\ngas reserves are found in remote offshore fields where transport via a pipeline is not feasible\nor is uneconomic to install and therefore, to date, has not been possible to explore. The\ndevelopment of floating production platforms and, on the receiving end, regasification\nplatforms, have increased the possibilities to explore these fields and transport the liquefied\ngas in a more efficient form, i.e. liquefied natural gas (LNG), to the end user who in turn can\nreadily import the gas.\nFloating production platforms and regasification platforms, collectively referred to as FLNG,\nimply a blend of technology from land-based LNG industry, offshore oil and gas industry and\nmarine transport technology. Regulations and rules based on experience from these\napplications could become too conservative or not conservative enough when applied to a\nFLNG unit. Alignment with rules for conventional LNG carriers would be an advantage since\nthis would increase the transparency and possibility for standardization in the building of\nfloating LNG production vessels.\nThe objective of this study is to identify the risks relevant to FLNG. The risks are compared\nto conventional LNG carriers and whether or not regulatory alignment possibilities exist. To\nidentify the risks, a risk analysis was performed based on the principles of formal safety\nassessment methodology. To propose regulatory alignment possibilities, the risks found were\nalso evaluated against the existing rules and regulations of Det Norske Veritas.\nThe con