Modular Offshore LNG Processing Facility on Mobile Jack-Up Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inefficiency of onshore LNG processing facilities in handling offshore natural gas production, due to the need for piping gas to onshore locations before liquefaction and transportation, and the difficulty in finding suitable onshore locations accessible by large LNG carrier ships.
Innovation Solution
An offshore LNG processing facility comprising modular plant modules on mobile jack-up vessels that can be transported and installed at sea, with legs that can be raised to support the hull above water, allowing for on-site liquefaction, treatment, and storage, and interconnected for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If gas is piped to onshore facility for liquefaction, then processing can be performed, but transportation efficiency deteriorates and logistical costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of piping gas from offshore to onshore for processing, the invention inverts the approach by bringing the processing facility offshore. The LNG plant is installed on a floating platform at the offshore location, allowing gas to be processed where it is produced, eliminating the need for long-distance piping and improving transportation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating LNG plant serves multiple functions: it processes natural gas from multiple offshore wells, provides storage capacity, and enables LNG export. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate onshore facilities and transportation infrastructure, improving overall productivity while reducing transportation time.
2Productivity
If onshore location is selected for LNG plant, then processing capability is provided, but accessibility by large LNG carrier ships deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention relocates the LNG processing facility from onshore to offshore, positioning it directly in the water where LNG carrier ships can access it. This inversion of the conventional onshore location allows large carrier ships to dock alongside the floating platform for direct loading of liquefied natural gas, eliminating the need for additional transportation infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating platform acts as an intermediary between offshore gas production and LNG carrier shipping. It provides the processing capability that would normally require onshore facilities while simultaneously providing direct access for LNG carriers, mediating between these two requirements that are contradictory when using traditional onshore locations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mobile jack-up vessels are used for offshore processing, then flexibility and scalability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The LNG processing facility is divided into separate modular plant modules, each housed in its own container or module structure. These modules can be independently assembled, transported, and configured on the floating platform, allowing flexibility in capacity adjustment and scalability without requiring complete redesign of the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses mobile jack-up vessels that can dynamically adjust their position and configuration. The vessels can be moved to different locations, their legs can be raised or lowered, and the plant modules can be reconfigured, providing adaptability to changing operational requirements while managing complexity through standardized mobile platforms.
Data Source
AI summary
An offshore LNG processing plant includes a first module including a personnel accommodation facility on a first vessel, a second module including a gas treatment facility on a second vessel, and a third module including a gas liquefaction facility on a third vessel. Each of the first, second, and third modules are assembled on the corresponding vessels, and then transported to an offshore location in a body of water, such as a river, a lake, or a sea. At the offshore location, each vessel deploys legs to the bed of the body of water to raise a hull of each vessel out of the water. The first module is then coupled to the second module, and the second module is coupled to the third module. A fourth module on a fourth vessel is coupled to the third module to provide LNG storage.