Photo credit: LCS2Your source for premium power transmission solutions for Marine, Indus-trial and Construction Equipment applications in North America (includ-ing Canada and Mexico), the Caribbean and now countries of Central America and parts of South America including the nations of Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.American VULKAN Corporation Ph: 863-324-2424 | info@vulkanusa.com | www.vulkan.com(Photo: Courtesy Royal Dutch Shell)Artist’s impression of Prelude FLNG.dure, the force of sloshing. units, production storage (with capacity of 436,000 cu-Movement also comes into play when trying to bic meters of LNG, plus LPG condensate) and loading transfer the lique? ed gas into an LNG carrier tank. To facilities, utility systems, control room, maintenance aid of? oading there are three 6,700 hp thrusters, which facilities and accommodation.can adjust the position of the FLNG in relation to the It will sit on top of the gas ? eld where a series of carrier. wells will feed gas and condensate from the reservoirs American Vulkan MR Jan14.indd 1 12/19/2013 9:55:54 AMShell also had to marinize process equipment such via four ? exible risers into the facility that will draw as absorption columns and the main cryogenic heat ex- gas up into the turret for processing. Next, the LNG changers to ensure their operation under marine condi- has to be separated from a mix that included conden-tions, and ability to accommodate movement in the sate, LPG, water and CO2. After which the LNG will structure. be lique? ed, using Shell’s Dual Mixed Refrigerant And there’s the fact that Prelude will be sitting out in (DMR) process, which uses steam-driven refrigerant the middle of nowhere in ‘cyclone alley’ central. Shell compressors and ultra-cold seawater to chill the gas has no intentions of untethering the facility every time to –162°C, shrinking the volume by 600 times. Stored a bad wind blows and towing it to shore. Instead, a in tanks in the hull with an overall capacity of more number of factors are supposed to ensure that Prelude than 430 million liters (114 million U.S. gal.), it will be sits tight in savage seas. First there is its sheer size and transferred by special loading cryogenic arms to tank-weight. But more important, Gilmour claims Prelude’s ers moored next to the facility. mooring system can stay on station even in the face of A key feature of Shell’s FLNG design will be its a category 5 hurricane. ? exibility. It will be able to process a wide range of Four groups of mooring lines will be attached to the gas compositions, accommodate a wide range of sub-world’s largest (93 meters) mooring turret on one end, sea con? gurations, offer multiple solutions for hydrate anchoring the facility, via connections to suction pile management, export LPG as well as LNG, and will use anchors, to the ocean ? oor on the other. The swiv- a dual-mixed refrigerant liquefaction cycle.eling turret turns slowly with the wind, reducing the The FLNG facility to be used for Prelude is generic impact of water and weather conditions. Meanwhile, in design, following Shell’s “design one, build many” the of? oading of LNG onto an LNG carrier required approach, meaning that the facility can be easily rep-the design of a special loading arm system with swivel licated for other projects, and more importantly, cus-joints and quick connect/disconnect ? anges, capable tomized for different gas ? eld conditions and contents. of of? oading both LNG and LPG. Although Shell likes to say it has innovated using tried and true technology, in fact, the FLNG concept How It Works remains untested. Certainly the market can look to The Prelude plant will include 7 wells, four ? ow the FSOP sector to get an idea of the process, but for lines approximately 4 km in length, umbilicals and the most part, Shell’s competitors and partners will be ? exible risers, as well as the FLNG facility. The man- watching closely to see how closely Prelude hews to agement of subsea wells and manifolds is carried out budget and hype. via the umbilicals, which are connected to a control If all goes to plan, however, the FLNG market is set room. The plant itself is comprised of liquefaction to explode. www.marinelink.com 35MR #7 (32-41).indd 35 MR #7 (32-41).indd 35 7/1/2014 10:58:21 AM7/1/2014 10:58:21 AM