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Large-Scale Operations Ascending 164 steps aboard the 315-meter-long Al Thumama LNG tanker, Atlas Copco engineer Thomas Engels surveyed an impressive scene: An immense drydock installation, a state-of-the-art shipyard on the outer edge of the largest LNG export facility on the planet. Here, at the N-KOM facilities of the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard north of Doha, Qatar, Engels joined a team of Atlas Copco Aftermarket service specialists. Their mission: Assist with the overhaul of 31 of the world’s top LNG carriers, the Q-Flex line. In a span of just seven months in 2012, the team saw 15 Q-Flex vessels come through the shipyard. Engels and his fellow employees overhauled the Atlas Copco companders and compressors at the heart of these ships’ onboard reliquefaction plants. Activities started up once again in April 2013, with 11 tankers in the Q-Flex fleet scheduled for servicing before the end of the year. With a carrying capacity of 216 000 m3, these Q-Flex ships are some of the largest ships on the ocean. They carry a unique g onboard reliquefaction plant that allows them to deliver nearly all of their liquid natural gas cargo – without losing many tons of so-called boil-off gas (BOG) along the way – to its destination. This technology is powered by Atlas Copco Gas and Process companders and compressors. Modern Repair Facilities Despite the overwhelming scale and complexity of the project, the Atlas Copco Aftermarket team has delivered excellent technical results that impressed both the drydock operators and the ships’ owners. “We’ve had a good interaction with Atlas Copco. Overall, this has been a good operation, especially from the technical point of view,” says Dahmane Belloum, technical superintendent at N-KOM’s co-owner Nakilat. The Quatar shipyard is quickly becoming a major hub for gas carrier maintenance. At each of N-KOM’s two high-tech drydocks, some 2 000 people might be busy at work. Atlas Copco specialists focus on the interior of Q-Flex tankers, their reliquefaction systems, performing crucial work for which only few technicians in the world are trained. MARKET/APPLICATION: AFTERMARKET/LNG TRANSPORTATION SERVICING A TOP LNG FLEET When liquid natural gas (LNG) tankers go in for scheduled maintenance, it is an immense undertaking. In its largest coordinated project to date, Atlas Copco Gas and Process Aftermarket Services is playing a key role in the overhaul of a fleet of Q-Flex LNG carriers, helping ensure the tankers remain active on the high seas and deliver their cargo to markets around the world.

SERVICING A TOP LNG FLEET - Atlas Copco · Large-Scale Operations Ascending 164 steps aboard the 315-meter-long Al Thumama LNG tanker, Atlas Copco engineer Thomas Engels surveyed

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Page 1: SERVICING A TOP LNG FLEET - Atlas Copco · Large-Scale Operations Ascending 164 steps aboard the 315-meter-long Al Thumama LNG tanker, Atlas Copco engineer Thomas Engels surveyed

Large-Scale Operations

Ascending 164 steps aboard the 315-meter-long Al Thumama LNG tanker, Atlas Copco engineer Thomas Engels surveyed an impressive scene: An immense drydock installation, a state-of-the-art shipyard on the outer edge of the largest LNG export facility on the planet.

Here, at the N-KOM facilities of the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard north of Doha, Qatar, Engels joined a team of Atlas Copco Aftermarket service specialists. Their mission: Assist with the overhaul of 31 of the world’s top LNG carriers, the Q-Flex line.

In a span of just seven months in 2012, the team saw 15 Q-Flex vessels come through the shipyard. Engels and his fellow employees overhauled the Atlas Copco companders and compressors at the heart of these ships’ onboard reliquefaction plants. Activities started up once again in April 2013, with 11 tankers in the Q-Flex fleet scheduled for servicing before the end of the year.

With a carrying capacity of 216 000 m3, these Q-Flex ships are some of the largest ships on the ocean. They carry a unique

g

onboard reliquefaction plant that allows them to deliver nearly all of their liquid natural gas cargo – without losing many tons of so-called boil-off gas (BOG) along the way – to its destination. This technology is powered by Atlas Copco Gas and Process companders and compressors. Modern Repair Facilities

Despite the overwhelming scale and complexity of the project, the Atlas Copco Aftermarket team has delivered excellent technical results that impressed both the drydock operators and the ships’ owners.

“We’ve had a good interaction with Atlas Copco. Overall, this has been a good operation, especially from the technical point of view,” says Dahmane Belloum, technical superintendent at N-KOM’s co-owner Nakilat.

The Quatar shipyard is quickly becoming a major hub for gas carrier maintenance. At each of N-KOM’s two high-tech drydocks, some 2 000 people might be busy at work. Atlas Copco specialists focus on the interior of Q-Flex tankers, their reliquefaction systems, performing crucial work for which only few technicians in the world are trained.

MARKET/APPLICATION: AFTERMARKET/LNG TRANSPORTATION

SERVICING A TOP LNG FLEET

When liquid natural gas (LNG) tankers go in for scheduled maintenance, it is an immense undertaking. In its largest coordinated project to date, Atlas Copco Gas and Process Aftermarket Services is playing a key role in the overhaul of a fleet of Q-Flex LNG carriers, helping ensure the tankers remain active on the high seas and deliver their cargo to markets around the world.

Page 2: SERVICING A TOP LNG FLEET - Atlas Copco · Large-Scale Operations Ascending 164 steps aboard the 315-meter-long Al Thumama LNG tanker, Atlas Copco engineer Thomas Engels surveyed

Headquarters

Atlas Copco Energas GmbH

Schlehenweg 15, 50999 Cologne, Germany

Phone: +49 2236 96 50 0, Fax: +49 2236 96 50 899, [email protected], www.atlascopco-gap.com

Mission Accomplished

When it came to servicing 15 Q-Flex vessels within a span of seven months, Atlas Copco’s global presence has proved to be an invaluable asset.

Now, roughly two-thirds of the way through the overhaul operations, the team has a lot to be proud of. The project is by far the largest servicing operation the unit has organized, and its smooth execution required extensive coordination of parts, equipment and personnel.

Atlas Copco successfully met all of the operation’s exacting deadlines and received extremely positive feedback from the LNG vessels’ owners and operators. The coordinated work ensures that Q-Flex vessels will continue to deliver top performance for years to come.

“There are a limited number of people in the field who can service, repair, and recalibrate these machines to the very highest standards” says Ahmed Nour, Atlas Copco Aftermarket Sales Consultant in Dubai. “Thanks to a talented and diverse team of Aftermarket specialists we have been able to deliver terrific results on this project.”

Technical Profile

At the heart of a Q-Flex ships’ reliquefaction system is an Atlas Copco compander, which compresses nitrogen from about 10 to 44 bar across three stages. The nitrogen is then expanded to 11.2 bar, causing it to chill BOG to icy temperatures. This gas is simultaneously compressed to approximately 8 bar in a three-stage, integrally-geared centrifugal compressor made by Atlas Copco, which enables it to return to a liquid state.

Type: Nitrogen CompanderFlow Volume: 799 m3/h Inlet Pressure: 56.35 bar (a) Outlet Pressure: 13.8 bar (a)

Type: Three-stage BOG Compressor Flow Volume: 4 500 m3/h Inlet Pressure: 1.03 bar (a)Outlet Pressure: 8.00 bar (a)

“We’ve had a good interaction with Atlas Copco. Overall, this

has been a good operation, especially from the technical

point of view.” Dahmane Belloume, Technical Superintendent, Nakilat.

Reliquefication System (Mark III)