Floating LNG (FLNG) involves a number of unique technologies, and Australian companies are well-placed to play a major role in developing those innovations. FLNG technology expands the boundaries at both ends of the spectrum—in the enormous scale and complexity of the vessels and the miniaturisation of equipment.

FLNG brings together well-established offshore concepts such as floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs), and onshore ones such as LNG liquefaction. However, the size and scale of both is unique. Most FLNG projects are new-build vessels, but some operators are developing leased FLNG solutions similar to the leased FPSO vessels that are often tanker conversions.

Where limited infrastructure is available, as is often the case offshore Australia, FLNG is an attractive concept. The environmental footprint for FLNG is significantly less than for a conventional onshore LNG development, enabling the protection of sensitive marine and coastal environments.

Australia is particularly well-suited to FLNG advancements due to its vast, undeveloped gas reserves located hundreds of kilometres offshore. With the sparse population in Northwest Australia, LNG export is the traditional option for commercialisation of these reserves.

A grand opportunity

In the next few years, Australia will develop experience in operation of the world’s largest floating facility, located in a cyclone area in a remote, undeveloped region. There is an opportunity to market this experience globally, bringing great benefit to Australian companies.

“FLNG technology will allow Australia to grow an already very successful industry and boost our energy security, by opening up remote and stranded offshore gas fields that would otherwise not be commercially viable to develop,” said Stedman Ellis, chief operating office for the Western Region at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA).

Meanwhile, research is underway to ensure that all elements of the FLNG facility are well understood. “Our universities are also playing a vital role with facilities such as the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia, which is providing cutting-edge research and modelling that is recognised around the world.” Ellis said.

With recent developments in big data, there is an opportunity to support FLNG facilities with remote expertise and decision support. In Western Australia, the mining industry has established technology for remote operation that could be adapted to FLNG.

Dedicated fibre-optic links will be established to enable transfer of this data. The Pawsey supercomputer in Perth is a valuable resource for analysis of this information.

On the seas, the FLNG mooring system requires particular focus. While mooring systems for FPSOs are understood, FLNG vessels are generally much larger with a long design life. A mooring system that can hold the world’s largest floating facility on station for 25 years (including during cyclones) requires a special degree of technical innovation.

Conquering the challenges

Australia has a proven track record in technical innovation. “Western Australia has become a world leader in oil and gas by embracing innovation and technology,” Ellis said.

Innovation will be required to manage offloading of the finished products. LNG will be offloaded to an LNG carrier sitting alongside the FLNG vessel. The relative motion of these two large vessels will present challenges during the offloading operation.

Layout and marinisation of complex LNG processing also requires technical innovation. Extensive engineering studies and modelling have been undertaken to ensure the safety of the personnel on board, and that emergency response protocols are understood.

Engineers Australia confirms these challenges. “FLNG will bring with it a number of new technologies and novel engineering challenges that will need to combine to make the overall FLNG successful,” said the company’s Western Australia division president, Francis Norman.

Specific challenges include designing for the movement of the vessel, sloshing in the process equipment and rotation of the vessel around the turret as a result of the seastate. Many FPSOs in Australia and elsewhere also rotate around a turret in a process known as weathervaning. However, the huge FLNG vessel transfers much larger forces to the turret than any FPSO.

“Designing such a large floating facility to remain on station for 25 years requires consideration for how the overall facility can be maintained and operated,” Norman said.

Very sophisticated modelling is needed to support process optimisation and equipment reliability. Real-time process simulators could benefit both the crew onboard the FLNG vessel, and long-term production planning.

Some of the FLNG projects will be located in areas where cyclones form, requiring that the meteorology of the area must be extremely well understood. The added understanding of meteorology and marine ecology will enable Australia to better manage its precious offshore and coastal environments. Baseline monitoring is now underway to understand the present conditions, and inform the strategy for management of our marine environment.

Even relatively mature technologies, such as corrosion protection, present challenges when applied to the scale of an FLNG vessel. Asset integrity systems must be developed that are specific to such a large facility, which is to be located in the same place for many decades.

A number of processes that have previously been confined to onshore plants will now be located on a floating facility. These operations include boilers and a steam distribution system, large complex equipment not normally seen offshore.

As well, fractionation towers and cryogenics must now be adapted for a marine environment. This is the first step in the development of other complex offshore processing, such as floating methanol production.

Many of the skills and technologies required to support FLNG operations will have several applications, and can be adapted to other offshore oil and gas facilities, onshore and nearshore oil and gas applications and other industries. Cross-fertilisation from oil and gas has historically happened with the maritime industry. Now there is an opportunity for broader technology transfer to other industries.

Collaboration needed

Collaboration is vital in order to ensure Australia takes full advantage of the unique FLNG technologies. The Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems and the Western Australia Energy Research Alliance are both examples of collaboration and innovation between academia, industry and government.

Since its establishment in 1997, the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems has developed one of the world’s most sophisticated research and modelling facilities in offshore geomechanics. A team of more than 40 internationally recognised researchers, consulting engineers and technical staff work together to solve some of the industry’s key engineering challenges.

Safety has been an area where collaboration has been particularly successful in Australia. The Common Safety Training Programme has been rolled out by all operators, and lessons learned from high potential safety incidents are shared amongst the industry.

An Engineers Australia’s report on FLNG notes, “There is a real appetite for close and meaningful collaboration among all the parties: for operators to work together across project boundaries to rationalise and optimise the sharing of information; for engineering companies to collaborate in supporting the operations of the facilities; and for academia to collaborate on impactful research.”

Technology development can result from greenfield fundamental research, but also from incremental development of existing solutions.

“Further collaboration between industry, academia and government will ensure ongoing innovation and improvement in floating technology is developed here in Western Australia, where we can build on our existing strengths in things like FPSO vessels, platforms and other offshore oil and gas activities,” APPEA’s Ellis said.

Australia has an enviable opportunity to use its first-mover advantage in FLNG. Many of the technologies are proven, but not on this scale and with this level of complexity. The integration of all the technology elements is really the unique factor.

That’s the real magic in FLNG.

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