Air Products will supply its proprietary APX pure fuel liquefaction course of technology and apparatus. This contains leading cryogenic heat exchangers (MCHEs), subcooling heat exchangers, and Rotoflow turbomachinery companders
. The MCHE and SCHE will be designed, engineered and manufactured at Air Products’ LNG apparatus facility in Port Manatee, Florida. This is the same manufacturing location where we have built more than seventy five LNG heat exchangers over 4 decades
. The AP-X Process Cycle
The coronary heart of an LNG plant is its liquefaction process, which transforms pure fuel into liquid kind. This allows it to be transported by sea for economical distribution round the world. However, this transformation course of destroys large amounts of potential vitality that can be retrieved and used for electricity
. Air Products has developed an advanced liquefaction technology, referred to as AP-X, to improve the effectivity of the compressors that liquefy the LNG. It uses a new, multi-stream exchanger design and other modifications to lessen vitality losses, whereas growing polytropic effectivity of the compressors
. The AP-X technology is being deployed at the Qatargas 2-Train four LNG facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. The liquefaction train is rated for an annual LNG creation capability of seventy eight. million tonnes per year, and contains three wellhead platforms with 11 wells each, as well as an onshore fuel processing terminal and a fleet of 14 Q-Flex tankers. It also uses two subsea pipelines shared with the adjoining Qatargas 3-Train 5 LNG facility
. The AP-X Equipment
Air Products offers key apparatus and technology for 12 of the 14 LNG trains currently in operation at Qatargas’ Ras Laffan facility, together with the initial items that began up in 1996 using AP-C3MRTM LNG course of technology; six AP-X LNG Process items that began up between 2009 and 2011; and two new AP-X LNG Process items that are below building for the North Field South (NFS) venture. The company’s liquefaction apparatus contains leading cryogenic heat exchangers, subcooling heat exchangers, Rotoflow turbomachinery companders and nitrogen economizer cold boxes
. The AP-X apparatus uses the proven, patented AP-X liquefaction cycle that improves upon earlier cooled combined refrigerant processes by subcooling the LNG with a basic and efficient nitrogen expander loop. This allows greater capacity, improved vitality effectivity and operational flexibility over a wide variety of creation capacities
. The liquefaction apparatus is engineered and built at Air Products’ world-class Port Manatee, Florida, manufacturing facility. This state-of-the-art facility opened in January 2014 and accomplished a 60% enlargement in October 2019 to meet the wants of an ever-expanding LNG industry
. The AP-X Technical Services
The design and creation of LNG plants is pushed by company objectives such as producing a optimum number of cargoes, meeting supply schedules and operating inside particular product specifications. Failure to meet these objectives can outcome in off-specification products and heavy penalties. Managing the plant to obtain these objectives requires close handle of the process, apparatus and operation
. Air Products’ AP-X technology is well suited to this variety of management as the course of uses an improved liquefaction cycle that subcools with a basic nitrogen expander loop, instead than a more complex combination of refrigerants. This allows significantly greater capability to be achieved
. Combined with an execution technique maximising normal vendor packages and modular construction, the AP-X course of offers a low target plant expense that can compete with other LNG liquefaction technologies for a small train capability. The technology also offers excessive vitality effectivity and can operate at a wide variety of creation capacities
. The AP-X Project
Air Products’ LNG course of technology is at the coronary heart of an LNG creation plant, processing and cryogenically liquefying pure fuel so that it can be shipped economically to meet the world’s vitality wants. The company’s proprietary coil wound leading LNG heat exchangers are used to liquefy the fuel and also are in charge for producing vapor and liquid refrigeration to preserve the integrity of the LNG in the course of transport
. The company’s apparatus and technology is key to Qatar Petroleum’s massive liquefied pure fuel (LNG) creation enlargement project, generally identified as the North Field East Project, in Ras Laffan, Qatar. Air Products is supplying its AP-X LNG Process technology and apparatus for two of the 4 trains being fabricated for NFE that will provide significantly greater LNG production
. The company has supplied key technology and apparatus to all 14 present Qatari LNG trains operating in Ras Laffan, together with the initial items which began creation in 1996 with Air Products’ AP-C3MRTM LNG technology; six AP-X LNG Process trains that began up between 2009 and 2011; and two AP-X LNG Process trains being fabricated for NFE. This totals over 82% of the world’s nameplate capability for LNG creation using this technology
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