Atlantic LNG increases optimisation

06 November 2008

Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago has four liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains at its facility that have been successfully commissioned and operational. However over the years, multiple modifications were made to the trains to optimise production to fully utilise the basic and advanced regulatory controls available on the Distributed Control System (DCS).

Atlantic LNG increases optimisation

As part of a recent strategic initiative, Atlantic LNG realised the need for more sophisticated technology such as Advanced Process Controls (APC) on its trains.

As the first plant to implement an APC system on an LNG plant utilising the ConocoPhillips Optimised Cascade Process, Atlantic LNG turned to Honeywell’s APC solutions to stabilise operations, increase efficiency, reliability and production.

Atlantic LNG called upon Honeywell to help develop an action plan and implement the APC project resulting in increased accuracy and reliability of information and operators being able to maintain stable targets and improve production rates via plug and play testing with Profit Controller; Hands-on testing and analysis provided little disruption to plant via use of Profit Controller models and real-time analysis before trains commissioned and optimal limits maintained and increased reliability of trains by troubleshooting diagnostics as needed with gas availability guaranteed and trains operating at normal full rates
As part of a strategic initiative Atlantic LNG looked to improve its reliability and operational efficiency. Tasked with that challenge, the plant knew it needed to modernise its facility and LNG trains.

In order to upgrade the technology, Atlantic LNG investigated advanced process controls and looked at Train 1 to see if any benefits could be provided by the use of APC. The plant looked to enhance production on two product streams – LNG and NGL – and commenced with a benchmark study on Train 1.

“We wanted to forge new ground with the implementation of a new APC system to help Atlantic LNG optimise its production and needed to select a partner that could take our APC building blocks and arrange them in a way that would help ensure reliable and safe operations and simultaneously increase our production,” said Dawn Beekee, Instrument and Controls Engineer, Atlantic LNG.

As the first plant to implement an APC system on an LNG plant utilising the ConocoPhillips Optimised Cascade Process, Atlantic LNG conducted a search of partners and invited five to present. Based on the report that came back and the company’s analysis tree, Honeywell emerged as the preferred vendor because of its LNG experience, domain expertise and assigned personnel.

“We turned to Honeywell’s APC solutions to help stabilise operations, increase efficiency and reliability and achieved success in doing so with Train 1 because of the success of our benefits study, economic results and personnel that Honeywell assigned to the project,” continued Beekee.

Atlantic LNG plans to continue to take advantage of Honeywell’s advanced process controls by benchmarking Trains 2 and 3. Concluded Beekee, “Atlantic LNG learned from the benefits study and with Honeywell’s help of a dedicated project team we were able to meet deadlines, conduct extensive operator training, and establish best demonstrated practices during commission and acceptance phases all with no operational upsets and minimal product losses – ultimately achieving our sought after strategic objective of reliability and operational efficiency.