LNG Hammerfest is a large LNG plant located far north in Norway at the water depths of 250-350 m. It is the first offshore development in the Barents Sea, and the world’s northernmost LNG facility. The gas to the plant comes from subsea wells located offshore from Hammerfest. It has no surface installations and is connected with a 160km pipeline from subsea to shore. The process is based on Linde’s MFCP (Mixed Fluid Cascade Process). The plant has its own power station and is an all-electric plant.
The customer was looking to obtain full control and electrical systems for the plant. To meet those needs, ABB was responsible for the design, fabrication, integration, supply and commissioning of the following main equipment:
- Safety and Automation System (SAS)
- SAS Emulator and Simulator Consoles
- Instrumentation (pressure & temperature)
- Analyzer Equipment
- Electrical Control and Supervision System (ECSS)
- Electrical Equipment
- High VoltageSwitch Gear (132kV)
- Medium Voltage Switch Gear (11kV/6kV)
- Low Voltage Switch Gear (MCC)
ABB was responsible for the following main installations: subsea, process, power & utilities, storage & loading.
The systems used are well proven by ABB. To further predict the outcome of the solutions, ABB did system performance tests to gain a deeper knowledge of how the system would behave upon miscellaneous fault scenarios. ABB also did a simulation in operation before start-up.
The outcome of ABB’s solution was a completely integrated automation system controlled from one central location, enabling safer and more reliable operation.
Success factors leading to the positive outcome included open communication with the customer, as well as an adaptive and flexible approach to project changes.