DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR LNG RECEIVING TERMINALS

摘要

Increasing demand for and availability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been a driving force for building many new LNG Receiving Terminals over the last several years. Responding to this opportunity, a number of US companies are currently constructing terminals that will provide terminal services to LNG importers into the United States. These terminal services include LNG ship offloading, LNG storage, re-gasification, and natural gas send-out.rnTo support their business processes and operating procedures, LNG terminals require both Terminal Information Management System (TIMS) and Process Control Systems (PCS). The main role of the TIMS is to ensure operational safety and efficiency, and provide integration between the corporate management systems and terminal Process Control Systems.rnRecognizing that the core business processes of LNG Receiving Terminals are unique and, thus require an innovative approach to the TIMS design and implementation, several companies have contracted Invensys Process Systems, a leading technology solutions supplier to the global LNG industry, to help address TIMS-specific requirements. Invensys has recently completed several TIMS Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies and is in the process of implementing TIMS for several of its customers.rnThe paper discusses the uniqueness of business processes stemming from an LNG Terminal's commercial model and the resulting requirement for specific interactions between Supply Chain and Operations. The paper also describes a phased approach to TIMS design and implementation that is employed by Invensys to ensure TIMS integrity and effectiveness. A typical TIMS functional architecture is presented and discussed.