The Risk of Cryogenic Liquid Release Could Have Been a Show Stopper for the FLNG Market: How Did the Industry Respond?

摘要

Liquid natural gas (LNG) at atmospheric pressure, remains as a liquid at -162℃. As the temperatureincreases, gas is evolved which is flammable and under certain mixtures with air is explosive when in thepresence of an ignition source.As designers have looked more at the risks posed by accidental release of Cryogenic Liquids onboardFLNG assets, it has become more apparent that the steel structures used for these facilities could be proneto brittle fracture. This could potentially lead to structural failure. If fire ensues soon after this cryogenicrelease then further escalation may occur, particularly if the passive fire protection does not function asexpected.The need for effective, tried and tested solutions to mitigate the risks posed by cryogenic liquid gasexposure was identified nearly 20 years ago. In the last 10 years, as the FLNG industry has accelerated,development has intensified for cryogenic spill protection (CSP) systems. Indeed construction of a leadingFLNG asset was nearly stopped due to the lack of an effective solution. In response, owners have initiatedstudies into the most effective CSP materials to ensure progression of these projects.Since then, the industry has developed a better understanding of the risks posed by these LNGliquefaction assets and the consequences of not addressing these risks appropriately. Working closely withowners and design engineers to address these project specific risks and to develop robust solutions, hastherefore become of paramount importance in developing this appropriate response.This paper covers the initial requirements of protection against cryogenic spill. It considers thesolutions developed to meet all the industry expectations (and where appropriate conformance tostandards) and describes those finally adopted by the first FLNGs under construction.