Size the Acid Gas Removal Units of Floating Facilities at the Tightest

Presented at Annual Conference, 13 - 15 September 2017 at Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel, Budapest by
Claire Weiss and Thomas Maubert,  Total & Pascal Alix and Manel Fourati, IFP Energies Nouvelles & Gauthier Perdu and Clément Salais, PROSERNAT
Some gas reserves cannot be unlocked without a strategy of development based on floating production facilities. It is more crucial to size the units at their optimum, this to minimize costs without adding any sort of technical risks. This is highly needed for the Acid Gas Removal Units, which, by their size and critical role, would impact the overall project or later, the plant performance.
Total, IFPEN and Prosernat have jointly conducted a 5 years development program to determine the influence of 3D motions on the performance of the columns installed on a FLNG. The program tested various set-up’s in conditions representative of the actual marine motions. Using different approaches for the modeling, the R&D work delivered specific models for the calculation of AGRU on a floating support.
The paper exposes the work completed during the development phases and their main conclusions and results. It is illustrated by practical cases, which indicate how costs can be advantageously controlled by optimum but safe design.