OIL AND NATURAL GAS CO. LTD.
REPORT
ON
OVERVIEW OF ONGC C2-C3 PLANT,
DAHEJ, GUJARAT
WINTER TRAINING PROGRAM
(-----------------------------------)
Submitted by:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our immense gratitude and thankfulness to Oil
and Natural Gas Corporation Limited for providing us with this golden
lifetime opportunity to enhance our industrial knowledge.
For their invaluable guidance, kind cooperation, inspiration and
encouragement throughout the training, we offer our grateful thanks to
our mentor,
We extend our supreme gratitude -------------------------------- for devoting
his precious time and effort in teaching us, for sharing his practical and
theoretical knowledge, and expertise, with us.
We would also like to express our special thanks to the plant personnel
working in the plant for sharing their knowledge and guiding us
throughout our plant visit.
Finally, we would like to thank our families and friends for helping us in
all aspects throughout the training period.
INDEX
S. No. Topic Page no.
1 Overview of ONGC 1
2 Natural Gas 2
3 What is LNG? 2-3
4 LNG Chain 3-4
5 ONGC Dahej Plant 5-6
6 Process Description 7-12
Feed System 7
Demethanizer 8
Deethanizer 10
Depropanizer 10
C2, C3, C4 Storage and Transfer 11
7 Utilities 13-18
Hot Oil System 13
Methanol System 14
Flare Sytem 15
Fuel Gas System 16
Water System 16
Air System 17
Nitrogen System 18
8 Equipments 19-37
Distillation Column 19
Heat Exchanger 22
Pumps 27
Compressors 30
Valves 33
9 Safety Features 38-43
Overview of ONGC
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is a global energy company, engaged in the
oil exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. Its business include
Exploration & Production (E&P), refining and value-added products.
ONGC's on-going upstream exploratory efforts are an important segment of its core E&P
Business in India with the responsibility of finding and accreting oil and gas reserves. It has
three facets of hydrocarbon exploration activities viz. Deep Water, Shallow Water, and
Onshore exploration activities.
Maharatna ONGC is the largest crude oil and natural gas Company in India, contributing
around 71 per cent to Indian domestic production. Crude oil is the raw material used by
downstream companies like IOC, BPCL, HPCL and MRPL (Last two are subsidiaries of
ONGC) to produce petroleum products like Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene, Naphtha, and Cooking
Gas LPG. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of
India. The company's domestic operations are structured around 11 assets (predominantly oil
and gas producing properties), 7 basins (exploratory properties), 3 plants (at Hazira, Dahej
and Uran) and services (for necessary inputs and support such as drilling, geo-physical,
logging and well services). At Uran mainly crude oil is dealt with, at Hazira, the natural gas in
gaseous form is dealt with and the Dahej plant is the world’s first LNG (Liquified Natural Gas)
processing plant.
1
NATURAL GAS
Natural gas (also called fossil gas) is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting
of methane and commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes
a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. Natural gas is
a non-renewable hydrocarbon used as a source of energy for heating, cooking, and electricity
generation. It is also used as a fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the
manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals.
To meet the oil and energy needs of a country, the natural gas excavated, is liquefied to LNG
for easy transportation to LNG processing plants, to obtain various useful products.
What is LNG?
Methane Ethane Propane
i-Butane Butane Nitrogen
Pentane+ 1%
1%
6%
92%
Liquified Natural Gas is mainly the liquified form of natural gas extracted from the earth, which
mainly consists of methane, ethane, propane and butane. Methane being the major
2
component (80-90%). Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a
liquid state, for shipping and storage. The volume of natural gas in its liquid state is about 600
times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state. This process makes it possible to transport
natural gas to places pipelines do not reach.
Liquefying natural gas is a way to move natural gas long distances when pipeline transport is
not feasible. Markets that are too far away from producing regions to be connected directly to
pipelines have access to natural gas because of LNG. In its compact liquid form, natural gas
can be shipped in special tankers to terminals around the world. At these terminals, the LNG
is returned to its gaseous state and transported by pipeline to distribution companies,
industrial consumers, and power plants.
It can be used in a variety of ways: Residential uses for natural gas include cooking, heating
homes and generating electricity, while commercial uses for natural gas include heating,
generating electricity, manufacturing products like fertilizers, paints and medicines, and
occasionally fueling commercial vehicles.
LNG CHAIN
To C2-C3 plant
Now that the basic facts of LNG are known, knowing its source is very important. There exists
a long, systematic supply chain of LNG that starts from the extraction of Natural gas from
3
different parts of the earth, cooling it down in order to liquefy it to LNG, transportation through
LNG tankers to regasification plants where LNG is gasified again using glycol water, and the
vaporised LNG is sent to gas consumers, and the remaining amount of cold liquid LNG is
directly sent for hydrocarbon separation of the different components present in it. The first and
the only hydrocarbon plant in the world that deals with the cold LNG feed for
separation, is the C2-C3 Dahej plant, Gujarat.
LNG tankers
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ONGC DAHEJ PLANT
ONGC Dahej plant is known as the ONGC C2-C3 plant, that deals with the separation of
hydrocarbons from the cold LNG feed that it receives from Petronet LNG Limited(PLL) located
adjacent to it, near the Gulf of Cambay. PLL is the gasification centre where it receives cold
LNG from Rasgas, Qatar and then regasified using Glycol water, which in turn gets cold and
when left in open air, the air above condenses and comes down as rain. The gasified stream is
sent to gas consumers, and the rest of the cold LNG is sent to the C2-C3 Dahej plant, for LNG
processing. The Dahej C2-C3 plant is spread over 59 hectares of land, which is mainly divided
into operational area and non-operational area. Operational area consists of main process
area where the main production and separation takes place, non-operational area includes the
administrative block, the warehouse, fire station, etc.
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF ONGC C2-C3 DAHEJ PLANT
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Focusing on the main process area, where the feed i.e. rich LNG (RLNG) from PLL is
separated into methane (Lean LNG), ethane (C2), propane (C3) and butane (C4). The lean
LNG (LLNG) so obtained is sent back to PLL after metering and the rest of the C2, C3 and C4
components are sent to ONGC Petro Addition Limited (OPaL), situated 10-15 km from the C2-
C3 plant, which is a petrochemical plant producing polymers. C3 and C4 is blended together
as LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) and sent to OMCs (Oil Marketing Companies) like IOCL,
HPCL, BPCL, etc., using oil tankers.
The basic skeleton of the process in the C2-C3 plant is shown below-
The feed, which is cold LNG from PLL undergoes demethanization, after metering, wherein
lean LNG (C1) is separated from C2,C3 and C4 in cryogenic state (using cold energy of feed
LNG) and sent back to PLL. The bottom stream containing C2, C3 and C4 undergoes
deethanization to extract C2, and the bottom stream contains C3 and C4. This stream
undergoes depropanization to extract C3 from top and C4 from bottom.
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PROCESS DESCRIPTION
In this section, the description of each section of C2/C3/C4 extraction process is explained.
1. FEED SYSTEM
Rich LNG (Feed LNG) is received from LNG storage tanks at
Petronet LNG Limited (PLL) at -158 degree Celsius and 8 kg/
cm2g. It is analysed for composition and metered at the
metering unit, then stored in the Feed LNG Suction Drum. It
can be a vertical or horizontal vessel, but here we use a
vertical one. The feed liquid from the suction drum is pumped
by LNG pumps to the Demethanizer column. There are three
pumps in total, two in operation and one in stand-by.
Suction Drum
for Feed LNG
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2. DEMETHANIZER
The feed LNG stream first passes through the Demethanizer Overhead Condenser, wherein it
is heated utilising the sensible heat of C1 vapour stream entering from the hot side inlet of the
overhead condenser. Then it is further heated in the LNG Preheater utilising the latent heat of
the compressed C1 vapours entering the LNG Preheater from the hot side inlet. The stream
exits as a two-phase system of vapour and liquid and is fed to the middle section of the
Demethanizer.
In the Demethanizer, fractionation of feed LNG to Lean LNG and heavier components takes
place. C1 is recovered from the top of the Demethanizer as the overhead product and C2/C3/
C4 as the bottom product. It is provided with a side reboiler and main reboiler. The heating
medium for the main reboiler is hot oil, and methanol for side reboiler.
C1 vapours exiting from the top of the Demethanizer are sent to the hot side inlet of the
Demethanizer overhead condenser, where partial condensation occurs, utilising feed LNG
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itself as the cooling medium. The C1 stream
exits as a two-phase system (vapour+liquid)
and is stored in the Demethanizer Reflux Drum.
The Lean LNG in liquid state exits from the
bottom of the reflux drum and a part of it goes
back to the top of the Demethanizer as Reflux.
Reflux system is a way to achieve a more
complete product separation. It is cycled back to
the top of the tower where it flows downward to
provide cooling and condensation of the up-
flowing vapours. It ensures purity of the finished
product.
Demethanizer Reflux Drum
Design
The other part of the liquid Lean LNG is transported via pumps and stored in the Lean LNG
Surge Drum as Lean LNG Product.
The Lean LNG in vapour form, from the top of reflux drum, is passed through Lean LNG
Compressor where it is compressed, and enters the LNG Preheater where it is totally
condensed to liquid form utilising the cold energy of the feed LNG. It exits the LNG Preheater
as liquid and gets stored in the Lean LNG Surge Drum as Lean LNG Product.
From the Lean LNG Surge Drum, pure liquid Lean LNG product is passed through Lean LNG
Booster pumps which create a pressure difference for the liquid to flow and reach the desired
pressure range. Through the Booster pumps, after reaching the desired pressure range of 100
kg/cm2g, the Lean LNG is metered and then sent back to PLL.
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3. DEETHANIZER
C2/C3/C4 exit the bottom of the Demethanizer in liquid state and enter the Deethanizer. In the
Deethanizer, C2 is recovered as the overhead product and C3/C4 as the bottom product. The
Deethanizer has one reboiler, whose heating medium is hot oil.
The C2 vapours exiting from the top of the Deethanizer are passed through Deethanizer
Overhead Condenser for condensation. There are two overhead condensers connected
parallelly to distribute the load. The cooling medium for the overhead condensers is methanol.
C2 vapours are condensed to liquid form and then stored in the Deethanizer Reflux Drum.
From the Reflux Drum, via pumps, a part of the liquid C2 which contains higher C2
concentration is sent back to the top of the Deethanizer as reflux to achieve purity, and the
other part of the liquid is sent to C2 Product Storage Spheres.
4. DEPROPANIZER
C3/C4 obtained from the bottom of the Deethanizer are then sent to the Depropanizer. C3 is
recovered as the overhead product and C4 as the bottom product. Depropanizer has one
reboiler whose heating medium is hot oil.
The C3 vapours exiting from the top of the Depropanizer are passed through Depropanizer
Overhead Condenser for condensation. It only has one overhead condenser whose cooling
medium is methanol. C3 vapours are condensed to liquid form and then stored in the
Depropanizer Reflux Drum. From the Reflux Drum, via pumps, a part of the liquid C3 which
contains higher C3 concentration is sent back to the top of the Depropanizer as reflux to
achieve purity, and the other part of the liquid is sent to C3 Product Storage Spheres.
Liquid C4 obtained from the bottom of
Depropanizer is passed through C4
Product Cooler. After cooling, it is stored
in C4 Product Storage Spheres.
Reflux Drum
design for C2, C3
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5. C2, C3 & C4 PRODUCT STORAGE & TRANSFER
C2 C3 C4
Temperature -19 ºC 13.0 ºC 35 ºC
Pressure 15 kg/cm2g 6 kg/cm2g 2.9 kg/cm2g
Capacity (Metric 4189 1950 1150
tonne)
Material of Impact tested carbon Impact tested carbon Carbon steel (Un-
construction steel (Insulated) steel (Insulated) insulated)
No. of storage tanks 2 2 2
C2, C3 and C4 are stored in separate storage tanks which are spherical in shape and are
called C2, C3 and C4 Storage Spheres respectively. Storage spheres of C2 and C3 are
insulated but C4 does not require insulation because it is stored at ambient temperature.
C2, C3and C4 are pumped to underground pipelines and sent to the petrochemical complex
ONGC Petro additions Limited (OPAL), Dahej, after metering.
C2 Storage Spheres
11
C3 and C4 are blended together in the blender to obtain Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and
odoured with merceptan in the odourising unit. The LPG is loaded into LPG Tankers, the
tankers are weighed before and after loading, and sent to Oil Marketing Companies like Indian
Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).
LPG Tanker
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UTLITIES
1. HOT OIL SYSTEM- (Therminol D-12), as heating medium
The distillation columns namely demethanizer, deethanizer and depropanizer, that are used to
separate the C1, C2, C3 and C4 hydrocarbons, require an ample amount of heat to vaporise
the feed in order to separate the more volatile component. The reboilers of these columns
need a heating medium to provide the required amount of heat. This heat is provided by the
hot oil system, wherein hot oil is stored in a hot oil storage drum from there it goes to the hot oil
expansion drum, from there it is sent to two hot oil circulating pumps, one in use the other in
standby, and then into the hot oil heating furnace which uses fuel gas coming from LNG
compressor, as the heating fuel in fourteen burners heating from the bottom. After being
heated it is used in the reboilers of the columns as heating medium, also the methanol used as
a heating medium in the side reboiler of demethanizer, gets it’s heat from hot oil, and the fuel
gas from LNG compressor used in the hot oil furnace also gets it’s heat from the hot oil
system. After providing it’s heat in the reboilers, the hot oil becomes cold and then again sent
through the pumps and to the hot oil heater for heating. The hot oil system is a closed loop.
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2. METHANOL SYSTEM- cooling medium for condensers
The overhead condensers of the deethanizer and depropanizer require a cooling medium to
condense the hot vapours of the hydrocarbon coming from the top. The cooling or condensing
medium used in these condensers is Methanol. The methanol system includes a methanol
storage drum where the methanol is stored, then it goes to the methanol surge drum provided
with nitrogen blanketing. Then methanol passes through two methanol circulating pumps, one
in use and the other in standby, into two parallel condensers of the deethanizer to give its cold
energy to the hot vapours of ethane to condense them and itself gets heated a little bit. Next it
is used as the cooling medium in the condenser of the depropanizer, and in the C4 product
cooler to cool the C4 obtained from the bottom of the depropanizer. Now that it has given up its
cold energy, it becomes hot, this heated methanol is used as a heating medium in the side
reboiler of the demethanizer. After losing it’s heat energy in the reboiler, this cold methanol
comes out at -450C from -100C, and further goes through the same cycle. During the startup
operation, the cold methanol from demethanizer side reboiler, is heated using hot oil in the
methanol heater.
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3. FLARE SYSTEM
Flare System is a very important safety device for plants and refineries. In case of a plant
shutdown, or during plant upset emergencies, the liquid hydrocarbon existing in the plant is
burnt in the flare and sent to the atmosphere. Every equipment has piping systems that
connect to the flare knockout drum to release the hydrocarbon stored in them. Flares safely
burn excess hydrocarbon gases which cannot be recovered or recycled. Excess hydrocarbon
gases are burnt in the flare systems in an environmentally-sound manner, as an alternative to
releasing the vapour directly into the atmosphere which is an extremely hazardous choice.
The flare system consists of Flare Knock Out Drum, the Flare Stack, and the Liquid Drain
Vaporizer. During an emergency, any hydrocarbon liquid that may come through the flare
header is first stored in the Flare Knock Out Drum. Since we can only let vapour hydrocarbon
pass through the flare, we need to vaporize the liquid hydrocarbon stored in the Flare Knock
out drum. Liquid Drain Vaporizer acts as a reboiler with hot oil circulating through it acting as
the heating medium, and vaporizes the liquid hydrocarbon. The vaporized hydrocarbon goes
through the hydrocarbon pipeline, rises to the top of the flare stack, through the pilot burners
and comes out burnt.
15
Fuel gas (C1) is used as the fuel for the pilot burners. Flare stack is provided with air blowers
at the bottom to perform smokeless burning.
4. FUEL GAS SYSTEM
Fuel gas is used as fuel in the Hot Oil Heater. It is obtained by partly using C1 vapour
discharge from Lean LNG Compressor. The cold C1 vapours are heated to ambient
temperature by Fuel Gas Heater. The Fuel Gas Heater uses hot oil itself to heat the cold
vapours of C1. After heating it to ambient temperature, the fuel gas is stored in Fuel Gas Knock
out drum, and from there it is sent to the burners of the Hot Oil Heater and a part of it also goes
to the Flare Pilot Burners.
3. WATER SYSTEM
A water system is provided for firefighting and availability of potable water. Raw water received
from Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) is stored in fire water reservoir and
raw water tank.
Fire Water System: The Fire Water Reservoir has a capacity of 16000 m3. Water stored here
is used by the Fire Station situated inside the plant premises, and also the fire hydrants
situated at various points. This is a very important safety utility that every plant requires.
The fire water system has an entire fire water pump house, wherein there are a total of eight
pumps to spray water in order to extinguish fire. Two of them are jockey pumps, two are
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electric driven and four are diesel driven. Jockey pump, also known as a pressure
maintenance pump, maintains the pressure in the fire sprinkler system to avoid non-
emergency starting of the main fire pump.
Fire Water Pump House
Potable water: Raw water is stored in the raw water tank. From there it’s pumped by Raw
Water Pump to the water treatment unit where it is treated to remove suspended solid particles
and then stored in underground Potable Water Sump. Potable water from Potable Water Sump
is pumped by Potable Water Pump and is sent to overhead building tanks. The potable water
is then used for various purposes like safety shower or eye washer. For drinking, chlorine is
added into potable water to make it drinking water.
4. AIR SYSTEM
The air requirement of the plant in the control valves, to move the actuator of the valves to
indicate the percentage of their opening or closing, is met by the instrument air supply. There
are two air compressors, one in use and the other in standby, to compress the atmospheric air
and then passed through two dryers, one in use and the other in standby, to get instrument air,
free from dust, moisture and oil. This instrument air is passed through very thin pipelines, on
the top of the actuator to open or close the valves, as required. The instrument air is stored in
the instrument air receiver at 8kg/cm2g.
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5. NITROGEN SYSTEM
Nitrogen is used for blanketing the various equipments/vessels and in the inerting of the same,
since nitrogen doesn’t react with any hydrocarbon and prevents any harmful reactions or
explosions. This system consists of liquid nitrogen storage drum, the outlet of this drum has a
vaporiser that vaporises liquid nitrogen to gaseous form, which is purged through the vessels,
before they need to be checked, to remove any traces of hydrocarbon from the system.
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EQUIPMENTS
1. DISTILLATION COLUMN
A process in which a liquid or vapour mixture of two or more substances is separated into its
component fractions of desired purity, by the application and removal of heat is called
distillation.
Distillation is based on the fact that the vapour of a boiling mixture will be richer in the
components that have lower boiling points. A distillation column is an essential item used in the
distillation of liquid mixtures to separate the mixture into its component parts, or fractions,
based on the differences in volatilities.
There are mainly two types of distillation columns- Batch Columns and Continuous
Columns.
Demethanizer, Deethanizer, and Depropanizer are continuous distillation columns. Continuous
columns process a continuous feed stream. No interruptions occur unless there is a problem
with the column or surrounding process units.
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Main Components of Distillation Columns
Distillation columns are made up of several components. The major components are-
a vertical shell where the separation of liquid components is carried out
column internals such as trays/plates and/or packings which are used to enhance
component separations
a reboiler to provide the necessary vaporisation for the distillation process, always
situated at the bottom of the column
a condenser to cool and condense the vapour leaving the top of the column, always
situated at the top of the column
a reflux drum to hold the condensed vapour from the top of the column so that liquid
(reflux) can be recycled back to the column
How Distillation Columns work?
The liquid mixture that is to be processed is known as the feed and this is introduced usually
somewhere near the middle of the column to a tray known as the feed tray. The feed tray
divides the column into a top (enriching or rectification) section and a bottom (stripping)
section. The trays between the feed tray and the top of the column is the rectifying section. In
the rectifying section the aim is to concentrate the lighter component in the vapor phase. The
20
trays between the bottom of the column and the feed tray is the stripping section. In the
stripping section the aim is to concentrate the heavier component in the liquid phase.
The feed flows down the column where it is collected at the bottom in the reboiler.
Heat is supplied to the reboiler to generate vapour. The source of heat input can be any
suitable fluid.
The vapor bubbles up through the liquid via holes in the plates. As liquid travels down the
column, the vapor comes in contact with it several times due to the multiple plates – a critical
process in distillation columns. The liquid and vapor phases are brought into contact because
as one molecule of higher boiling material converts from vapor to liquid phase by energy
release, another molecule of the low boiling material utilizes the free energy to convert from
liquid to vapor phase. A vapour-liquid equilibrium is established.
The liquid removed from the bottom of the column is known as the bottom product.
The vapour moves up the column, and as it exits the top of the unit, it is cooled by a
condenser. The condensed liquid is stored in a holding vessel known as the reflux drum. Some
of this liquid is recycled back to the top of the column and this is called the reflux. The
condensed liquid that is removed from the system is known as the distillate or top product.
Thus, there are internal flows of vapour and liquid within the column as well as external flows
of feeds and product streams, into and out of the column.
There are five major types of tray column- bubble cap tray, sieve deck tray, dual flow
tray, valve tray and baffle tray.
The function of a tray is to facilitate contact between the vapour phase and liquid phase so that
mass transfer between the two phases can take place.
Demethanizer, Deethanizer, and Depropanizer have bubble cap trays. In Demethanizer, there
are 39 trays in total. The 17th tray is called Schoepentoeter where the feed is introduced into
the Demethanizer.
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Bubble cap tray
Bubble cap
mechanism
2. HEAT EXCHANGER
A heat exchanger is a system used to transfer heat between two or more fluids. Heat
exchangers are used in both cooling and heating processes.
Principle of heat exchanger: A heat exchanger works on the simple principle of second law of
thermodynamics; the heat flow from a body to another in respect of their temperature
difference. The heat under natural state will move from a hot body to a cooler one.
Heat exchangers are broadly divided into these types-
Shell and tube heat exchangers.
Double pipe heat exchangers.
Plate and Fin heat exchangers.
Condensers, evaporators, and boilers.
We will focus on Shell and tube heat exchangers and Plate and Fin heat exchangers. In C2-C3
Dahej Plant, the Demethanizer Overhead Condenser and LNG Preheater are Plate and Fin
heat exchangers. And all the rest of the reboilers and overhead condensers are Shell and tube
heat exchangers.
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A. SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER
A shell and tube heat exchanger consists of a series of tubes housed within a cylindrical
container known as a ‘shell’. All tubes within the shell are collectively termed a ‘tube bundle’.
Each tube passes through a series of baffles and tube sheets. Baffles are placed within the
shell of the heat exchanger firstly to support the tubes, preventing tube vibration and sagging,
and secondly to direct the flow to have a higher heat transfer coefficient.
The shell and tube heat exchanger is split into two main systems, referred to as the shell
side and tube side. Each system has one associated flowing medium. In our example, we will
assume the shell side contains hot mineral oil that must be cooled, whilst the tube side
contains cooling water.
23
The cooling water enters the heat exchanger and flows through the tubes. The mineral oil
enters the heat exchanger and flows in the shell surrounding the tubes. The two fluids do not
mix as the wall of the tubes prevents this. Because the fluids do not directly mix, indirect
cooling occurs (not direct cooling).
Multiple Passes
Shell-and-tube heat exchangers can have multiple passes, such as 1-1, 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, and 1-8
exchangers, where the first number denotes the number of the shells and the second number
denotes the number of passes.
1-1 Pass Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger 1-2 Pass Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
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B. PLATE AND FIN HEAT EXCHANGER
A plate heat exchanger consists of a series of multiple, thin, parallel plates that are
placed one above the other that have very large surface areas so as to allow the
formation of a series of channels for fluids to flow between them for heat transfer.
The space between two adjacent plates forms the channel in which the fluid flows.
Inlet and outlet holes at the corners of the plates allow hot and cold fluids through
alternating channels in the exchanger so that a plate is always in contact on one
side with the hot fluid and the other with the cold. The figure shows the flow of fluids
inside the exchanger. Fluids are divided into several parallel streams and can
produce a perfect countercurrent.
25
Hot and Cold flows through Plate Heat Exchangers
The plates are often spaced by rubber sealing gaskets which are cemented into a section
around the edge of the plates. The plates are pressed to form troughs at right angles to the
direction of flow of the liquid which runs through the channels in the heat exchanger. These
troughs are arranged so that they interlink with the other plates which forms the channel with
gaps of 1.3-1.5 mm between the plate.
Thermosiphoning effect:-
This a very important process utilising basic laws of thermodynamics to create movement of a
heated supply of air or water or any fluid.
When air or water is heated, it gains kinetic energy from the heating source and becomes
excited. As a result, the water becomes less dense, expands, and thus rises. In contrast, when
water or air is cooled, energy is extracted from the molecules and the water becomes less
26
active, more dense, and tends to "sink." Thermosiphoning harnesses the natural density
differences between cold and hot fluids, and controls them in a system that produces natural
fluid movement.
In C2-C3 Plant, thermosiphoning effect occurs in the heat exchangers, and is the process by
which the fluids move inside the heat exchangers.
3. PUMPS
A pump is a mechanical device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), by mechanical action,
typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps create pressure
difference in order to transfer the fluid from one part to the other. Pumps operate by some
mechanism (typically reciprocating or rotary), and consume energy to perform mechanical
work moving the fluid. Pumps operate via many energy sources, including manual operation,
electricity, engines, or wind power, and come in many sizes, from microscopic for use in
medical applications, to large industrial pumps.
A pump has a suction end at the inlet side, and a discharge end at the outlet side. Pumps can
only deal with liquids, and cavities get formed if traces of vapour enters the pump and
ultimately it gets damaged. In order to prevent the entry of vapour into the pumps, a suction
drum is always used prior to a pump, that takes in all the vapour from the feed.
The energy changes occur by virtue of two main parts of the pump, the impeller and the volute
or diffuser.
27
The impeller is the rotating part that converts driver energy into the kinetic energy. The volute
or diffuser is the stationary part that converts the kinetic energy into pressure energy. Thus, by
creating resistance to flow (pressure or head) the pump delivers the required flow.
The pumps that are used in the C2-C3 Dahej plant, are cryogenic pumps that can handle very
cold liquid. A cryopump is vacuum pump that traps gases and vapors by condensing them on a
cold surface. As the cold feed of RLNG passes through the Feed LNG suction drum, it goes
through cryogenic pumps, two in use and one in standby. Cryogenic pumps always need to
have proper insulation to prevent icing on the surface, since they handle cold liquid.
Cryogenic pumps
Centrifugal pumps are the most common types of pumps used in the oil and gas industry.
Centrifugal pumps use centrifugal force through the rotation of the pump impeller to draw fluid
into the intake of the pump and force it through the discharge section via centrifugal force. The
flow through the pump is controlled by discharge flow control valves. Centrifugal pumps are
also used in the upstream oil and gas industry as a multiphase pumping application.
Discharge
Suction
Centrifugal pump
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Another type of pumps used in the Dahej plant are booster pumps. A booster pump is a
machine which will increase the pressure of a fluid to the required limit. Booster pumps are
widely used in the oil and gas industry for different purposes. These pumps are of different
types and can be used with both liquid and gas. These pumps are used as lean LNG booster
pumps to increase the pressure of LLNG to 100kg/cm2g, before sending to PLL. They are also
used for increasing the pressure of the C2, C3 and C4 streams before sending them to OPaL.
Booster pumps
The meters that can be seen in the above picture, are ammeters and voltmeters to record the
voltage and electricity drawn by the pump. There are also pressure gauges connected to the
pumps to record the pressure created by the pump.
Minimum flow valves of pumps- If at any point there is some problem at the discharge or
suction or both ends of a pump, and the fluid inside the pump keeps getting accumulated, the
pressure inside the pump keeps increasing and may ultimately cause damage to the pump. To
prevent such circumstances every pump is equipped with a minimum flow valve, which
provides the minimum flow conditions for the fluid to return back to the suction drum or any
vessel from which the fluid was flowing to the pump. To avoid damage within a centrifugal
pump, the need to ensure a continuous minimum flow can be established with the use of a
pump protection or automatic recirculation valve. A minimum flow aids the cooling of the
bearings and the seals within the pump and reduces the potential for a continuous stop/start
situation. The valve maintains a minimum flow through the pump, whilst also acting as a non-
return check valve for the pump. Non return valves are used in systems where it is desirable to
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make sure fluids flow mostly in one direction, but may not be critical, for example in pumped
systems such as heating circuits.
Minimum liquid flow
4. COMPRESSORS
A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a substance (usually a
gas) by reducing the volume of the substance. Compressors are used in many applications,
most of which involve increasing the pressure inside a gas storage container. A compressor
mainly deals with gases, liquid traces may cause damage to it. Compressors draw low-
pressure gas from the storage as raw input. Then, they output high-pressure gas either for
storage or to feed of other processes. A compressor system is fundamentally made up of three
main components. These are the compressor unit, the control system, and the driver. The
driver provides mechanical power to the compressor. In most modern compressors, the driver
is usually an AC-driven electric motor. Some compressors may have an internal combustion
engine driver. Some are even driven by gas and steam turbines. The compressor unit consists
of three parts. The first is a compressing mechanism enclosed in a tight metal casing. Then
there is the inlet and outlet plumbing, and the cooling and lubrication systems. The lubricating
system covers the contact surfaces of moving parts with oil. This reduces wear and
overheating.
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Centrifugal air compressors slow and cool the incoming air through a diffuser in order to build
up potential energy. Because of the multi-phase compression process, centrifugal compressors
are able to produce a high amount of energy in a relatively small machine. They require less
maintenance than the rotary screw or reciprocating compressors and some types can produce
oil-free air. They are typically used for more demanding construction sites such as chemical
plants or steel manufacturing centers.
In the C2-C3 plant of Dahej, the LNG compressor transfers the fluid from demethanizer suction
drum. This compressor is a single stage centrifugal compressor.
A reciprocating compressor or piston compressor is a positive-displacement compressor that
uses pistons driven by a crankshaft to deliver gases at high [Link] intake gas enters the
suction manifold, then flows into the compression cylinder where it gets compressed by a
piston driven in a reciprocating motion via a crankshaft, and is then discharged. Applications
include oil refineries, gas pipelines, oil and gas production drilling and well services, air and
nitrogen injection, offshore platforms, chemical plants, natural gas processing plants.
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Reciprocating compressor
In the Dahej C2-C3 plant, the air compressors used in the generation of instrument air, are
reciprocating compressors, one in operation and one in standby.
The anti-surge valve is a surge relief valve which is a kind of valve that can be used to do the
surge control. Anti-surge valve can be considered as a dedicated control system which is
capable to act as a surge controlled with great response time. The major function of the anti-
surge valve is to open very fast when required and this requirement would be to control the
surge, so the valve would open very fast and it will recirculate the gas from discharge to the
suction and by that there will be only less flow through the compressor when it is running. The
anti surge valve will be capable to remove the surge from the compressor, the surge could
occur in the compressor very fast so the anti-surge valve must operate very quickly to handle
this. So when the anti surge valve acts against the surge it not only has to remove the surge, it
also should reverse the process.
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5. VALVES
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or
partially obstructing various passageways.
Functions of Valve
Stopping and starting fluid flow
Varying the amount of fluid flow
Controlling the direction of fluid flow
Regulating downstream system or process pressure
Relieving component or piping over pressure.
Classification of Valves
The following are some of the commonly used valve classifications, based on mechanical
motion:
Linear Motion Valves: The valves in which the closure member, like the gate in gate valve,
moves in a straight line to allow, stop, or throttle the flow.
Rotary Motion Valves: When the valve-closure member travels along an angular or circular
path, as in butterfly or ball valves.
Quarter Turn Valves: Some rotary motion valves require approximately a quarter turn, 0
through 90, motion of the stem to go to fully open from a fully closed position or vice versa, like
in butterfly or ball valves.
In C2-C3 Plant, ball valves, gate valves and butterfly valves are used.
Cross-sectional view of Ball valve
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Gate valve and its
components
Butterfly valve
Valves are mechanical devices that can be operated manually or can be made to self-operate
by tubing instrument air into the actuator or using hydraulics.
Three important types of valves present in the C2-C3 Dahej plant-
1)Control valves
2)Pressure Safety valves
3)Shutdown valves
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Control valve with
instrument air
A control valve is a valve used to control fluid flow by varying the size of the flow passage as
directed by a signal from a controller. This enables the direct control of flow rate and the
consequential control of process quantities such as pressure, temperature, and liquid level. An
actuator in a valve is a device that produces a motion by converting energy and signals going
into the system. The opening or closing of automatic control valves is usually done by
electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators. Normally with a modulating valve, which can be
set to any position between fully open and fully closed, valve positioners are used to ensure
the valve attains the desired degree of opening. Air-actuated valves are commonly used
because of their simplicity, as they only require a compressed air supply, whereas electrically-
operated valves require additional cabling and switch gear, and hydraulically-actuated valves
required high pressure supply and return lines for the hydraulic fluid.
There are a large number of control valves used in the plant operation. PV represents pressure
control valve, that is used to regulate the pressure of a stream or equipment, FV represents
flow control valves, TV represents temperature control valve and LV represents level control
valves.
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Pressure Safety Valve
One of the most critical automatic safety devices in a pressure system is the pressure safety
valve (PSV). The primary purpose of a pressure safety valve is the protection of life, property
and environment during an over-pressure event in a pressurized vessel or equipment. An over-
pressure event refers to any condition which would cause pressure in a vessel or system to
increase beyond the specified design pressure or maximum allowable working pressure. A
pressure safety valve is designed to open and relieve excess pressure from vessels or
equipment and to re-close and prevent the further release of fluid after normal conditions have
been restored. A pressure safety valve is a safety device and in many cases the last line of
defense. It is important to ensure that the pressure safety valve is capable to operate at all
times and under all circumstances. A safety valve is not a process valve or pressure regulator
and should not be misused as such. It automatically releases a substance from a boiler,
pressure vessel, or other system, when the pressure or temperature exceeds preset limits.
Shutdown Valve
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A shutdown valve (also referred to as emergency shutdown valve, safety shutoff valve) is an
actuated valve designed to stop the flow of a hazardous fluid upon the detection of a
dangerous event. This provides protection against possible harm to people, equipment or the
environment. Shutdown valves form part of a safety instrumented [Link] valves are
either in closed or open position as required. Shut down valves are represented by XV.
Actuated or automatic valves that revert to a pre-determined position after the actuating
force is removed are referred to as "fail-safe" valves. The most common type is "fail-safe
normally-closed”. On the other hand, "fail-safe normally-open" valves are much less
common, but are equally important. These are often found in cooling systems, or are used
where flow is shut off only for periodic maintenance, etc.
Fail in shutdown valves- If the instrument air supply to the actuator is removed, in this fail
condition, if the valve remains in open position, it is called air fail to open condition, and if in
this condition the valve remains in close position, it is called air fail to close condition.
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SAFETY FEATURES
The plant has various types of safety provisions and utilities for the protection of the plant and
operating personnel from damage and injury.
1. FIRE DETECTION SYSTEM
FLAME DETECTOR- A flame detector is a sensor designed to detect and respond to the
presence of a flame or fire, allowing flame detection. Responses to a detected flame depend
on the installation, but can include sounding an alarm, deactivating a fuel line (such as a
propane or a natural gas line), and activating a fire suppression system. When used in
applications such as industrial furnaces, their role is to provide confirmation that the furnace is
working properly; it can be used to turn off the ignition system though in many cases they take
no direct action beyond notifying the operator or control system.
OPTICAL BEAM SMOKE DETECTOR- An optical beam smoke detector is a device that uses
a projected beam of light to detect smoke across large areas typically as an indicator of fire.
They are used to detect fires in buildings where standard point smoke detectors would either
be uneconomical or restricted for use by the height of the building. Optical beam smoke
detectors are often installed in warehouses as a cost-effective means of protecting large open
spaces.
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GAS DETECTOR- A gas detector is a device that detects the presence of gases in an area. A
gas detector sounds an alarm to operators in the area where the leak is occurring, giving them
the opportunity to leave. Gas detectors are used to detect combustible, flammable and toxic
gases, and oxygen depletion.
2. FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM
The plant has its own Fire Department with firefighting system and firefighters for the purpose
of fire extinguishing, to control the intensity of the fire, or to prevent exposure to fire.
A. FIXED WATER SPRAY SYSTEM
Fixed Water Spray System is a special fixed pipe system connected to a reliable source of
pressurised water supply and equipped with water spray nozzles for application on equipment
to be protected. The system can be operated automatically by connection to an automatic
detection and alarm system or manually.
Water spray systems are generally used for fire protection of flammable liquid and gas storage
tanks, piping, pumping equipment, etc. and for protection of openings in fire walls and floors.
For example, in C2-C3 Plant, fixed water spray system is installed in the storage spheres. If
one of the storage tanks were to catch fire, the automatic alarm system would go off and water
will be sprayed through the nozzles installed on the adjacent storage tanks so as to maintain
their temperatures and prevent them from exploding or giving rise to any hazardous situation.
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B. FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Trolley mounted fire extinguisher Portable fire extinguisher
Portable and trolley mounted fire extinguishers are provided for the plant as a first aid safety
measure.
C. FIRE HYDRANT
Fire hydrants are situated at various locations in the plant premises.
D. ARGONITE FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM
This is a type of internal fire extinguishing system, installed inside the buildings. Also known as
Clean Agent Suppression System. Argonite is a simple blend of 50% Argon gas and 50%
Nitrogen gas with a density similar to that of air. Both Argon and Nitrogen are clean, naturally
occurring gases that are readily available throughout the world. Argon is not a typical fire
extinguishing agent, but works, like CO2, by displacing the atmospheric oxygen. The
extinguishing effect here is purely physical in nature, namely the suffocating effect which
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occurs when oxygen is reduced to below the specific level required for combustion of a specific
material. The control rooms have argonite coatings and reserves for safety.
2. EYE WASHER AND SAFETY SHOWER
Emergency showers and eyewash stations provide on-the-spot decontamination. They allow
workers to flush away hazardous substances that can cause injury. Accidental chemical
exposures can still occur even with good engineering controls and safety precautions.
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3. PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTS
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), helmets, safety gloves, safety shoes, etc. are very
important in a plant.
4. MANUAL CALL POINT (MCP) ALARM SYSTEM
A manual call point is a device which enables personnel to raise an alarm in the event of a fire
incident by pressing a frangible element to activate the alarm system. A fire alarm call point
should be installed at a height of 1.4m above floor level at easily accessible and conspicuous
positions.
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5. SAFETY PUSH BUTTON (SPB)
Safety push buttons are essential in automated machines and plants. They make it possible for
someone to trigger the alarm manually in case of an emergency.
6. UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY
Uninterrupted power supply is required to prevent the plant operation from coming to a
standstill, in which case shutdown of plant may occur. There are solar panels used in addition
to power supply to meet the needs of the plant.
In the control room there is a three-tier safety system-
Tier 1 implies regulating or closing the control valves to stop certain flows.
Tier 2 implies controlling shutdown valves to shutdown a section of the plant.
Tier 3 implies the last line of defence, the PSV (Pressure safety valve), that releases the
pressure to the flare.
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