Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Co. (ADMA-OPCO) has awarded Technip, Paris, a lump-sum turnkey contract for engineering, procurement, construction, precommissioning, commissioning, and start-up assistance for flare modifications and revamp on Das Island.
The project aims to “mitigate hazards due to existing atmospheric flares on offshore associated gas and upcoming integrated gas development facilities” and to the “risk of gas exposure for personnel during operation and maintenance” in case of flame out, Technip said.
Scope of work includes relocating the south relief flare to east of the existing flare F-14, installing two new ground flares at the existing south relief flare location, demolishing the F-11 and F-14 flares, replacing a tip for flare, and installing a new electrical substation.
Planned project completion is first-half 2015.
Reducing flaring from the processing and export operations on Das Island and monetizing natural gas has a long history on the island, which about 100 miles from Abu Dhabi (OGJ Online, July 16, 2009).
Crude oil was first produced from offshore Umm Shaif field in the late 1950s, followed by production in the early 1960s from nearby larger Zakum field. Associated gas was flared.
Start-up on Das Island of two LNG trains in 1977 was prompted in large part, says operator Abu Dhabi Natural Gas Liquefaction Co. Ltd. (ADGAS), by a desire to reduce flaring from oil production and processing. A third train started up in 1994 bringing LNG export capacity to a nominal 5.7 million tpy.
In addition to the three LNG trains, ADGAS has built two dehydration trains as part of the Offshore Associated Gas (OAG) project, which itself is part of the wider Integrated Gas Development (IGD) project that aims to meet Abu Dhabi demand for natural gas.
The OAG facilities receive, compress, and dehydrate about 211 MMcfd of associated gases provided by ADMA-OPCO, then move the gas through a 30-in. subsea pipeline to further processing ashore at Habshan. ADGAS says the IGD project is to finish mid-2013, raising production capacity to 1 bcfd.
Further concern for flaring is evident by initiation in 2011 of a flare handling and reduction scheme to bring down ADGAS flaring by 8 MMcfd.
Contact Warren R. True at [email protected].
