LPG FEED project

OSL were requested by the largest independent Oil and Gas Company in Nigeria to complete a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study to facilitate an investment decision for the construction of a 7600t LPG receiving, storage and loading facility brown field site on the outskirts of Lagos.

The project involved the development of preliminary technical specifications for the required equipment, schedule and cost estimate for the detailed design and construction of the facility to enable the client to make a commercial decision on the projects viability.

OSL’s multidiscipline team based in the UK and Nigeria successfully completed the project within the scheduled 6 months amidst a number of technical challenges. The overall success of the project was facilitated by close contact and continuous communication with the client in Nigeria to ensure that their requirements and expectations were efficiently met.

Project Overview

The facility design consists of jetty facilities, including ship offloading lines, two 7200m3 storage spherical tanks, road tanker loading facility and access roads, drainage system, metering, instrument and control systems as well as the associated safety system and utilities including a substantial firewater system.

There were a number of technical challenges associated with this project. These included;

• The challenges associated with brownfield modification
• Limited space available for the required equipment
• Poor conditions of local infrastructure (unreliable power supply, poor access roads to site) which made site visit very challenging
• Distance to the jetty facility which made the design of the vapour return management facility more difficult

A good knowledge and understanding of the regulatory requirement, and industry standards as well as astute engineering experience and our Clever Thinking approach made it possible for OSL to overcome these challenges and produce a practical solution that met the client requirements.

Key Aspects of Delivery

The FEED design package included detailed engineering schedule, cost estimate and technical specifications to allow the client to make informed commercial decision. Included were:

Process, Mechanical and Piping

• Technical specifications of two LPG large storage spheres, piping (Ship offloading and multiple road tanker loading lines and drainage network piping), tanker loading pumps, returned vapour compressors, vapour recovery system, valves, process control system, etc.

Structural and Civil

• Specifications of the required access roads, bund walls, loading gantry, pump and electrical control houses, weighbridge, separator pits, etc.

Safety

• Large firewater and deluge system

Electrical, Instrumentation and Controls

• Specifications for main sub-mains, LV distribution system, external illumination, earthing and lighting protection, power supply system, instrumentation, ESD system, SCADA control, etc.

Clever Thinking®

• The design of the system had to take into account the commercial storage size requirements and the compliance with the relevant design codes for separation distance and hazard mitigation within the limited available space.
• The civil design for liquid containment combined with the application of low density fire resistant coatings to extend the hazard mitigation time allowed a simpler and more cost effective solution to be adopted.

Benefits to Client

• Technical Solution within the economic parameters
• Design which stood up to financial due diligence
• Fast Mobilisation of Project Team
• Multidiscipline project resources and fast start techniques
• A good depth of knowledge and experience allowing for innovative solutions to be developed to reduce overall investment.