How Air Products’ APX LNG Process Technology and Equipment Can Enhance Your Business

Air Products will supply its proprietary APX pure fuel liquefaction process know-how and equipment. This involves main cryogenic warmth exchangers (MCHEs), subcooling warmth exchangers, and Rotoflow turbomachinery companders

. The MCHE and SCHE will be designed, engineered and manufactured at Air Products’ LNG equipment facility in Port Manatee, Florida. This is the similar manufacturing location where we have built extra than 75 LNG warmth exchangers over four decades

. The AP-X Process Cycle

The coronary heart of an LNG plant is its liquefaction process, which transforms pure fuel into liquid kind. This permits it to be transported by sea for economical distribution round the world. However, this transformation process destroys huge quantities of potential energy that can be retrieved and used for electricity

. Air Products has developed an advanced liquefaction technology, called AP-X, to enhance the effectivity of the compressors that liquefy the LNG. It uses a new, multi-stream exchanger design and different modifications to decrease energy losses, whereas growing polytropic effectivity of the compressors

. The AP-X know-how is being deployed at the Qatargas 2-Train 4 LNG facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. The liquefaction train is rated for an annual LNG production potential of 78. million tonnes per year, and involves three wellhead platforms with 11 wells each, as good as an onshore fuel processing terminal and a fleet of 14 Q-Flex tankers. It additionally uses two subsea pipelines shared with the adjoining Qatargas 3-Train 5 LNG facility

. The AP-X Equipment

Air Products offers key equipment and know-how for 12 of the 14 LNG trains currently in operation at Qatargas’ Ras Laffan facility, together with the initial models that began up in 1996 utilizing AP-C3MRTM LNG process technology; six AP-X LNG Process models that began up between 2009 and 2011; and two new AP-X LNG Process models that are underneath building for the North Field South (NFS) undertaking. The company’s liquefaction equipment involves main cryogenic warmth exchangers, subcooling warmth exchangers, Rotoflow turbomachinery companders and nitrogen economizer cold boxes

. The AP-X equipment uses the proven, patented AP-X liquefaction cycle that improves upon earlier cooled blended refrigerant processes by subcooling the LNG with a easy and effective nitrogen expander loop. This allows better capacity, improved energy effectivity and operational flexibility over a vast variety of production capacities

. The liquefaction equipment is engineered and built at Air Products’ world-class Port Manatee, Florida, manufacturing facility. This state-of-the-art facility opened in January 2014 and accomplished a 60% enlargement in October 2019 to meet the needs of an ever-expanding LNG industry

. The AP-X Technical Services

The design and production of LNG crops is pushed by business goals such as producing a maximum number of cargoes, assembly delivery schedules and working inside specific product specs. Failure to meet these goals can outcome in off-specification products and heavy penalties. Managing the plant to obtain these goals requires close manage of the process, equipment and operation

. Air Products’ AP-X know-how is good suited to this style of management as the process uses an improved liquefaction cycle that subcools with a easy nitrogen expander loop, instead than a extra complex mixture of refrigerants. This permits considerably bigger potential to be achieved

. Combined with an execution technique maximising customary vendor packages and modular construction, the AP-X process provides a low goal plant cost that can compete with different LNG liquefaction technologies for a small train potential. The know-how additionally provides high energy effectivity and can operate at a vast variety of production capacities

. The AP-X Project

Air Products’ LNG process know-how is at the coronary heart of an LNG production plant, processing and cryogenically liquefying pure fuel so that it can be shipped economically to meet the world’s energy needs. The company’s proprietary coil wound main LNG warmth exchangers are used to liquefy the fuel and additionally are responsible for producing vapor and liquid refrigeration to maintain the integrity of the LNG during transport

. The company’s equipment and know-how is key to Qatar Petroleum’s significant liquefied pure fuel (LNG) production enlargement project, frequently recognized as the North Field East Project, in Ras Laffan, Qatar. Air Products is supplying its AP-X LNG Process know-how and equipment for two of the four trains being fabricated for NFE that will deliver considerably bigger LNG production

. The firm has equipped key know-how and equipment to all 14 current Qatari LNG trains working in Ras Laffan, together with the initial models which began production in 1996 with Air Products’ AP-C3MRTM LNG technology; six AP-X LNG Process trains that began up between 2009 and 2011; and two AP-X LNG Process trains being fabricated for NFE. This totals over 82% of the world’s nameplate potential for LNG production utilizing this technology

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