Modularising Liquid Natural Gas Plants

Henry Clive HandleyDirector

Handley SurveysEmail: henry@handleysurveys.com.au

Australian LNG

2000 2011 20206.9 milliontonnes

18.9 milliontonnes

60 milliontonnes

LNG is natural gas that has been super chilled to -161°C. At this temperature, gas converts to liquid form and becomes easier to transport in tankers and easier to store, as LNG takes up about 1/600th of the volume occupied by the methane in its gaseous form. To watch a short video on the LNG process, click this link.Clean energy to AsiaAustralia’s major LNG markets are Japan, China and South Korea, while India is an important emerging market.As a substitute for coal in power generation, LNG offers significant global environmental benefits. For every tonne of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the production, liquefaction, and transport of Australian LNG, up to nine tonnes of emissions are avoided in customer countries when this LNG is substituted for coal in electricity generation.2020 vision Australia is currently the world’s fourth-largest LNG exporter and the Australian petroleum industry is aiming to make this country the world’s first or second largest LNG exporter by 2020. The industry is targeting production of at least 60 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2020, up from 2009 production of 16.71mtpa.

Projects Australia has three producing LNG developments and several other confirmed LNG projects. More than a dozen such projects are either under construction or at various stages of planning.The country's first LNG project – the North West Shelf Venture (NWSV) – began shipping LNG in 1989. The project has since grown to include five production units (or trains) and it now produces up to 16.3mtpa of LNG. The country’s second LNG development – Darwin LNG – began production in 2006. This one-train project produces up to 3.5mtpa. Australia's third LNG project - Pluto - started production in April 2012. It has one 4.3mtpa production train but at least one additional train is being planned.Seven large Australian LNG schemes are currently under construction. Four draw from gas fields in northern Western Australia (Gorgon, Prelude, Wheatstone and Ichthys) and three are in Queensland (Queensland Curtis LNG, Gladstone LNG and Australia Pacific LNG).Gorgon will have three trains producing 15mpta from 2014. Wheatstone will produce an initial 8.9mpta from 2016. Prelude will produce 3.5mtpa, starting from 2016 or 2017. Ichthys will pipe WA gas to a liquefaction plant near Darwin. It will produce 8.4mtpa of LNG and is expected to start production in late 2016.