About Qatargas and its current expansions
We are currently expanding our facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City which will allow us to export more energy to every corner of the globe.
Through these expansion projects, Qatargas is proud to contribute substantially to the development of the State of Qatar. With the start up of the first of the expansion projects we will be making history for our country, the region and the entire energy industry.
By end of the decade we will be exporting approximately 42 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas to markets in Europe, Asia and the North America.
To read more about Qatargas’ existing operations click here .
Commissioning and start-up phases
At present we are about to finish construction of the second Train (Train 5) in our expansion project and to start the commissioning and start-up phase.
These phases are very important as the plant needs to be prepared or “commissioned” for operations before production can begin. We have learnt many lessons from the work completed to commission and start Train 4 which is now operational.
Commissioning and start up are the phases of the project when gas is introduced into the new facilities and equipment to test the production of the sales products including natural gas liquids (condensate, propane and butane), liquefied natural gas and sulfur.
It follows an extensive pre-commissioning phase, after construction and installation involving over 200,000 individual systematic tests to ensure the newly installed equipment can be operated safely.
Some of the activities that typically occur during this time are testing of the power systems, pipelines, making sure the liquefied natural gas tanks are ready, checking the offshore production platforms and lines which bring gas from offshore as well as the testing of safety systems.
Following the successful completion of commissioning the plant is started and begins to produce natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas and solid granulated sulfur.
What have we done to minimize flaring during commissioning, start-up and regular operations?
For commissioning and start-up flaring the focus of the project team’s efforts has been to minimize the amount of gas that would be flared during this phase of the project. This includes the following.
- Designing the commissioning and start-up phases so that the minimum amount of gas is needed to start-up all the different parts of the plant and offshore platforms.
- Gas export to Qatar Petroleum, reducing flaring as well as having available the interconnector pipe between our existing Qatargas operations and the new train.
- Taking advantage of lessons learnt on Train 4 and more flexibility as Train 4 is also operational.
- Requiring that the height and design of shared flare stack was built to reduce overall emission effects from the facilities.
What to expect during commissioning and start-up?
At this time and for a period of about 45 days, the following commissioning activities may be noticed by you and your community.
- A very bright and intermittent start-up flare that occurs during the preparation and commissioning of the various plant systems. There may also be some smoke, smell and noise which accompany this flaring activity. It is likely that you will see other RLC operators flaring also during this time.
- The flare will be visible from a tall stack (over 200 m high). During the commissioning and start-up phases of the plant, the flare will be taller and will be visible in the Ras Laffan area, particularly at night.
- A flare is a crucial element of an LNG plant as it acts as a safety device to safely burn excess gas in a controlled manner and to protect the facility from over-pressurizing. Gas is flared through the tall stack to allow adequate combustion and dispersion well above ground level.
- Once normal operations begin, a small continuous pilot light at the flare (as you may see now) will replace the large intermittent commissioning flare.
- The flaring that will occur during this time has been modeled and tested to ensure that it meets the requirements of the Ministry of Environment, Ras Laffan Industrial City as well as the standards set out by the World Health Organization for such activities.
- During the start-up flaring period, flaring emissions, noise, and heat are all monitored on a continuous basis and reported to Ras Laffan Industrial City and Ministry of Environment.
