Proceedings of the Twentieth (2010) International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference
Beijing, China, June 2025, 2010
Copyright © 2010 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE)
ISBN 978-1-880653-77-7 (Set); ISSN 1098-6189 (Set); www.isope.org
Design Development of BOG Handling System in LNG-FSRU
Youngsoon Sohn, Donghyuk Kim, Sunghee Choi, Youngmyung Yang
R & D Division, Korea Gas Corporation
Incheon, Korea
INTRODUCTION
ABSTRACT
The concept of an offshore floating, storage and regasification unit has
The concept of an offshore floating, storage and regasification been proposed as alternatives to conventional onshore LNG import
unit(FSRU) has been proposed as alternatives to conventional onshore terminals. The advantage is that risk to the public is negligible and it
LNG import terminals. The advantage is that risk to the public is could be remobilized at any time. But it is more vulnerable to storms
negligible and it could be remobilized at any time. Boil-off gas(BOG) than the land based terminal for LNG trans-shipment.
consists of the gas which is produced by the vaporization of a small
portion of LNG storage tanks due to ambient heat leak into the storage The capacity of the hull of the FSRU provides a nominal 270,000 m3
tanks and their associated pipe works. The other major source of BOG LNG storage capacity. The deck space available for the topside
is the gas which is displaced by incoming LNG when a ship is unloaded equipment is 300 m by 50 m. The FSRU is anchored to the sea bed by
into the LNG storage tank. In abnormal and emergency operation, the an internal turret mooring system which allows it to weather vane.
flare system is provided for the safe disposal of hydrocarbon vapors Transfer of LNG from the tanker to the FSRU is in a side by side
from the LNG-FSRU. The capacity of the flare will be sufficient to arrangement in mild environmental sea conditions while in hostile
handle vapor from operational upset conditions in the storage and vapor conditions a tandem arrangement. Process and utility facilities are
handling areas. Simulations have been developed using HYSYS v7.1. located above the storage tanks. Generation of electric power and some
This suite of simulations will allow equipment to be sized for the utilities are necessary. LNG vaporization equipment needs to operate
possible BOG handling methods. with FSRU moving with winds and waves. The shell and tube
This study is to determine the optimum method of handling the boil-off vaporizers which are not motion sensitive are used. Gas export to shore
gas produced from LNG storage tanks during the operation of LNG- occurs through the turret mooring system. The system includes internal
FSRU. We quantify the amount of BOG produced in the worst case that swivel which allow the high pressure gas to pass from the process
scenarios while a ship is unloaded and in abnormal and emergency area to the export pipeline on the sea bed while allowing the FSRU to
operations. weather vane. Onshore equipment spacing standards can not be applied
due to lack of space and risk analysis is used to determine of the design
KEY WORDS: LNG; FSRU; BOG; Regasification is acceptable. Some progress has been made in the development of
guidelines for the design of offshore LNG facilities by organization
NOMENCLATURE such as Lloyds Register and Den Norske Veritas.
BOG boil-off gas
FSRU floating, storage and regasification unit
HP high pressure
IFV intermediate fluid vaporizer
K.O. knock out
LNG liquefied natural gas
LP low pressure
PCV pressure control valve
PFD process flow diagram
TDR turn down ratio
Figure 1 Conceptual Layout of LNG-FSRU
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The FSRU topside facilities comprise of process modules for cargo BOG HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN
sendout, regasification, metering and boil-off gas handling system.
LNG is exported from the cargo tanks by submerged LP pumps and HP
pumps elevate the pressure to the required level before regasification. Description of Process Flow
Vaporized gas is subsequently metered and exported via internal turret.
There are several methods to vaporize the LNG for export. The use of LNG is delivered to the FSRU in the storage tanks. The LNG ship
compact heat exchangers in LNG/Seawater contacting is not practical normally contain approximately 75,000 to 220,000 m3 of LNG stored in
due to the freeze up & fouling risk. Compared to the direct seawater three or four separate compartments within the ship.
vaporizers, the use of an intermediate fluid circulation system is often
considered for the actual vaporization in LNG-FSRU. The heating Once the tanker is moored and the loading arms have been connected,
medium is typically seawater or a water glycol mixture with a freezing the LNG is pumped using the ships in-tank pumps. During the transfer
point below -30℃. of the LNG into the FSRU storage tanks, vapor is displaced from these
tanks. Some of this vapor is returned to the ship via a separate loading
arm to make up the volume of LNG removed from ship. Additional
vapor is generate in the storage area due to various energy inputs into
the system such as heat leak and pumping energy and flashing due to a
higher operating pressure in the ship’s tanks relative to the FSRU
storage tanks.
The vapor leaving the storage area passes to the BOG compressors
which discharge the vapor at a suitable pressure for distribution within
the FSRU. After supplying the ship’s vapor make up requirements, the
balance of the compressed vapor is distributed between the fuel system
and the high pressure compressor. Any excess vapor is routed to flare.
Depending on the level of LNG in the storage tanks, the vapor leaving
Figure 2 Schematic flow diagram of IFV the tanks varies in temperature from - 160℃ to - 90℃.
Boil-off gas consists of the gas which is produced by the vaporization Sendout from the FSRU is accomplished by pumping the liquid from
of a small portion of LNG storage tanks due to ambient heat leak into the storage tanks and passing it through vaporizers. During periods of
the storage tanks and their associated pipe works. The other major no ship loading liquid discharging from the LP pumps is circulated
source of BOG is the gas which is displaced by incoming LNG when a through the loading system to keep it cool. Vaporized natural gas is
ship is unloaded into the storage tank. In abnormal and emergency exported via an internal turret to the gas network. A metering system is
operation, the flare system is provided for the safe disposal of provided on the sendout stream. The topside process block diagram of
hydrocarbon vapors from the FSRU. The capacity of the flare is FSRU is shown in Figure 3.
sufficient to handle vapor from operational upset conditions in the
storage and vapor handling areas. Simulations have been developed Suction
BOG To Power
KO
using HYSYS v7.1. This suite of simulations allows equipment to be BOG Drum BOG
Compressor
BOG
Generators
sized for the possible BOG handling methods.
BOG
This study is to determine the optimum method of handling the boil-off
BOG
gas produced from LNG storage tanks during the operation of LNG- LNG Tank
Re- HP LNG
Vaporizer
NG Metering NG To Gas
condenser Pump System Network
FSRU. We quantify the amount of BOG produced in the worst case LNG
LNG
scenarios while a ship is unloaded and in abnormal and emergency IF IF Heating
operations Medium
Supply
Heater
Table 1 Design Basis Specification of LNG-FSRU
Heating
Medium
Return
Description Specification
Sendout Max. 600 mmscfd Figure 3 Topside process block diagram of FSRU
80 barg, 5°C
TDR = 1 : 10 BOG Handling System
LNG loading Peak rate 12,000 m3/h
Side-by-side loading One or more boil-off gas compressors are required to handle boil-off
Availability up to 220K LNGC gas generated during normal operation. The balance of the installed
Cargo storage tank Capacity 270K boil-off compressors are required to the additional boil-off gas
45,000 m3 x 6 generated during ship unloading. A desuperheater is provided in the
Design pressure 25 kPa compressor inlet line so that a sufficiently low suction temperature can
Boil-off rate 0.15 %/day be achieved by the injection of LNG into the inlet stream. After
Mooring system Internal turret mooring system compression, vapor is condensed into the cold LNG sendout by
BOG handling system Recondenser contacting in the recondenser vessel. Some of the vapor is routed to the
LNG Vaporizer IFV circulation system fuel gas system for consumption by the power generation units and
utilities.
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During ship unloading some vapor is returned to the ship tanks in order and no ship unloading mode at maximum sendout, to allow the sizing
to maintain the ship pressure. This vapor transfer occurs by virtue of of the LNG pumps. Four cases have been considered:
the difference in operating pressure between the FSRU storage tanks
and the ship tanks. The balance of the vapor is preferentially sent to the l Case 1A : Ship unloading with maximum sendout
recondenser. At low sendout rates, when the recondenser is fully loaded, l Case 1B : Ship unloading with minimum sendout
vapor is sent to fuel gas or to the flare for final disposal. l Case 2A : No ship unloading with maximum sendout
l Case 2B : No ship unloading with minimum sendout
The recondenser also acts as a liquid buffer volume for the sendout
pumps. The recondenser and associated lines are designed to achieve a In the cases of ship unloading(operation cases 1A and 1B), the
hydraulic capacity equivalent to maximum sendout rates. simulation models the ships discharge pumps and associated heat leaks
from the ship unloading lines, loading arms and lines from the loading
BOG Generation arms to the storage tank. The boil-off gas rate generated from each tank
is modeled as a sub-flowsheet. The sub-flowsheet is used to define tank
The maximum vapor generation from the cargo storage tanks occurs parameters such as discharge rate, tank volume, boil-off percentage,
when LNG ship is unloaded at maximum rates and when there is no tank pressure and temperature. The aim of the main flowsheet is to
sendout from the FSRU. Normally, a FSRU as a receiving terminal is model each mode of operation and develop stream data for those
operated such that prior to ship unloading the desired operating streams marked on the relevant PFD’s. Unit operations are used to
pressure is raised so that the heat leak into the system goes into the allow input of heat leak and pressure drop data, as well as routing of
LNG liquid in storage. Heat will continue to accumulate in the liquid appropriate flows.
phase until the liquid has reached a temperature equivalent to its bubble
point at the operating pressure. Vapor generation in the storage tank Table 2 Principle Parameters of Simulation Basis
during ship unloading mode is composed of the following elements.
Description Parameter
l Heat leak into the system LNG composition Lean/Rich LNG
l Energy input due to the ship’s pump (A1) Loading rate 12,000 m3/h
l Heat leak in the piping in FSRU (A2) Ship pressure 130 mbarg
l Heat leak into the cargo storage tanks through the walls of the Ship heat leak basis 0.15% per day
tank (A3) Storage tank pressure 190 mbarg
l Displacement due to the incoming liquid (A4) Storage tank vapor temperature -157°C
l Vapor generated due to the pressure difference between the ship Storage tank heat leak basis 0.15% per day
and the FSRU storage tanks (A5) Recondenser pressure 6 barg
l Displacement due to the sendout liquid (A6) Sendout rate 600 mmscfd
Thus the net vapor from storage tanks with ship unloading is A1 + A2 These scenarios are used to calculate the maximum amount of BOG
+ A3 + A4 – A5 – A6. produces and hence to size the BOG compressors and their associated
equipment. BOG generation rate for the operation modes is shown in
Ship unloading is a relatively infrequent operation occurring once or Table 3.
twice a week depending on the sendout from the FSRU. Thus for a
large proportion of the time the FSRU operates in a no loading mode. Table 3 BOG Rate of Operation Modes
In this mode the basic requirement of maintaining the liquid filled
piping cool is still valid. If there is no sendout from the FSRU, the
circulating liquid stream is returned to the tanks where it flashes giving Case Mode BOG rate (t/h) Sendout rate (t/h)
up the heat leak that it has absorbed and generates flash vapors. When 1A Ship/Max. sendout 16.7 594
there is a sendout requirement from the FSRU, part of the circulating 1B Ship/Min. sendout 19.2 52
liquid stream is routed to the vaporizers to satisfy the demand and as a 2A No Ship/Max. sendout 5.2 594
result some of the absorbed heat leak is exported thereby reducing the 2B No Ship/Min. sendout 7.5 52
flash vapors generated in cargo storage. Vapor generation during the no
unloading and maximum sendout case occurs as a result of the From the process simulation the boil-off rates from the FSRU storage
following factors. tanks were found to range from 5.2 - 19.2 t/h. Boil-off when there is no
ship unloading is in the range 5.2 - 7.5 t/h. Boil-off when ship
l System heat leak (A1) unloading is in the range from 16.7 - 19.2 t/h. The BOG flows are
l Energy input to the recirculation stream returning the storage handled by centrifugal compressors driven by electric motor. From
tank (A2) considerations of maintenance and operability it is proposed that three
l Displacement gas make-up for the liquid removed (A3) 50% centrifugal compressors are installed since they are in continuous
service.
Thus the net vapor from storage tanks with no ship unloading is A1 +
A2 – A3. For sendout rates below approximately 180 t/h then the sendout gas
compressor with a discharge pressure of approximately 80 barg will be
Process Simulation required. The decision to install a spare is dependent on the frequency
of the low sendout rate scenarios and whether flaring is an acceptable
Simulations have been developed using HYSYS v7.1. This suite of alternative to vapor recovery of the compressor is unavailable.
simulations allows equipment to be sized for BOG handling system. In Assuming that low sendout rates may be frequent in the years of
essence there are two operating cases to be modeled i.e. ship unloading operation, and that flaring product is financially and environmentally
at minimum sendout, for the sizing of the BOG handling equipment, unacceptable, it is recommended that spare machine is installed.
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B. BOG compressors running
FLARE SYSYTEM DESIGN C. Barometric pressure increase
The flare system is designed for the safe disposal of hydrocarbon The total flow required for the make up gas control valve is A + B + C.
vapors and liquids in the FSRU. This system is designed according to
API RP521 and EN 1473. CONCLUSIONS
Vent and relief valve discharges are routed to a single elevated flare As part of the topside design of the LNG-FSRU, the method of
stack. During normal operation, the FSRU does not produce any excess handling the vapor generated within the FSRU were studied. This vapor
vapors for discharge to the flare system. In the event of total power arises from the general boil-off from the storage tanks. A number of
failure, the FSRU is shut down and any loading operation is stopped operating scenarios need to be looked at ship unloading, peak and
and boil off gas from the storage tanks is routed to the flare header minimum sendout as well as the possible range of imported LNG
system. In the case of partial power failure, it will affect some or all the compositions. These scenarios are used to calculate the maximum
boil off gas compressors. An unloading operation may have to be amount of BOG produces and to size the BOG compressors and their
reduced in rate or shutdown to match the vapor which can be returned associated equipment. From previous experience of the onshore LNG
to the ship in order to minimize flaring. terminal it has shown that it is the most cost effective to utilize a
recondenser to condense boil-off vapor which is routed to the sendout
The capacity of the flare will be sufficient to handle vapor resulting stream.
from operational upset conditions in the storage and vapor handling
areas. Excessive vapor loads due to equipment failure or mal-operation The flare system is sized for the disposal of hydrocarbon vapors and
are relieved to atmosphere. The flare system is sized for the disposal of liquid resulting from abnormal operating conditions and emergencies.
vapor produced during abnormal and emergency operation. The FSRU is designed in accordance with a philosophy of minimum
flaring. The capacity of the flare is sufficient to handle vapor resulting
An assessment of relief loads for various vapor generating scenarios is from operational upset conditions in the storage and vapor handling
based on the methods in EN 1473 and NFPA 59A. These flows are areas.
based on worst case scenarios with allowance for barometric pressure
change. Flows comprising the flare relief system are given below. REFERENCES
A. Vapor displacement during tank filling Daejun Chang, et al. (2007). "Safety and Environmental challenges in
B. Flash vaporization of hot ship unloading Developing a Closed-circuit LNG Regasification System for Offshore
C. LP pump at recirculation, flash vaporization Natural Gas Export" 26th Int Conf on Offshore Mech and Art
D. Storage tank heat leak Eng, San Diego, USA.
E. LNG tank roll-over Y. S. Han, et al. (2002). "Design Development of FSRU from LNG
F. Piping heat leak Carrier and FPSO Construction Experience" 2002 Offshore
G. Drop in barometric pressure Tech Conf, Houston, USA
H. Make-up control valve failure KOGAS R & D CENTER (2009) "Samchuck LNG Receiving Terminal
Basic Engineering Data Book"
Pressure relief scenarios and design cases are as follow. Youngsoon Sohn, et al (2005), “Expansion of Pyeongtaek LNG
Receiving Terminal of Korea Gas Corporation” Proc 15th Int
a) Power failure : C + D + F + G Ocean and Polar Eng Conf, Seoul, ISOPE, Vol 1, www.isope.org
b) Zero sendout : A + C + D + F + G
c) Hot ship unloading : A + B + C +D + F + G
d) LNG tank Roll-over : C + D + E + F + G
e) Make-up contol valve failure : A + C + D + F + G + H
The maximum continuous venting rate to the flare occurs during make-
up control valve failure and rollover case. This gas is relieved through
the tank atmospheric relief valves. The design flow for the flare system
is selected for the zero sendout case. The flare stack is designed for safe
and efficient combustion of natural gas at flow rates up to the design
capacity. The stack incorporates pilots to ensure the continuous
availability of the flare, as well as flame-out alarms and igniters.
The storage tanks are protected from under pressure by the letdown of
the send-out gas via a pressure control valve. This PCV is sized for all
of BOG compressors running at the rated capacity, LP pump out from
the storage tanks plus barometric pressure change. In the event of this
make up gas failing the ultimate under protection is provided by
atmospheric vacuum breakers at each tank. An assessment of the loads
for the vacuum relief system is based on the methods in EN 1473 and
NFPA 59A. These flows make allowance for barometric pressure
change. Flows comprising the vacuum relief system are given below.
A. Maximum liquid withdrawal
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