Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Sector

How to evaluate and control the risks associated with the structures of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry? What decision-aiding tools can be put in place? How can performance goals be achieved? Which actions should be prioritised and planned for?

Oxand can answer all of these questions with specific solutions thanks to our expertise and experience in the management of industrial and civil engineering infrastructure.
Oxand has the know-how to intervene at all stages of a project: from feasibility studies (including the evaluation of the choice of technologies or procedures), up until the development of managerial master plans for the extension of a structure’s lifespan. In bringing assistance to owners and operators of LNG terminals, Oxand is a neutral and independent service provider with regard to all players in the LNG sector whether they be engineers, contractors or technical managers.

Oxand’s Solutions for Lifecycle Management of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Insfrastructure

Oxand offers solutions at any stage in a project in order to better manage its lifecycle: from project inception right up until decommissioning. Whether the structure is an LNG reservoir or a pier for the unloading of tankers, the diagram below illustrates the key phases in the life of an LNG installation, as well as the types and periods of intervention proposed by Oxand. Details...

To find out more, click on the category that interests you in the legend just below the main diagram.

Sustainable Design

The sustainability of an LNG installation should be taken into account in the early design stages of the project in order to guarantee an optimised lifespan as well as high performance operation.

Oxand offers:

Recommendations to improve the reliability of design and construction
The incorporation of the latest scientific methods and knowledge as well as our experience in the LNG sector among others which present similar infrastructure and problems to overcome (eg: the nuclear and port sectors).

Value added for our clients:

Improvement of sustainability of designs and reliability of security margins
Guarantee of long-term performance thanks to the prevention of risks during operation

Example projects:

Sustainable design of LNG storage reservoirs Details...
Expert recommendations for the integration of life cycle management in initial design documents for LNG reservoirs

Monitoring & Inspection

In order to be able to control the risks associated with the ageing of liquefied natural gas infrastructure (reservoirs, unloading piers, etc), it is essential to define and put into place a monitoring system as well as an adapted inspection program as early as possible. Monitoring generates data which is essential to allow tracking and updating of a structure’s risk profile, and hence for the optimisation of repair or maintenance works and the anticipation of faults in vulnerable zones. The analysis of data from monitoring and inspection can help to present a strong case to security authorities when necessary, for example to justify a lifespan extension.

Oxand offers:

With Ageing Monitoring™ Details..., the complete package for the long-term monitoring of a structure, including the installation and maintenance of the necessary equipment, the archiving and analysis of data, and the use of data in updating risk profiles and forecasting faults
The control and monitoring of ageing mechanisms
Recommendations for optimised interventions (repairs, maintenance, etc)

Value added for our clients:

Cost reduction and increased efficiency of inspection/monitoring systems
Anticipation and prevention of faults
Decision-making aids for repairs/maintenance
Facilitated safety demonstration to justify lifespan extension

Example projects:

Ageing Monitoring™ for prestresesd concrete confining structures Details...
Specifications for the instrumentation of a liquefied natural gas reservoir during the design phase

Impact of Construction Defects

Variations between the ‘as designed’ and the ‘as built’ can have large and sometimes unforeseen impacts on the functioning and condition of an LNG terminal in both the short and long-term. The analysis and evaluation of these impacts is therefore desirable in order to improve lifecycle management.

Oxand offers:

Short, medium and long-term impact analyses on structure function
A neutral and independent expertise on defaults/disorders, with no influence from builders/contractors

Value added for our clients:

Short-term
- Control of commissioning deadlines
- Assistance to owners/operators for commissioning
- Assistance to owners/operators for safety demonstrations to nuclear safety authorities
Long-term
- Control of costs for the correction of construction defects
- Guarantee of the safety level of a structure
- Prioritisation of the long-term interest of the owner versus the short-term interest of the builder/contractor
- Guarantee of the maintenance of structures

Example projects:

Management of the consequences of construction defects for the sustainable design of LNG reservoirs Details...
Risk analysis of impact of potential grouting defects at the ends of steel prestressing cables Details...

Guarantee and control of the sustainability of repairs

Repair works are often expensive both in terms of direct cost as well as in terms of ensuing periods of unavailability of the structure. The sustainability and quality of repairs must therefore be ensured in order to avoid subsequent supplementary repair work.

Oxand offers:

Assistance in the technical choices for sustainability (repair methods, materials…)
Recommendations for execution methods and control procedures
Verification of the quality and the sustainability of repairs while taking account of time constraints

Value added for our clients:

Gains on the total cost of maintenance due to optimisation and durability of repairs
Improved performance due to prevention of faults resulting from poor repairs
Minimised financial losses due to optimisation of periods of unavailability during repair work

Example projects:

of potential harmfulness of grouting defects at the head of steel prestressing cables Details...

Capitalisation of ‘As-Built’ Data

In order to fully exploit initial ‘as built’ data for the improvement of the lifecycle management of an LNG terminal, the information must first be collected and organised in a logical manner. This allows the establishment of a realistic diagnosis of the installation, which will serve for the duration of the exploitation period to aid in planning maintenance work, identifying vulnerable areas of a structure, anticipating ageing degradation, etc…

Oxand offers:

Creation of a detailed « snapshot » of a structure, giving an overall vision of its actual condition
The capitalisation of data and construction feedback
management and quality of assurance of this information

Value added for our clients:

Long-term management of assets based on sound past experience
Reliable decision-making aids based on a realistic diagnosis

Example projects:

• Capitalisation of initial data for the sustainable design of LNG reservoirs Details...

Management and Monitoring of Ageing Processes

Ageing mechanisms represent an inevitable risk for the civil engineering of an LNG terminal. Reinforced concrete storage tanks with prestressing cables, for example, are subject to numerous ageing phenomena linked to the concrete (creep, shrinkage…), the reinforcing steel (corrosion, loss of section…) and the prestressing tendons (loss of tension…). The effective management of these complex and interdependent mechanisms requires a comprehensive expertise based on experience feedback.

Oxand offers:

Study of the impacts of ageing mechanisms on the availability of a structure
Mechanical simulation of ageing effects
Identification of key phenomena in terms of impact on the lifespan of a structure
Diagnosis and forecasting of a structure’s condition and the associated risks
Maintenance and investment plans in both the short and long term

Value added for our clients:

Optimisation of maintenance and monitoring concerning risks, by a ranking of costs and benefits
Decision-making support to plan and prioritise actions
Decision-making support on the question: maintain, repair or rebuild?

Example projects:

Realistic evaluation with FE modeling of prestressing tension losses due to concrete creep for LNG reservoirs
Realistic evaluation and prediction of steel section loss due to corrosion for LNG reservoirs
Requalification of an LNG terminal pier subject to increased unloading capacity Details...
Creation of a repair and maintenance plan for the unloading installations of an LNG terminal Details...
Study of possibilities for lifetime extension of a group of LNG storage tanks