Uhde Shedden Australia has been involved in gas plant engineering and design for many years, from economic evaluations and conceptual studies to engineering, procurement and construction management projects for both conventional natural gas reserves and coal seam gas (CSG). Over the years the company has recognised that the characteristics of CSG reserves require a low cost innovative approach to deliver economic solutions for CSG sales and production.
Substantial cost and schedule savings can be made by adopting a lean engineering/fit-for-purpose approach for gas plant engineering design that provides a reliable, available and maintainable facility.
Within the constraints of safety, environmental protection, production plans and statutory requirements, the availability of equipment at minimum cost can be maximised by:
- Implementing repeatable standard plant and equipment design;
- Selecting reliable and low maintenance equipment;
- Creating self-sufficiency in production operation and frontline maintenance capability; and,
- Adopting single layouts across multiple sites.
Uhde Shedden Australia’s Lean Engineering approach is undertaken with the express intention of achieving fast-track project schedules and cost minimisation with reliable, available and maintainable facilities.
General principles of Lean Engineering
Firstly, the client and engineer should agree to a model for cost and schedule optimisation decisions when analysing cost-saving opportunities during front-end engineering.
Another principle of Lean Engineering is that there is no re-engineering of what has already been completed in the front-end engineering, unless there is a distinct schedule advantage. There is also no “˜gold plating’ of the design and a fit-for-purpose philosophy is paramount. Standard vendor offers are utilised wherever practical and any re-worked and non-standard vendor engineered products are minimised.
Skid mounting equipment systems and modularisation are incorporated into the design to minimise the need for onsite assembly and engineers seek early input from local offsite fabricators to the design to ensure that onsite construction works are minimised.
Replication of processing and compression trains ensures all trains or plants are identical.
Requests for quotations are limited to those required by the vendors and constructor for quotation purposes. Construction documentation is completed prior to the award of construction contracts.
At each processing facility location the site’s topography is reviewed to ensure an economically viable optimised earthworks design and the natural topography is utilised to minimise noise impact on local environment and to minimise the need for additional sound attenuating structures.
Another principle of Lean Engineering is that any future expansion of the CSG facility is to be completed through the construction of new facilities, which means that existing facilities are not designed for future expansion, saving time and costs.
Regarding equipment and layout engineering:
- Single layouts are adopted across multiple sites;
- All complex piping and manifolding are to be located on skids;
- Selection of all equipment is undertaken on a fit-for purpose basis with no hidden design margins;
- All equipment and piping runs occur at low level. Elevations are minimised and there is to be no stacking of equipment; and,
- In ground and buried pipe-work is limited.
Regarding civil engineering:
- The most conservative case for soil conditions is adopted and a single foundation design for each train is provided.
- Pre-cast concrete items are maximised and standardised.
Regarding structural engineering:
- The use of vendor detailing for skids is maximised and the vendor is made responsible for the shop detailing of structures.
- Common and standardised designs for pipe sleepers, racks and supports are utilised.
These fit-for-purpose principles developed and employed for the CSG industry by Uhde Shedden deliver substantial cost and schedule savings for CSG facilities.