Large-scale industrial projects often push the limits of standard equipment. This rings especially true for floating liquefied natural gas facilities, where space constraints, strict safety requirements and complex systems demand highly specialized solutions.
At B&W Energy Services, we’ve long recognized these challenges and have created proprietary equipment in-house to support large offshore projects while maintaining the efficiency and reliability clients expect and deserve.
The Challenge of Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities
Floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facilities are among the most complex energy projects ever constructed. Unlike traditional onshore plants, these facilities are built on massive offshore vessels that process, liquefy and store natural gas at sea.
Due to their design, FLNG projects present unique operational challenges, including:
- Limited available space to store equipment
- Strict noise and safety requirements
- Tight construction and commissioning schedules
- Complex piping and utility systems
These obstacles mean that contractors need to adapt their processes and their FLNG equipment to fit within these vessels’ environments.
The Shell Prelude FLNG Project
When B&W Energy Services was contacted to perform pre-commissioning services for Shell’s flagship Prelude FLNG project, our team designed and built customized temporary cleaning equipment necessary to meet the requirements onboard the 600,000-tonne facility.
Our in-house engineering team knew the equipment would need to meet the same high-efficiency, low-noise specifications as B&W’s standard equipment, but with a much smaller footprint. Through our pre-engineering services, we identified these unique equipment requirements early, expediting the equipment creation process to support the project’s aggressive mobilization schedule.
Today, the Prelude FLNG is lauded for revolutionizing the way natural gas resources are discovered and developed. At the time of its construction, it was the largest floating offshore facility in the world, and we’re grateful to have played a role in making this facility operational.
For decades, our equipment has been built to deliver consistent performance in demanding industrial environments for projects of all sizes, including floating liquefied natural gas facilities. Reach out to our team to see how our FLNG equipment could help optimize your next project.