An LNG facility with modular liquefaction trains was inspected and cleaned in the mod yard before shipment. By the time the modules arrived on-site after a long sea voyage, the assumption was that they were still clean. However, an on-site inspection found otherwise, and B&W was brought in to AquaLaze the affected systems before the project could move forward.
The quality of the mod yard clean wasn’t the problem. The reality is that a module’s systems can be spotless when leaving the yard, become contaminated in transit and end up not being ready for startup upon reaching the site.
That’s why B&W recommends a second pass once a module reaches the site. At a minimum, an inspection can be performed to confirm that contamination didn’t occur in transit, and another cleaning pass can be performed if it did.
A Second Pass Doesn’t Have to Cost You Your Schedule
The main concern with a second cleaning pass is almost always scheduling, not whether it’s worth doing. AquaLazing, our chemical-free, high-pressure water jetting process, is designed to make both your first and second cleaning passes efficient and effective for minimal schedule disruptions.
AquaLazing doesn’t require any chemical storage, handling or disposal. Many mod yards, especially those located overseas, lack the wastewater and chemical disposal infrastructure found at a permanent site, so a lack of chemicals in cleaning can work well for modular applications.
The AquaLazing process:
- Runs up to 15,000 PSI
- Handles piping from 2 inches to 120 inches in diameter
- Features a self-contained pump with a noise rating of 78 dB to reduce disruption to surrounding activities
For carbon steel components in particular, an AquaLazing pass in the mod yard can be followed by drying system surfaces and applying a corrosion inhibitor before the module ships. This can help reduce the chance of moisture getting sealed inside during long transit, and an on-site check can assess its condition after transit.
B&W’s AquaLazing equipment also runs at full capacity, which means fewer passes are needed to reach the same cleanliness spec. Our team also arrives prepared with engineered cleaning procedures and appropriately sized equipment, rather than improvising a plan once they’re standing in front of the module. This planning is what keeps an on-site pass from turning into an open-ended delay.
Want Your Next LNG Module Inspected Before It’s Too Late to Access?
If you’re weighing whether to build a second inspection or cleaning pass into the schedule for your next modular LNG project, we’re happy to walk through what that would look like for your systems. Reach out to our team, and we’ll talk it through.
FAQs
What is an LNG module?
An LNG module is a self-contained unit of piping, valves and equipment that’s fabricated and tested off-site, then shipped to the project location as a single transportable unit. This approach is common in LNG and petrochemical construction because fabrication and site civil work can happen in parallel, buying back schedule time compared to a fully stick-built system.
If a module was already cleaned in the mod yard, does it need to be cleaned again on-site?
At a minimum, it needs to be inspected. A mod yard cleaning pass reflects the module’s condition at the moment it shipped—not its condition after transit. Moisture, debris and handling during a long transport can introduce contamination after the initial clean is already complete. An on-site inspection confirms whether that happened. If it did, a second cleaning pass addresses it before installation makes the systems more difficult to access.
How is cleaning a module different from cleaning a stick-built system?
On a stick-built project, systems are cleaned in place after installation, with more flexibility to sequence cleaning around the rest of the schedule. Modules remove that flexibility, since each module occupies a fixed transport slot, and modular LNG facilities typically test modules individually in sequence rather than testing the whole plant at once. A cleaning delay for one module can delay that module’s specific test window.
That’s why modular piping is best cleaned in two passes: an initial clean in the mod yard to remove the bulk of contamination, then an inspection and, if needed, a tighter-spec clean once the module reaches the site.
Does modular LNG construction change the pre-commissioning timeline?
Yes. Since each module has a fixed transport slot and modular LNG facilities test modules individually in sequence, a missed cleaning or inspection deadline on one module can cost an entire transport or test slot rather than a few days of slack. That’s why both the mod-yard and on-site passes need to be planned and engineered in advance, with cleaning procedures worked out before the crew arrives.