Korean boom industry turns to UK firm for pipeline guarantees
22 May 2019
Asia’s regasification sector is growing and this has increased interest in High Integrity Pressure Protection System technology from the likes of Severn Glocon.
The switch from traditional fuels and energy sources is an international concern but few countries invest more heavily in transformation than one South Korea.
Since its long recovery from the effects of Japanese occupation and then the Korean War, the country has achieved impressive growth: last year its GDP ranked 14th in the world based on purchasing power parity.
It ranks as the world’s fifth largest nuclear power producer, deriving nearly half its electricty production this way. More recently however there has been a push to increase the role of liquified natural gas (LNG) and renewables in energy production.
Consequently, interest in storage and regasification has grown, together with imports of gas. Last year it was reported that Korea Gas Corp would devote nearly $9 billion by 2025 to boost capacity.
HIPPS on trend
Recently shipbuilder DSME wanted to commission a High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) for a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).
The vessel, BW Magna, has an LNG capacity of 173,400 cubic metres. HIPPS are not mandatory on FSRUs but, says SGT, it increasingly recognised that they provide a superior level of safety and reliability.
Situated between high-pressure upstream and low-pressure downstream units, they contain media if over-pressurisation is likely to occur, rather than venting.
The HIPPS was integrated and installed by Severn Glocon Technologies to protect the pipeline during the unloading of gas, enhancing safety for the FSRU and the downstream equipment and pipeline
The firm turned to Severn Glocon Technologies, a leading provider of HIPPS, whose parent company Severn Glocon has extensive LNG experience, having manufactured severe service valves for megaprojects including Ichthys and Gorgon.
The HIPPS was integrated and installed by Severn Glocon Technologies to protect the pipeline during the unloading of gas, enhancing safety for the FSRU and the downstream equipment and pipeline in the docking terminals it connects with.
The system operates at a working pressure of 117 barg. It comprises two 18” 900-class manual valves, a Sella Controls logic solver and three pressure transmitters.
Essential expertise
Site manager Tim Blake says HIPPS integration and installation requires a wide range of engineering and functional safety expertise.
“Effective HIPPS integration demands electronic and mechanical engineering skills, with software engineering input sometimes needed as well,” he explains.
“It’s important that these specialist engineers interrogate the design brief and collaborate with functional safety professionals. This is where using an independent integrator offers a major advantage. At Severn, we employ all of these professionals in-house.”
Additional safety measures on the FSRU include alarms, a shutdown system, blow down system and safety valves, as per industry-specified standards. The benefit of adding HIPPS, sdaves Severn Glocon Technologies, is that it is a simple, proven solution which can operate independently of the wider vessel system.
