Sep 24 2007
Linde has formed a Global Alliance with Single Buoying Mooring Inc. ("SBM") to develop and market Floating Production, Storage and Offloading units ("FPSO") for the growing Liquid Natural Gas ("LNG") industry, based on Linde's proprietary natural gas liquefaction technology.
SBM is a public listed Company, based in the Netherlands and a market leader in the field of FPSOs for the offshore oil & gas industry, currently owning and operating 16 world scale and own-build F(P)SO-units for crude oil and LPG production worldwide.
After having finalized a generic concept for a LNG FPSO with a yearly capacity off app.2.5 million metric tonnes of LNG, global marketing efforts will start as of today. The FPSO is designed for any conventional natural gas composition and aims at offshore natural gas fields with recoverable reserves of 1 trillion cubic feet or more.
Under the Global Alliance Linde contributes the FPSO topsides including gas pretreatment, C3+ fractionation and natural gas liquefaction based on Linde's proprietary Multi-Stage-Mixed-Refrigerant process (LiMuM). SBM among other things contributes marine technology including hull and LNG storage tanks system, power generation system, mooring system, cryogenic offloading systems and FPSO operational experience.
Whilst all process units of a LNG FPSO are proven on-shore technology, the integration of multiple large and heavy process modules with the hull structure and on a limited deck space requires innovative solutions. LNG processing, utility supply, cryogenic offloading and mooring systems are designed to reliably operate under severe marine conditions and with minimal maintenance. The design also incorporates Linde's experience with Europe's first base load LNG plant (4.2 million metric tonnes of LNG per year) for Statoil's "Snohvit" project, which Linde erected on a small island in the Norwegian Arctic Circle utilizing a unique 35,000 tonnes, barge mounted process unit.