Integrated engineering environment for the process FEED of offshore oil and gas production plants

Abstract

In this paper, an offshore process front end engineering design (FEED) method is systematically introduced and reviewed to enable efficient offshore oil and gas production plant engineering. An integrated process engineering environment is also presented for the topside systems of a liquefied natural gas floating production, storage, and offloading (LNG FPSO) unit, based on the concepts and procedures for the process FEED of general offshore production plants. Various activities of the general process FEED scheme are first summarized, and then the offshore process FEED method, which is applicable to all types of offshore oil and gas production plants, is presented. The integrated process engineering environment is presented according to the aforementioned FEED method. Finally, the offshore process FEED method is applied to the topside systems of an LNG FPSO in order to verify the validity and applicability of the FEED method.

Chaos Theory: Implications for Cost Overrun Research in Hydrocarbon Megaprojects

“…Consequently, accurately predicting the possible consequences of minor changes to a system is problematic. In the case of an LNG facility, an omission in the piping and instrumentation diagrams produced in the FEED package had negative implications for the execution of key project components much later (Hwang et al, 2012). Due to the error, pipeline construction could not proceed without rectifying the problem.…”

3.2.1 Developing empirical connections based on interrelation analysis between technical activities of systems engineering and FEED processes in plant ‐ construction industry

“…FEED is used as the basis for bidding the execution phase contract and is used as the design basis. Although FEED often adds cost of time and labor to the early stages of a plant project, these costs are minor compared to the costs and effort that would be required to make changes at later stages in the project (Hwang et al 2012;Jacobsen 2009). Hence, FEED in the plant-construction industry can help customers and their associates to identify and provide optimal technical solutions for new projects and for old plants that need up-grading.…”

“…In addition, large-scale and complex projects needs a considerable understanding of design capability in the plant-construction industry. Thus, Frontend Engineering design (FEED) as a key engineering skill in the plant-construction is needed to build a plant successfully (Hwang et al 2012;Jacobsen 2009). FEED is basic engineering that is conducted after completion of a feasibility study or a conceptual design but before the start of engineering, procurement and construction (Devon and Jablokow 2010;Patel 2008).…”