Mark Butts and Yogesh Meher, CB&I, outline how identifying key risks can help optimise and de-risk projects from the very beginning.
In today’s LNG industry, safety considerations are paramount, as underscored by the degree to which related regulations, industry design codes, equipment, procedures, and systems permeate the entire LNG value chain. Modern LNG tank designs have many built-in features which act as safeguards and provide layers of protection against the identified risks.
There is more than one means to contain liquid and vapour in an LNG tank. In fact, the industry has standardised several configurations, such as single containment and full containment. Operational integrity of LNG facilities relies on the foundation set in codes and standards that dictate engineering designs and material specifications for constructing storage tanks and related equipment. These guidelines serve as a crucial layer of protection, ensuring facilities maintain safe containment of LNG, thus allowing companies to mitigate risks, safeguard personnel, and uphold reliable operations. In the full containment configuration, the secondary containment serves as an additional layer of protection against potential leaks or spills, providing a safeguard in the event of primary liquid containment failure. The secondary container is engineered to prevent the spread of LNG beyond the primary area, either by installing a barrier (such as a dike or berm), or alternatively by utilising an outer tank surrounding the inner tank, which can also be designed to contain the vapour and the liquid.