Kuwait Oil Company

Crude Exports Facilities Introduction

The Crude Export Facilities Project will achieve an export potential of two million BOPD to meet the country’s three million BOPD production strategy, with increased flexibility and minimized risk.

The Crude Export Facilities encompasses new tank facilities at the North and South Tank Farms, all manifolds and appurtenances, gravity lines and manifolds, pumps and metering stations for crude oil and bunker fuel, offshore lines for crude and bunker fuel, CALM Buoys, onshore pump and metering systems for bunker fuel. It is also includes the provision of tank gauging and management system and H2S monitoring systems within the new and existing tanks at both tank farms and North Pier Pump and Metering Station. However, HSE will be looked at further in more details during the detail design and the Project execution.

Utmost consideration was given to HSE during the preparation of the Front End Engineering Design of the project. Contaminated soil defined as having hydrocarbon will be removed and disposed off at the area designated and approved by Environmental Public Authority (EPA). Likewise, the subterranean contaminated soil will be removed only if required to support newly constructed foundations, structures, or underground piping / services for the Work, including trenching for utilities.

The Company’s Fire & Safety and EPA regulations shall be strictly observed during slit trenching and back-filling activities, for both onshore and offshore.

The Crude Export Facilities is definitely poised to change the downstream side map of the Company. Let us look into some aspects of what is meant by this.

 

North Pier Pumping & Metering Station (NPP & MS)

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A pumping station comprising of 3 crude oil export pumps, metering skids, meter prover loops, substation, Local Control Room, workshop and one emergency generator will be installed in the North Pier. Dedicated crude oil pumps each capable of delivering 14,500 MT/hour will pump crude through three new 56" submarine pipelines. These crude oil export pumps will be individually controlled with dedicated variable speed drives and will be housed in a separate Pump house.

A Custody Transfer metering system shall be provided and shall comprise of dedicated metering skids and prover loops for each of the three 56 " pipelines.

The COCC DCS will be monitoring the North Pier crude metering skid, control the MOVs. The Local Control Room (LCR) will house all control and safety systems for the pumping station facilities including the Custody Transfer Supervisory system and the offshore facilities which will be also duplicated in COCC. The LCR will interface with the COCC by fiber optic cabling.

Submarine Pipelines and Calm Buoys                                     

Four new 56" pipelines will be installed, three 56’’ pipelines will be installed from the NPP & MS to three offshore CALM Buoys –(two new i.e.# 23 and 24 and one existing i.e. #20) and one 56" Pipeline replacing the existing 48" Pipe line feeding CALM # 21 with the associated submarine PLEM.

Besides the main offshore works, there will be modification works to upgrade the existing CALM Buoys 20 and 21.

State in the art welding and pipe Trenching Technologies will be used.

The bunker system for new crude export facilities comprising of 24_ diameter pipeline to CALM Buoys 23 & 24, bunker pumps and metering skid will supply bunker fuel to the new CALM Buoys 23 & 24. The system will be capable of handling three types of bunker fuel (HFO, LFO and LSFO).

Project Methodology and Portioning

This mammoth project is conceived in four portions to facilitate early utilization of the functional systems of the entire facility to ensure timely completion and maximum return on the investment. Portion I, also known as Early Oil, will define installation and commissioning of all the equipment and systems required to provide gravity loading of crude oil through Buoy 23 from new tanks 79 thru 84 in NTF. As additional tanks, gravity lines, pumps, metering systems, offshore pipelines and buoys get installed during the remaining three portions, they will be duly commissioned and turned over to the Company.

Training
Training of the Company operational and maintenance personnel is central to any complicated and vital project of this nature and it is needless to say here that the contract scope of work has emphasized this aspect in an elegant and elaborate manner.

Kuwaitization
In line with the Company policies and visionary perspectives, the contract provides for a comprehensive scheme for Kuwaitization program throughout all the phases of the project duration.

Technical Studies

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Special Studies

For assessing the facilities constructability, accessibility, operability and maintainability a 3-D CAD walk-through electronic model will be used. This shall ensure that Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) compromises, due to poor layout, are minimized.

A detailed HAZOP study will also be conducted and all post-HAZOP changes shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and approved by the Company prior to implementation.

A comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be carried out which will include detailed emissions study, provision of a comprehensive hydrocarbon fire and gas detector layout which shall encompass all enclosed spaces such as the Control Building, Substation, Pump Metering area, offshore facilities and a baseline survey including noise contours plotting.

A Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) to identify potential hazards likelihoods and frequency of occurrence, subsequent consequences and potential less of life. Safety Integrity Level (SIL) study shall be carried out to develop safety requirement specification for safety instrumented system and emergency shutdown system.

Pipelines shall have formal stress analysis performed to determine loads and the need for anchor blocks, expansion loops, etc. A study to determine the best/suitable leak detection system will be carried out.

Cathodic Protection
Adequate Cathodic protection systems for storage tanks buried onshore and offshore pipelines and the Calm Buoys will be provided, complying with the requirements of all applicable codes, Company standards and specifications

Shutdowns for Tie-ins
Shutdowns, required for operating filling lines, gravity lines and manifolds will be kept to a minimum, to minimize disruption to regular production and export operations, works will be performed on 24 hour bases during shutdown.

Site surveys and re-routing
Detailed surveys and soils investigation will be performed prior to any detailed engineering work to identify all below ground services and to decide the potential rerouting of existing utilities.