Global coordination supports Ichthys safety system operations
The Ichthys LNG project safely launched its central processing facility on September 19, 2015 from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, where it was constructed. The massive Australian LNG project operated by INPEX requires expertise and coordination to deliver safety systems as part of its complex, multifaceted development.
This type of coordination is essential for a project as enormous and complex as Ichthys. Scheduled for startup in 3Q 2017, the joint venture (JV) megaproject is forecasted to produce 8.9 MMtpy of LNG.
At Ichthys, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH is working closely with the project’s three engineering procurement contractors and the basic process control system (BPCS) supplier. At one point, all five companies examined the details of each of 25,000 safety I/Os. That brought forward additional requirements that typically would have been identified during commissioning. This up-front work helped to minimize subsequent plan corrections and related time delays.
Functional safety expertise is an important factor in HIMA’s project approach. The company is applying the principles of IEC 61511 in designing and testing the systems. Along with safety instrumented systems (SIS), fire and gas (F&G) systems and high-integrity pressure protection systems (HIPPS), HIMA is providing 430 control cabinets and related connections.
A pre-FID project for developing standard applications, design and testing was supplied in advance to the main contract. Additionally, cyber security and network management for associated hardware and components, such as smoke detectors in employee living accommodations, are part of the scope.
Energy companies around the world rely on automated safety systems from HIMA. “Our scope on Ichthys is much more than just safety systems,” says Dieter Specht, project director for HIMA. “We have worked for several years to synchronize all the steps necessary to ensure safe operations and a successful startup. In the process, we have functioned on a tight time schedule with multiple companies across national borders and cultural differences.”
Projects of Ichthys’ size and complexity also call for partners and suppliers to work globally. To meet that demand, HIMA offices in Singapore, China (Shanghai), South Korea (Geoje), Dubai (UAE), Australia (Perth) and Germany (Bruehl) have collaborated closely. Project management is coordinated from Bruehl, while most day-to-day work with fellow project suppliers takes place in Singapore. This is also where function tests have been conducted on more than 1,200 cabinets supplied by the BPCS supplier, HIMA and project partners.
Since the award of the project, Ichthys consortium partner Total awarded two additional FPSO projects to HIMA. The company was selected to provide safety applications.
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