Authors:

Jihong Wu - KBR, USA

Jeffrey Feng - KBR, USA
Surajit Dasgupta - KBR, USA
Ian Keith - Woodside Energy, Australia
Publication / Presented:
LNG journal
Date:
October 2007
A REALISTIC DYNAMIC MODELING
APPROACH TO SUPPORT LNG PLANT
COMPRESSOR OPERATIONS
LNGjournal October 2007 27
ENGINEERING FORUM
In LNG plants, refrigeration compressors
are among the most critical components
in terms of both capital investments and
operational costs.
Safe, stable and sustained operation of
the refrigeration compressors represents
a key component of maximizing on-
stream time and production.
Dynamic simulation has been
increasingly used in the various stages of
the LNG process life cycle, to perform
design optimization, identify production
limiting constraints, and validating the
dynamic, or time-dependent, responses of
the process [1],[2].
To accurately and reliably predict the
dynamic behavior of real world systems,
the dynamic model has to be
supplemented with accurate input data
based on as-built equipment
performance.
Once a dynamic model is developed, it
should be validated against design and
actual operating data to ensure the
accuracy of the modeling. While model
validation in steady state is quite routine,
it is a less frequent practice to validate
the model dynamically, mainly because of
the challenge of obtaining reliable
dynamic data.
Also, the controllers used in the
dynamic simulation models for general
purpose studies are often simplified
based on basic control strategies, and
thus do not represent the functionality of
actual field controllers.
The combined challenges of dynamic
validation and the lack of full
representation of the controls, has been a
hurdle for the routine application of
dynamic simulation for field and
operations support.
These challenges also point to the
opportunities for applying dynamic
simulation to evaluate real world LNG
compressor systems that can experience
a wide range of operating conditions and
whose controls have to be designed to
handle both mild disturbances and
emergency situations.
Novel solution
This article describes a novel solution
applied in a recent study to address these
challenges.
A dynamic study was conducted by
KBR to provide support for the operation
of the refrigeration compressors in an
LNG facility operated in Australia by
Woodside Energy Ltd. After evaluating
the accuracy requirements, Woodside and
KBR decided to use a direct control-
hardware linked simulation approach
instead of conventional software
emulation, to accurately simulate the
functionality of field-installed controllers.
During the study, an integrated
software-hardware solution was
developed by linking a rigorous plant
dynamic model to a control vendor
supplied controller emulator.
This integrated tool was validated
against dynamic data from actual plant
events and thus greatly enhanced the
ability and precision of the dynamic
simulations. In the study, plant data
collected actual transient events and was
used to validate the rigorous dynamic
model, as well as the integrated
simulation approach.
During the validation process, the
simulation results also enabled in-depth
analysis of the actual plant events.
Several critical operating scenarios were
studied to help solve compressor
operational issues at the plant and improve
control system logic to provide adequate
protection for the compressors under
extreme operating conditions or upsets
Compressor surge, which is
characterized as high-speed and high-
energy flow reversals inside the
compressor, can cause damage to
compressor internals, reduced
compressor life time, and loss of profit
due to downtime and costly repairs.
Emergency shutdown, loss of power
source and operation at reduced
throughput are some of the factors that
can lead to the onset of surge.
Surge factors
Although the compressors and anti-surge
systems are designed for a range of
operational conditions, actual feed
variations, changing operating conditions
and production demand, and other
operational requirements may require
the compressors to be operated under less
than ideal conditions and thus can lead
to the occurrence of undesirable
incidents.
The focus of the current study is a
Mixed Refrigeration (MR) compressor
system in the Woodside LNG facility.
Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic of
the MR circuit in the LNG liquefaction
process.
The MR compressor train consists of
an axial stage and two centrifugal stages.
The drive power is supplied by a gas
turbine and a variable speed helper
motor. High pressure vapor from the
discharge of the compressor train is
chilled against vaporizing propane
provided by a cascading Propane
Refrigeration (PR) system.
The chilled MR is then fed to a high-
pressure separator where heavy MR and
light MR are separated before entering
the Main Cryogenic Heat Exchanger
(MCHE). In the MCHE, the MR is further
cooled to cryogenic conditions and used to
liquefy the natural gas feed.
In the MR compression system, the
compressors are subjected to high flow
high-pressure ratio operating conditions.
In particular, the Low-Pressure (LP)
axial stage is operated with the highest
compression ratio and is most vulnerable
to surge.
Among various operating scenarios,
emergency shutdown, or compressor
trip, represent the high-risk cases
which can expose the compressors to
surge conditions. Other major process
upsets, such as a trip of the MCHE or
propane system, can also cause
unwanted shutdowns of the MR system
without adequate control strategies,
and impose potential risk of surge on
the compressors.
The objective of the dynamic study
was to analyze the risk of surge under
these scenarios and improve the anti-
A realistic dynamic modeling approach to
support LNG plant compressor operations
Jihong Wu, Jeffrey Feng, Surajit Dasgupta, KBR, USA, and Ian Keith, Woodside Energy, Australia
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28 LNGjournal The Worlds Leading LNG journal
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surge control strategies to mitigate
the risk.
Two critical cases identified by plant
operation were studied. The first case
was a propane compressor trip scenario,
which in several occasions had caused
the MR compressor to trip subsequently.
The second case was the emergency
shutdown operation, where surge events
had been observed during compressor
coast down.
Control system
The control system for the MR
compressors is supplied by Compressor
Control Corp. (CCC). The CCC control
system consists of three anti-surge
controllers, one for each stage, as shown
in Figure 2.
The locations for measuring devices
that supply analog inputs to the
controllers are also indicated in the
Figure. Based on the analog inputs, each
controller determines the position of the
compressor operating point and provides
one output to the recycle valve.
The anti-surge controllers use a
combination of closed- and open-loop
control responses to provide anti-surge
protection for the compressors [3]. The
primary anti-surge control responses
that are triggered depending on the
location of the compressor operating
point are:
1) Proportional Integral (PI) control
response: The anti-surge PI control
response is the normal first level
response serving to increase the recycle
rate when the operating point is on the
left side of the Surge Control Line (SCL),
and will reduce the recycle rate when the
operating point is on the right side of the
SCL.
2) Recycle Trip response: The anti-
surge Recycle Trip response provides a
2nd level correction to the normal PI
response by step increasing the recycle
rate when the operating point is on the
left side of the Recycle Trip Line. This is
an open loop response that is
implemented to prevent surge if the
normal PI response is not sufficient.
An illustration of the compressor
performance curve and major control
lines calculated by the CCC controller is
provided in Figure 3. The illustrated
compressor operating point is in the
stable operating region.
In case of an emergency shutdown, a
trip signal from the Central Control
System will directly initiate the opening
of all anti-surge valves.
In addition to the anti-surge valves,
the LP axial stage is also protected by a
hot gas bypass (HGBP) recycle loop. The
axial stage inter-stage bleed valve (IBV)
will also be opened to provide sufficient
flow to the compressor suction.
Dynamic Simulation Model: A rigorous
dynamic simulation model was developed
using Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM), an
advanced equation based software
licensed by AspenTech.
The simulation model covered the
entire MR circuit as shown in Figure 1,
with input data based on as-built
equipment and piping details. The
compressors were modeled on tested
compressor curves provided by the
compressor vendor.
The accuracy of the base model was
first validated in steady state against
plant operating conditions. Dynamic data
such as the axial stage Inlet Guide Vane
(IGV) closing speed, control and actuator
delay, valve stroke time, and other system
dynamics were based on available data
from the plant.
The dynamic model was further
validated dynamically against plant data
collected during actual transient events.
The dynamic validation of the simulation
results will be described in more detail.
Using the rigorous dynamic model,
compressor operating conditions were
generated according to plant operational
sequences.
Integrated Simulation Approach: To
ensure accuracy of the study results, a
CCC-supplied control emulator was used
to emulate the actual controllers.
Together with configuration files
downloaded from the plant CCC system,
the emulator is able to replicate the exact
control functions of the field-installed
controllers, and thus allow in-depth
analysis of the actual compressor and
control system in the field.
Figure 4 shows a schematic view of the
software-hardware assembly used in the
dynamic study. The system includes the
CCC emulator hardware and a single PC
on which the dynamic simulation
software and emulator operating
software were operated.
Data link between the simulation
model and emulator was accomplished
through OPC server interfaces. The
values of process variables calculated by
the dynamic model, such as flows (as
pressure differentials), pressures,
temperatures, valve positions and speed,
are supplied to the CCC emulator as
inputs.
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ENGINEERING FORUM
The emulator-calculated controller
outputs are sent back to the dynamic
model to control the position of the
recycle valves. With control parameters
downloaded from the plant CCC system,
the emulator would function the same
way as the field control system. The
emulator would also allow the tuning of
the parameters so that new control
strategies could be evaluated and new
tuning parameters could be tested.
A Visual Basic (VB) based script was
developed to externally control the
execution of the dynamic model, which
subsequently controls the execution steps
of the CCC emulator. Complete
synchronization between the dynamic
model and emulator was validated before
the integrated tool was put in use.
Simulation results
The integrated simulation tool was
validated against plant data collected
from a previous MCHE trip event, which
resulted in a trip of the MR compressor
train and surge of the compressors.
Dynamic data collected from the actual
event was used to validate the simulation
results.
According to the plant control logic, an
MCHE trip will initiate the following
operation sequences.
Close the axial compressor inlet guide
vane (IGV)
Stop heavy and light MR flows by
closing the MR flow control valves
Anti-surge control valves open when
compressor approaches SCL
With the opening of the anti-surge valves,
the MR compressors were expected to
remain on line in stable recycle operation.
However, in the actual event, the MR
compressors became unstable after the
MCHE trip, and eventually resulted in a
shutdown of the compressor train.
Plant data showing the closing of the
axial stage IGV, initiated by the MCHE
trip signal, and the compressor speed are
provided in Figure 5. Speed decay started
at approximately 49 seconds into the
event, indicating that a train trip was
initiated.
The dynamic model was first
initialized to plant conditions prior to the
event. Dynamic tasks were activated
based on plant control sequences. To
accurately emulate the real plant control
system, the simulation time step was set
to be the same as the scan frequency of
CCC controllers in the actual plant.
Figure 6 shows some of the
comparisons of dynamic simulation
results with plant data. Two of the plots
reproduced here are a) Compressor
discharge flow (shown as pressure
differential) and b) Suction and discharge
pressures.
Overall, the simulation was able
accurately to reproduce the plant event,
both in terms of the simulated
compressor conditions and control
responses from the emulator.
During the process, the dynamic
simulation model and CCC emulator
were validated separately and combined,
and deemed to be highly accurate and
reliable for the purpose of the study.
Control issues
Close examination of the MCHE trip
event as described in the previous section
suggested that, without other preventive
measures, the disturbance caused by an
MCHE trip could develop into a situation
that was beyond the controllability of the
CCC system.
Another finding was that the first
level PI control response apparently was
not tuned to serve such fast disturbances.
The anti-surge responses mainly relied
on the second level response by step-
increasing the output.
However, a sudden increase of flow to
one stage could itself magnify the
instability of the system as it could
deprive flow for the other stages.
The CCC system is designed to handle
a number of limitations over the
compressor operating window.
Given the complexity of the multi-
staged compressor system, plus the
extreme operating conditions imposed by
the plant operation, the CCC system
alone appeared to be ineffective in
handling certain scenarios.
Adding more safety margin to the
surge control line was not considered a
practical solution as it would
significantly affect the compressor
operation flexibility. Therefore, other
control improvements became necessary
to address these operating scenarios.
A trip of the PR compressors was
found to be more critical and could drive
the MR compressors into the unstable
region even faster. The controllability of
the MR system in the event of a PR trip
is studied in the first case study below.
The objective of this case study was to
improve the control strategies to ensure
continuous operation of the MR system
after a trip of the propane compressor
system.
The plant operation sequences in case
of a propane trip are similar to the
MCHE trip described earlier. However, in
the event of a loss of the PR system, the
reduction of MR flow to the MR
compressor train can occur in a faster
manner and thus would require more
prompt anti-surge control actions.
Recycle valves
The results indicate that the disturbance
caused by a propane trip could be more
severe as compared to an MCHE trip.
Although a series of step-increase control
responses were triggered, the MR
compressors moving rapidly into the
unstable region, and showed high
possibility of surge.
The simulation also took into account
the actuator performance in the field. The
recycle valves are shown to have a one-
second delay and a 3 percent dead band
before starting to open.
To prevent the foreseen surge event
from occurring, simulations were
performed to combine a feed forward
strategy with the CCC control algorithm.
The feed forward logic was applied to
ramp open the recycle valves at the
initiation of a propane trip. To avoid
upsetting the compressors, the
appropriate ramp target and ramp rate
of the recycle valves were tuned using the
simulation.
The pre-determined recycle valve
opening and ramp rate were insufficient to
keep the MR compressors in the stable
region. The second level control responses
from the CCC system were triggered before
the end of the feed forward ramp period.
The compressor system was unstable and
showed the tendency of surge.
With the final settings of the feed
forward parameters, the feed forward
logic was activated by the PR trip signal,
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and the recycle valves were ramped open
to 50 percent and 30 percent for the low,
medium and high-pressure stage
respectively over 10 seconds.
With these settings, the recycle flow
rates appeared to be sufficient to
maintain the MR compressor operating
points in the stable region.
The adequacy of the feed forward
setting was verified for the full
compressor operating range. Once the
system is stabilized, the imposed feed
forward logic can be released and the
CCC controller will take over the control.
Based on the study results, it was
concluded that a feed forward strategy
combined with the CCC control system
would provide a predictable and reliable
way to achieve continuous operation of
the MR compressors.
The use of the controls emulator in the
study allowed fine-tuning of the feed
forward settings realistic to the actual
plant.
Train trip
The objective of this case study was to
investigate the existing system and
improve anti-surge strategies to protect
the compressors from surge during coast
down. The plant history has also
identified that emergency shutdown, or
compressor trip, represents a high-risk
case for possible surge of the
compressors, in particular, the LP stage.
The plant control sequence of
operation in the event of a train trip is as
follows:
Close the axial stage IGV
immediately
Trip-open the anti-surge recycle
valves and hot gas bypass valve
Open the axial stage bleed valve
Stop heavy and light MR flow by
closing the MR flow control valves
In this case study, the dynamic behavior
and effectiveness of anti-surge elements
were thoroughly reviewed. In addition to
reviewing the size and flow
characteristics of the recycle valves, the
impact of various dynamic variables such
as control signal and actuator delays,
valve stroke time, IGV closing speed and
the timing for tripping the turbine driver
were investigated.
In this scenario, the CCC calculation
algorithm is bypassed upon the initiation
of a train trip. Therefore, the dynamic
study was performed without using the
CCC control emulator. The LP axial stage
was modeled as two stages with flow
take-off from between stages to the inter-
stage bleed valve.
The possible operating range for each
dynamic variable and study results are
summarized in Table 1.
The simulation results revealed two
important variables that might have
contributed to the surge problem. One
was the LP stage IGV closing speed. Field
data from actual events indicated that
the IGV closing time was in the range of
7 to 10 seconds.
The other important variable is the
opening time of the LP stage bleed valve.
Analysis of plant data indicated that the
stroke time of this valve could possibly be
as fast as 2 seconds.
Conceptually, fast responses of the
IGV and inter-stage bleed valve might be
considered desirable as they help unload
the compressor quickly. However, results
from the dynamic simulations indicated
that the fast closing of the IGV as
observed in the plant could actually drive
the compressor toward surge.
Based on the simulation results, it is
suggested that the IGV stroke time be
modified to close the IGV at a moderate
rate over 25 to 35 seconds. As for the
inter-stage bleed valve, an optimum
window for the opening time appeared to
exist to avoid surge in either section of
the axial stage.
A typical logic is to open the bleed valve
when speed is reduced down to 95 percent,
which in this case is equivalent to a delay
of approximately 1 second. Overall, a valve
stroke time between 5 to 10 seconds
appeared to be the optimum range.
The anti-surge recycle valves and the
hot gas bypass valve are required to open
as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of
surge during coast down.
Typical requirements for these valves
are less than two seconds [4]. In the
actual plant, the response time of these
valves had limitations for significant
improvements.
To compensate for any delay in the
responsiveness of these valves, the effect
of introducing a delay on turbine trip was
studied. Based on the simulation results,
it was concluded that delaying the
turbine trip by 2 to 3 seconds would
provide an additional safety factor to
avoid the surge of the compressors during
coast down.
Implementation
The feed forward strategy studied in
Case Study 1 was incorporated into the
plant control logic and the benefits have
been observed in several plant events
since the implementation.
To solve the surge on coast down,
which had been previously considered
unsolvable by the vendor, field
modifications were made based on the
findings from Case Study 2. Plant
operation has demonstrated safe
compressor coast downs since the
implementation and proved the accuracy
of the dynamic simulation results.
Conclusions
It was only through the use of rigorous
dynamic simulations that the
permutations and combinations of
various system variables could be safely
tested to derive the solution.
The studies proved the accuracy and
effectiveness of such modeling and
provided useful results to diagnose and
improve field operation.
The combination of the dynamic
simulation modeling with control vendor
supplied hardware significantly enhanced
the precision, capability and credibility to
develop realistic and reliable solutions for
the actual plant system.
Acknowledgment
The authors wish to express sincere
thanks to Nikhil Dukle and Wayne
Jacobson of Compressor Control Corp. for
technical support and review of control
strategies, Martyn Blanchard of
AspenTech for valuable comments during
the course of the study, and Ming Yan of
KBR for technical assistance with the
assembly of software-hardware used in
the study.
Jihong Wu is a senior process engineer
with KBR in Houston, Texas, specialized
in dynamic simulation. Her experience
also includes process design and
optimization of LNG, olefins and other
large-scale processing facilities. She
graduated from Tokyo University with a
PhD in Chemical Engineering.
Jeffrey Feng is a process leader with KBR,
in Houston, Texas. He has been with KBR
since 1995 after graduating from Texas
A&M University with a PhD in Chemical
Engineering. He is responsible for the
technical execution of dynamic
simulation and other transient analysis
in LNG, refining, olefins, ammonia and
offshore in domestic and international
projects.
Surajit Dasgupta is the Manager of
Chemical Engineering Technology and
Advanced Process Automation at KBR, in
Houston, Texas. He supervises all
projects in the area of dynamic
simulation, advanced process control,
operator-training simulators and real-
time optimization. He graduated from
Columbia University, NY, in 1977 with a
Doctoral degree in Engineering and
Science.
Ian Keith is the Chief Process Control
Engineer at Karratha Gas plant in
Australia. He has been with Woodside and
Shell since 1998 and was the Senior
Process Engineer for Karratha LNG plant
prior to his current position.
Table 1: Dynamic Parameters for Compressor Trip-Coast Down
References
[1] Omori H., Konishi, H., Ray, S., de
la Vega, F. and Durr, C., A New
Tool-Efficient and Accurate for
LNG Plant Design and
Debottlenecking, 13th
International Conference &
Exibition on Liquefied Natural
Gas, May, 2001.
[2] Valappll J., Mehrotra, V.,
Messersmith D and Bruner, P.,
Virtual Simulation of LNG
Plant, LNG Journal,
January/February, 2004.
[3] Compressor Control Corporation,
Series 5 Antisurge Control
Application for Centrifugal and
Axial Compressors, Publication
UM5411, October 2005.
[4] Wilson, J. and Sheldon, A.,
Matching Antisurge Control
Valve Performance with
Integrated Turbomachinery
Control Systems, Hydrocarbon
Processing, August 2006
Study Range Desired Operating Range
Delay Stroke time based on study
Opening of anti-surge valves 0 2 sec 1 3 sec As fast as possible
Opening of hot gas bypass valve 0 2 sec 1 3 sec As fast as possible
Closing of axial compressor IGV 0 sec 7 35 sec No delay, 25 35 sec
closing
Opening of inter-stage bleed valve 0 2 sec 2 10 sec 5 - 10 sec
Trip of gas turbine driver 0 3 sec - 2 3 sec
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