Lake Kivu Gas Extraction Project

PROCESS FEED STUDY SCOPE

Project No: B-2014-106

Document No: B-2014-106-SC-3000

11/14/2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROCESS FEED STUDY SCOPE................................................................................ 1

1.

Introduction .......................................................................................................... 4

2.

Background .......................................................................................................... 4

3.

Terms and Definitions ......................................................................................... 5

4.

Facilities Description ........................................................................................... 7

5.

Process FEED Study Scope of Work ................................................................ 10

6.

Design Conditions ............................................................................................. 13

6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4

7.

Local Conditions ................................................................................... 13

Feed Water Composition ...................................................................... 13
Export Pipeline ..................................................................................... 14
Fuel Gas Specifications ........................................................................ 14

Process Simulation ............................................................................................ 15

7.1
7.1.1
7.1.2

Gas Extraction and Treating Process ................................................... 16

Offshore Gas Extraction Facilities:........................................................ 16
Onshore Gas Treating Facilities: .......................................................... 16

8.

PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM (PFD) ................................................................... 18

9.

OFFSHORE GAS EXTRACTION FACILITY SCHEMATICS............................... 20

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1. Introduction
Antares Offshore has been awarded by Symbion Power LLC with the Engineering Project
Management of a Methane Gas Extraction and Treating Plant in Lake Kivu, Rwanda; the
methane gas produced will be used to power reciprocating gas engine generator sets
producing electricity in 7MW increments up to 56MW.
Current phase of the project consists of a FEED Study of the process for Offshore Gas
Extraction Facilities and Onshore Gas Treatment Facilities. This document sets the Scope
of Work for FEED Process Engineering.

2. Background
Lake Kivu is located on the border between the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic
Republic of Congo. The Lake is 485 meters depth with a surface area of 2400 km 2 at an
altitude of 1462 m.
Lake Kivu contains 300 Km3 of dissolved carbon dioxide and 55 to 60 Km3 of methane
gas accumulated and trapped at significant depth in the lake. The discovery of methane in
the deep waters of the lake was made in 1935 while trying to understand why there were
no fish in the lake. A number of studies of the lake and its potential resource have been
done since the discovery. The most comprehensive is the work by Dr. Klaus Tietze in
1976. This work, along with other studies, forms the basis of the technical information
being used by Symbion and Antares Offshore for the design of the gas extraction
facilities.
This project will use Lake Kivus methane resources for a commercial benefit for the
people of Rwanda, but it will also reduce the risk of an environmental disaster. The
scientific community, through the various studies, has predicted that without the
production of methane and carbon dioxide, there is a significant risk of a sudden release
of large quantities of these gases within the next 100-200 years. Such a release has the
potential to kill many thousands of people living around the lake from asphyxiation. Rather
than just vent the 2 trillion cubic feet (56.6 km3) of methane, this project will use the
produced methane for power generation.
The technology proposed by Symbion and Antares is similar in principle to that utilized by
the KivuWatt facility but with noteworthy improvements and risk reducing measures.
The extraction method is based upon a well-established technology in the oil and gas
industry known as gas lift. Gas lift was used on Lake Kivu from the mid-1960s through
2004 to extract CH4 for use in the boilers at the Bralirwa Brewery on the northern Rwanda
shores of Lake Kivu. Gas lift is also the principle behind the degassing of Lakes Nyos and

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Monoun in Cameroon where CO2 of volcanic origin within these deep lakes causes
periodic eruptions. Additionally, KP1 pilot plant (Kibuye Stage 1 Power Limited) is
currently producing 4MW of power and plans to increase production up to 10MW. In
addition, KivuWatt by ContourGlobal is in the final stage of construction of a 26 MW
facility.

Figure 1.0
Lake Kivu Map (from Google Earth)

3. Terms and Definitions

This section describes the terms and definitions employed in this document, including
acronyms used in other sections of this document.
Term
COMPANY
ANTARES OFFSHORE
VENDOR

FRSS
MCC

Definition
Symbion Power LLC.
Contractor nominated by COMPANY to design the Gas
Extraction Facilities.
Responsible party selected by COMPANY and
ANTARES OFFSHORE for develop FEED study in this
specification.
Freestanding Riser and Separator System
Motor Control Center

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P&ID
PFD
SCADA
UPS
NRTL
EOS
BIP

PROCESS FEED STUDY SCOPE

Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams

Process Flow Diagrams
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Non-Random Two-Liquid model
Equation of State
Binary Interaction Parameters

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Facilities Description

Symbions gas extraction facilities will be design by Antares to lift, separate and process
gas which is dissolved in the deep waters of Lake Kivu and deliver it to an onshore
generating facility located at Cape of Busororo in Nyamyumba area. The proposed
freestanding riser and separator system (FRSS) is based on the design principles and
extensive engineering carried by Antares work on KivuWatt and Antares subsequent
improvement of the system. The key element of the gas extraction facility is the gas
separation process below the water level. The water is pulled from the lake through the
inlet riser and then the dissolved gas is freed from the water in the separator. The wet gas
is then sent from the separator to the process facility while the degassed water will be put
back into the lake through the outlet riser. The pressure in the separator is the key to
obtaining the optimum methane content for the gas engines.
The proposed system is different to that employed by Kivuwatt in that the unique FRSS is
decoupled from the barge. One FRSS module is capable of producing 1.5mmscfd of 85%
methane; sufficient for a 7MW power plant. The 48 diameter inlet riser has been
determined to be the ideal size for the volume of water lifted versus gas produced. This
inlet riser will lift water from approximately 355 water depth and the 42 diameter outlet
riser will discharge the degassed water at around 280m water depth in accordance with
Lake Kivus Management Prescriptions. The FRSS will be deployed to a depth of 20m
and the produced gas will be piped via a flexible pipeline/riser to the barge.
Segregation of the riser separator away from the process facility provides better safety
features, additionally providing greater spread in the area from which gas may be
extracted. The method is a modular concept and Symbion proposes an incremental
expansion of power output by building additional modules as outlined below.
1. Phase 1: The initial stage will consist of a single FRSS, offshore gas export facility
and onshore process plant to generate 7 MW (see Figure 2). The offshore gas
export facility will be minimal and limited to gas drying equipment (scrubbers),
compressor, control room and export pipeline tethered at -20m. The raw gas will
be washed and processed to achieve fuel gas quality gas. The main process items
are the washing tower, the wash water inlet, the discharge over boarding lines,
and other supporting equipment. The plant will be provided with flaring capability.
2. Phase 2: An additional FRSS will be added to the existing 7MW facility to increase
the gas production (see Figure 3). To onshore facility will be expanded to
accommodate an additional wash tower and other equipment. With this additional
FRSS, gas output will double and the plant will generate 14MW of power.

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Figure 2. 7MW Gas Extraction Facility (Phase 1).

Figure 3. 14MW Gas Extraction Facility (Phase 2).

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3. Phases 3 and 4: The system proposed to the end of Phase 2 will be doubled in
Phase 3 to take the power output to 28MW and then doubled again to take output
to 56MW as part of Phase 4.

Figure 4. 28MW Gas Extraction Facility (Phase 3).

Symbions phased modular approach has the advantage of not building a single large
barge with concentrated risk and facilities gathering gas from a larger area rather than a
single concentrated area. In addition, FRSS can be relocated around the lake for re-use in
different areas with minimal difficulty. The FRSS design will also enable the cost and
schedule of future gas extraction facility developments to be significantly reduced. The
offshore facilities will include barges containing minimal gas processing equipment, a
pipeline from the barge to shore while the onshore gas processing facility will contain the
bulk of the equipment for scrubbing/flaring, as well as an onshore section of the pipeline
containing metering facilities with the boundary of the power plant.

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Figure 5. 56MW Gas Extraction Facility (Phase 4).

5.

Process FEED Study Scope of Work

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This document describes the key functional and technical parameters to be used in the
process design for the offshore gas extraction facility, and the onshore gas treating
facility.
As part of the process design, process simulations must to be perform in order to validate
the viability of the process, process simulations must to be run by using industry
recognized software, including OLGA, HYSYS and/or ASPEN PLUS or similar in order to
confirm flow rates, two phase flows, flow compositions and establish design parameters to
be used for equipment and piping systems design.
The onshore treatment facilities must to be design to produce fuel gas in compliance with
the gas engines fuel requirements (Table 3).
Based on process simulation data, Vendor must to size and develop specifications and
data sheets for both offshore and onshore process equipment, including, but not limited
to:
1.
Underwater Gas Separator.
2.
Auto-siphon pumping system.
3.
Raw Gas Compression Skid, including suction and discharge scrubbers, and
cooling system.
4.
Close Drain System.
5.
Flare System.
6.
Refrigeration Package.
7.
Cooling Media Skid.
8.
Export Pig Launcher.
9.
Onshore Slug Catcher (if required)
10.
Onshore Raw/Sweet Gas Compression Skid, including suction and discharge
scrubbers, and cooling system.
11.
Wash Water Towers. Internals specification must to be included.
12.
Wash Water Riser and Pumping and Filtering System.
13.
Fuel Gas Dehydrator System.
14.
Fuel Gas Metering System.
15.
Interfaces with Gas engines
16.
Close drain and sewage treatment unit.
17.
Flare System including supplemental fuel system.
Is Vendor scope:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

To review and consolidate Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs).

To develop Process Heat and Material Balance Sheets.
To develop preliminary Utility Flow Diagrams.
To develop Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs).
Equipment, Line and Control and Relief Valves Sizing Calculations.

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6. Equipment layout for Offshore Gas Extraction Facility.

7. Equipment layout for Onshore Treatment Facility.
Upon approval of P&ID and equipment layouts, is in Vendor Scope to develop the
corresponding:
1. Piping size studies.
2. Process and utilities pipe specifications and datasheets.
3. Preliminary Piping Materials Take-Off.
Vendor Scope of work includes the specifications and data sheets for control, electrical
and safety systems for both offshore and onshore facilities. Vendor must to develop
specification and datasheets for:
1. SCADA system
2. Control and Monitoring equipment.
3. Determine parasitic power requirements and supply system for onshore and
offshore facilities, including data sheet and specification for black start
generator.
4. Motor Control Center (MCC).
5. Battery System and UPS.
6. Transformers.
7. Firewall Design and Details (if required).
As part of the above systems, Vendor must to develop:
1. Preliminary Electrical Diagrams.
2. Preliminary Control System Diagrams.
3. SAFE Charts and Safety Flow Diagrams.
4. Hazardous Area Classification Plans.
5. MCC schematics
6. Cable Schedules.
7. Electrical Studies/Reports and Calculations.
8. Electrical Loads Lists.
9. Instrumentation Specifications/Datasheets.
10. Safety Equipment List
11. Gas Measurement Skid specification and date sheet
12. Instrument datasheets for off-skid instruments.
13. I/O Lists
14. Fire and Gas Detection System Design Philosophy.
15. Fire and Gas Detection System Specification.
16. Control and Shutdown System Philosophy.
17. Instrument Index.

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6.

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Design Conditions

The following operating conditions will be the basis for the design of the project:

6.1

Local Conditions

Table 1
Design Climatic Conditions
Air Temperature
Min 10oC Max 32oC
Average 22C
Rainfall
To be Determined
Water Surface Elevation
1462 m above Sea Level
Atmospheric Pressure
Min 0.8336 bar
Max 0.8515 bar
Relative Humidity
Average 60% Max 100%

6.2

Feed Water Composition

The design fluid properties of the raw water produced at the production facility site
from a depth of 355 m, the depth from which the water will be lifted, is based on
composition obtained from scientific reports including the June 2006 Report on
Lake Stability.
Table 2 describes some of the more important characteristics at -355 m below
water level.
Table 2
Feed Water Characteristics

Mass Flow
Volumetric Flow
Water Temperature
Water Density
Mole Fraction

Water Properties

Kg/h
m3/day
C
g/cc
CH4
CO2
H2S
N2
O2
H2O
PH
Alkalinity
Ca
Na
Cl

16,518,280 (for 14MW Power Plant)

393,014
25
1.003
0.0002930
0.0018250
0.0000083
0.0000130
--0.9978607
6.16
69 mM
3.46 mM
18.89 mM
2.07 mM

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Water inlet to subsea water separator will be located at -20m below water level,
average temperature at water surface is estimated at 24 C.

6.3

Export Pipeline
Drop of pressure on export pipelines must to be calculated considering the pipe
properties listed in table below

Material

---

Length
Outside Diameter
Wall Thickness
Weight in Air
Internal Surface
roughness

m
mm
mm
kg/m
mm

6.4

Reinforced Plastic
(suitable for this application)
2500
150
12.5
5.9
0.0015

Fuel Gas Specifications

Currently, the plan is to install Wartsila engines to meet the power generation
schedule requirements. The gas supply conditions for these engines are described
in Table 3.
Table 3
Gas Supply Conditions 14 MW Facility (Phase 1)
Number of Engines
2
Model
Wartsila
Fuel Gas Rate per Engine at full 2800 nm3/h (std.)
load at Std Conditions
Delivery Pressure
5 to 10 Bar (g)
Delivery Temperature
5 to 50 C
The gas delivery temperature shall be minimum
Gas Dew Point
15 C above the hydrocarbon and water de
point
Gas Pipe line Lower Heating 36 MJ/m3N minimum
value (LHV)1
Gas Pipe line Methane number2
80 minimum
Methane contents, CH4
Minimum 70 % Vol.
Carbon Dioxide, CO2
Maximum 20% Vol.
Hydrogen Sulphide, H2S
Maximum 0.05% Vol.

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Total sulphur
Maximum 5 mg/Kg
Hydrogen, H2
Maximum 3% Vol.
Water
and
Hydrocarbon Not Allowed
condensates before the engine
Ammonia
Maximum 25 mg/m3N
Chlorine + Fluorines
Maximum 50 mg/m3N
Particles or solids, content
Maximum 50 mg/m3N
Particles or solids sizes
Maximum 5m
1
Values given in m3N are at 0 C and 101.3 kPa.
2
Methane number (MN) determined by the program AVL 3.2 with engine specific
corrections, Minimum value dependent on receiver temperature. This is not CH4
content, Wartsila to calculate MN once final gas composition given.

7. Process Simulation
The gas extraction and removal process in the gas extraction facility is highly
unique and is one that has not been studied in depth previously on a process
simulation level. Earlier attempts at modeling the process have been misleading
because ill-suited fluid packages have been employed.
The majority of the fluid system consists of polar components (see table 2), we
can see that CH4 is the only hydrocarbon component and that the vast majority of
the fluid consists of polar components. Consequently, we see the need to find a
fluid package that accounts for an abundance of polar, non-ideal character.
Activity models are dual-approach correlations which use empirical data to predict
interactions in the liquid-phase non-ideal regions and apply a conventional EOS to
the ideal portions of the solution. Some activity models include NRTL, Wilson, and
UNIQUAC. Due to the large relative amounts of polar, non-ideal components
(H2O and CO2), a proper Activity model must to be applied to the process
simulation of gas extraction and treating facilities.
Activity models work by invoking binary interaction parameters (BIPs). These BIPs
are used by the activity model to calculate how one component will interact with
another in the fluid mixture. Fluid Package to be used must to contain a well suited
library of BIPs for gas extraction process and must to be suited to handle no-ideal
fluid systems.

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7.1

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Gas Extraction and Treating Process

Attachments in section 5 include the proposed Process Flow Diagram for the
Offshore Gas Extraction and Onshore Gas Treating Facilities.

7.1.1 Offshore Gas Extraction Facilities:

1. The water inlet will be located at 355m below water level, water
composition and properties as per Table 2. Feed water will be lifted to gas
separator by an auto siphon process and gas lifting effects.
2. The gas separators will be located at 20m below water level; gas separator
will operate at ambient temperature and hydrostatic pressure. Degassed
water will be returned to the Lake at 280m below water level. Two
separators operating in parallel are considered to produce the fuel gas
required for a 14MW power plant. An efficiency of 75% is recommended
for gas separators.
3. Raw gas produced in gas separator will be feed to a compression train
located on a barge in the Lake.
4. A multistage compression train integrated by two compressor skids
working in parallel will raise the raw gas pressure in order to be delivered
to the onshore gas treatment facilities.
5.

The capacities of compressors, cooling requirements and water discharge

flows must to be establishing in order to provide enough information for the
sizing and design of compression system.

6. Compression train must provide the raw gas with enough pressure to
account for the drop of pressure on the export gas pipeline, see section 3.3
for export gas pipeline characteristics.

7.1.2 Onshore Gas Treating Facilities:

1. Raw gas from offshore facilities will be recompressed in order to be feed
into the wash water towers.
2. Raw gas pressure must to be establish in order optimize the CH4
recovering process.

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3. No solvents or additives are considered to be added to wash water to be

feed into the wash water towers, wash water will be fresh water from Lake
Kivu at ambient temperature. A sensitivity study must to be done in order
to establish the optimal operation parameters and sizes of wash water
towers (two wash water towers are considered to treat the gas required by
a 14MW power plan).
4. A compression train will be required to deliver the fuel gas to the power
generation facilities; gas engines are considered to be contiguous to gas
treatment plant.
5. Gas treatment facilities must to deliver fuel gas according to the fuel gas
requirements established in Table 3.
6. Process simulation must to provide enough data in order to perform
detailed design of systems and equipment for Gas Extraction Facility and
Gas Treatment Facility.

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8. PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM (PFD)

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9. OFFSHORE GAS EXTRACTION FACILITY SCHEMATICS

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