Role of Digital Twins in the LNG Supply Chain

Iftekhar A. Karimi
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
National University of Singapore
 The LNG Supply Chain

• Natural gas (NG): Abundant, Cleanest fossil fuel

 More than 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated from natural gas!

• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Most preferred option for long distance transport
 Condensed form of NG at about –160℃
 Economical due to reduction in volume by 600
 Choice to import rich or lean LNG, promotes energy security
LNG Supply chain

Storage and
NG Production GAS Pre-treatment GAS Liquefaction LNG Shipping LNG GAS Distribution
Regasification

Saeid Mokhatab, J. M., Jaleel Valappil and David A. Wood (2014). Handbook of Liquefied Natural Gas. 321-357 [8]
 Key Features
LNG Supply chain

Ambient Ambient
Heat Leak Heat Leak

NG Storage and
GAS Pre-treatment GAS Liquefaction LNG Shipping LNG GAS Distribution
Production Regasification

• Heat leak into cryogenic LNG vaporizes a part to create BOG

 Must be well-managed to avoid flaring and safety concerns

• Each step requires significant energy and cost.

 Liquefaction / Reliquefaction is highly energy-intensive
 Current regasification methods waste all that energy

• Huge scope for optimization at each step

and across the supply chain!

Lim, W., Choi, K., & Moon, I. (2013). Current Status and Perspectives of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plant Design. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 52, 3065-3088.
 Variety of Decisions

• Optimal design for a process in the LNG supply chain

 With a fixed configuration/scheme
 Synthesize a new configuration/scheme

• Optimal operation of an existing/functional plant

 Obtain the best operating conditions/strategy (operational optimization)
 Usually to minimize energy consumption

• Optimal maintenance schedule to prevent faults

 Condition-monitoring of process equipment

• Optimal process control strategies Cannot experiment? Can we?

• Optimal LNG cargo scheduling

 Digital Twins

• Digital Twin: Digital replica of a system specifically developed for an application

• Digital twins come in many forms: Multi-scale, multi-purpose, multi-approach

 Steady-state vs. Dynamic
 Design vs. Operation
 CFD vs. Systems-level
 First-principles vs. Data-driven vs. Surrogates

• Why digital twins?

 Simulation: Understand the behavior of a system
 Optimization: Obtain best performance from a system
 Control: Ensure safe and regulated operation of a system
 Condition-monitoring: Monitor the health of a system
 Our Case Studies using Digital Twins
• NG Pre-treatment:
 Nitrogen rejection/removal

• NG liquefaction:
 Optimal design
 Operational optimization

• LNG Transport:
 Strategies to minimize boil-off gas losses

• Regasification terminal:
 Operational Optimization, retrofit, and design
 LNG heating value adjustment
 LNG cold energy utilization
 Condition-monitoring and prescriptive maintenance

• Distribution:
 Custom model for pressure regulators
 Predictive flow-metering
 Condition-monitoring and prescriptive maintenance
 Nitrogen Removal/Rejection
• Developed digital twins for the single–
column and multi-column nitrogen
rejection processes.

• Used simulation-based optimization to

minimize their energy consumption.

• Compared their energy consumption for a

range of N2 content in the feed NG.
 Design of NG liquefaction
• Developed an advanced process model for multistream heat
exchangers (MHEXs)

• Our model is specifically developed for process design

 Find equipment capacities and optimal operating conditions

• Illustrations on two NG liquefaction cycles

 5% lower power consumption than literature results
 Operational Optimization of NG liquefaction

• Operational optimization requires us to know equipment capacities

of an existing and functional process

• Heat exchange characteristics of multistream heat exchangers

(MHEXs) are usually unknown due to their proprietary designs

• Developed a data-driven predictive model for an existing MHEX

 Case study on a real 3-bundle MHEX from a C3MR plant

• Demonstrated operational optimization using a simple C3MR case

study
 Minimizing boil-off losses in LNG transport

• Recall that heat leak into cryogenic LNG vaporizes a part of it to form
boil-off gas (BOG)

• Performed rigorous dynamic simulation of boil-off gas losses during

LNG transport
 Considering effects of LNG composition, nitrogen content, tank pressure,
etc.

• Determined optimal heel for varying voyage lengths and LNG

composition
 Energy-efficient LNG regasification

• Extensive research on LNG

regasification in collaboration with
SLNG
 Energy Market Authority (EMA)-funded
projects
 Unparalleled expertise

• Developed rigorous dynamic

simulation twin for the SLNG terminal
 Provided several practically feasible
operational strategies to reduce power
consumption up to 35 % !

 Simple retrofit recommendations to

debottleneck current operations

• Detailed CFD model for the LNG tank!

 Considers static pressure and sensible heat
 Captures the complex boiling mechanism
 Provides precise temperature profiles in
the tank
 Estimates BOG generation
 Energy- and cost-efficient LNG regasification

• Derived new energy- and cost-efficient process

schemes for LNG regasification for future
terminal designs
 Two-stage recondensation is both energy- and cost-
efficient!

• Developed alternative methods to reduce

heating value of LNG by recovering heavy
hydrocarbons
 Allows Singapore to import heavy LNG too!
 7-10% profit depending on the heating value of LNG feed
 Pressure Regulators and Flow-metering
• Pressure regulators are crucial components in the NG distribution
system

• Usually have complex and proprietary designs

• Developed a data-based predictive digital twin for pressure

regulators
 Novel modeling approach: Regulator modeled as a feedback control loop
 Useful for condition-monitoring

• NG distribution has several blind-spots as flow sensors cannot be

installed
 Inaccurate flow metering, a big concern
 Current work on predictive flow-metering
 Prescriptive Maintenance And Self-configuring
Control For Singapore’s Gas Assets
• Current work on prescriptive maintenance and self-configuring process control for
SLNG and SP (Powergas)
 Recent EMA-funded project in collaboration with SLNG and SP (Powergas)

• Integrate Digital twins with machine learning techniques for condition-monitoring

 Digital twins + machine learning techniques = Powerful combination!

 Huge scope but limited maturity!

 Fault-detection and diagnosis using this hybrid approach enhances reliability

 Enable prescriptive maintenance (vs preventive maintenance)

 Provide warnings before disruptions

 Improved process control

• Hope to demonstrate a prescriptive maintenance and self-configuring control

framework on large-scale real assets with full complexity
 What Do We Offer?

• Demonstrated excellence in natural & artificial intelligence in process systems

engineering for 30+ years.

• Proven track record to engage and liaise with industry partners

• State-of-the-art methods, models, and tools

• Insightful technical consultations

 Conclusions
• Discussed digital twins for decision support in the LNG supply chain

• Several examples on the use of digital twins with real and significant impacts!

• Partner with Our Group.

 Leverage Singapore funding on Industrial Energy Efficiency

 Benefit from the state-of-the-art

 Effect technology transfer by working with us

• Real issues and problems will enhance our relevance, challenge us, and
advance the state-of-the-art!
Thank you.
Questions?

18