Dutch technology firm Frames has completed a high integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) and fluid buffer system for the mooring solutions specialist SOFEC.
Both are designed and build for the external mooring system of a floating LNG (FLNG) vessel. The project is the first cooperation between Frames and SOFEC.
The FLNG vessel will be designed to produce 1.5 million metric tons of LNG each year. Frames takes responsibility for the integration testing and certification of the complete safety loop.
The HIPPS protects the FLNG vessel and its turret from over-pressurization, by shutting off the source. “Our HIPPS makes it possible to design a turret for lower pressure, which is more cost efficient and lighter than a turret dealing with high pressure. This even results in a lighter FLNG vessel," says Thomas de Wolf, Product Manager at Frames Flow Control & Safeguarding.
Although a HIPPS is not a new solution in the oil and gas industry, it is becoming more popular. Emission reduction is an important reason. “A HIPPS supports oil and gas producers to reduce emissions, because the shutoff prevents emissions. Therefore a HIPPS is a valuable solution to the stricter environmental requirements that we are dealing with these days,” says De Wolf.
A HIPPS plays a crucial role in site safety. By automatically bringing dangerous processes to a predictably safe state within a defined safety time, the system protects site personnel, the general public, and the environment, as well as valuable production assets.
The fluid buffer system is a highly specialized and critical hydraulic system for the mooring system. Frames is very experienced with these types of systems.