As you can see by the photo, it can be a very picturesque place to work, that photo being taken from the top of an LNG Tank, looking over the jetty towards the Islands. And its not just a rare event, most sunsets each day are more spectacular. Because the plant is set on a little spur on the Burrup, two thirds of the plant is surrounded by water.
Makes a nice environment to work in, especially when you are a storage and loading operator, the storage area circumnavigating the coast line.
The job itself is quite busy, handling the storage and ship loading of finished product, LNG, Propane, Butane and Condensate (light crude oil) being the exports, along with looking after a couple of small process units, recovering boil off gas from the liquefied gas tanks, boil off being necessary to keep the tanks cold, and as a liquid. The tanks are only just above atmospheric pressure, 3.5kpa or 0.035 of a bar, the LNG tanks at cryogenic temp of -160 deg. A few spheres complete the unit, storing liquid propane and Ethane, for use of refrigerant needed by the LNG trains.
A good deal of time is spent on the jetty, getting ships alongside and ready for loading, attaching loading arms, cooling down line work, and getting loading underway. The loading heads are hydraulic and clamp onto the ships manifold. No nuts and bolts here. The LNG ships are impressive, we hold loading meetings, up on the bridge, very space age feel about them. Had a few good tours of the ships, and the crew don't lack for much, Sat TV, indoor swimming pool, gym, bar etc. Mind you, nine weeks on board at a stint, you would need a few comforts. The LNG ships are powered by steam, a really unimpressive, quite small turbine drives the prop, the steam produced in boilers fired by the boil off gas of LNG in ships tanks. They can also run on diesel.
We load LNG at a max rate of 10,000 cubic metres an hour, ships taking about 12 hours to load. A fair amount of saleable gas at the other end, when you expand the liquid amount 600 times to a gaseous phase. As the jetty's have a wide exclusion zone, they form an unofficial marine sanctuary, an abundance of sights to see.
You fishermen out there would froth at some of the sights, 100kg Giant Trevally herding bait fish beside the ships, cobial mackeral, sailfish, sharks etc and the more scenic views of dolphins, whales and turtles splashing about.
The rest of the plant encompasses a large area, 4 LNG trains (soon a fifth), Domestic gas production, condensate stabilisation and fractionation section, along with power generation and services area. All electricity generated on site. An amusing, brow beater; With all the LPG's about, where do you think Karratha gets their bottled gas from? Perth of course, in 9kg (or larger) swap a bottles, the LPG being pulled out of the Karratha to Perth Domestic gas line in Perth. In fact, a second Dom Gas pipeline, branches off to Port Headland, running very near Karratha. No household Gas for Karratha though, if you want Gas in your kitchen, buy the big bottles from Perth. Expensive too, a 9kg costs about $42. Some bright Aussie came up with that one!
Any old Refinery colleagues reading, will recognize the machine behind me as a multi stage compressor. In fact, its hard to see, but its actually two in line compressors, with a Gas Turbine at one end, and an Electric helper motor at the other. Yep, the electric is only a helper, making up about 20% of work, when compressors fully loaded. The photo's doesn't quite capture the gears size, but you could nearly park our land cruiser in the suction line work. Like K2, you can balance a coin on its edge on the bearing housing.
Quite impressive, one of the larger compressors in Train 4.
The people I work with are, in general very similar to those working at the refinery, same gripes, similar outlook, I think operators the world over. Most very easy going, like a laugh etc.
By saying world over, its truer than you think, a multicultural society here, Aussies, S.A's, Kiwis, Indians, Pakistanis, PNG, Philippines, Taiwan, Poms, Scottish, Chinese. A good bunch most of them, and a great place to work. Will be changing units soon to LNG, but have expressed an interest as a commissioning operator being offered currently, so may become a part of the Phase V team, commissioning the new LNG Train, Jetty, fractionation unit and BOG compressor as they are completed. It could be fun.
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