日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

空冷式 LNG プラントにおける Hot Air Recirculation (HAR)
Hot Air Recirculation Phenomenon in an Air Cooled LNG Plant
久保田 圭*1
Kei Kubota*1*1 エンジニアリング本部 EN テクノロジーセンター*1 EN Technology Center, Engineering Division
Abstract:
With the push towards air cooled systems in modern liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants,
the need for better methods for analyzing the dispersion of hot air exiting the air-cooledheat exchangers (ACHE) is becoming increasingly important. One focus for improving theLNG plant production rates is the control of hot air recirculation (HAR) around the ACHEunits and gas turbines. Current computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods for modeling
HAR in LNG plants do not sufficiently consider the site weather conditions for the input
parameter, resulting in a decreased accuracy of the CFD models. This paper highlights theneed for CFD models to include detailed long term weather data in order to accurately
simulate the HAR phenomenon. CFD results have shown close agreement with actual
temperature data taken around ACHE and gas turbine air intake locations.
１． Introduction
One of the main contributors to the production capacity being constrained for LNG
plants is the rise in the local air temperature caused by rejected heat from the large banksof air-cooled heat exchangers (ACHE). ACHEs are large fans sitting atop the main pipe
racks that are used to cool the process fluids for the LNG plant. A rise in the intake airtemperature caused by hot air recirculation (HAR), the phenomenon in which the hot airfrom the ACHEs flows back into the ACHE intake or the intake of other equipment such as
the gas turbines, is a critical issue that the plant owner/operator faces. The performance ofthe ACHEs and gas turbines can be significantly influenced by the temperature of theintake air into the ACHEs and turbine drivers. A 1ºC temperature rise can end up costing
the plant owner millions of dollars per month, which is why HAR has been a major concern
for owners in recent years.
The ACHE intake air temperature is strongly influenced by the weather conditions at
the site such as wind direction and wind speed. The following are the two modes of HAR,
which are heavily dependent on the weather conditions at the site (as shown in see Fig.1).
•

Recirculation of hot air from the exhaust of an adjacent train when the wind blows
perpendicular to the LNG trains•

Recirculation of hot air within the same train, or self-recirculation
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日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

Fig.1

Two modes of HAR.

Malaysia LNG (MLNG) Tiga shown in Fig.2 is an air-cooled, gas turbine driven LNG
plant which consists of two LNG trains (Train 7 and 8). The plant utilizes Propane
Pre-cooled Mixed Refrigerant (C3-MR) by Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APCI) withexpanders for the liquefaction process. As an air-cooled LNG plant, the performance of theACHEs is critical in ensuring sustainable LNG plant production.
HAR impacts the performance of the ACHEs and the gas turbine drivers of therefrigeration compressors for MLNG Tiga. The performance of the propane condenser,
which accounts for nearly half of the ACHEs for MLNG Tiga, is especially sensitive to theintake air temperature. The ability of the LNG plant to produce LNG is determined by theperformance of the ACHEs such as the propane condenser as well as the gas turbines.

Fig.2

MLNG Tiga Train 7 and Train 8.
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日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

An in-depth understanding of the relationship between the weather conditions anddegree of HAR can considerably benefit the operation of an LNG plant. A better
understanding of HAR can also provide clues to mitigating this issue.
This paper introduces a study which combines a thorough analysis of actual plant datacollected at the MLNG Tiga plant with results from CFD analysis. Data from 152
temperature sensors installed near the air intakes of the ACHE units and wind data fromtwo weather stations were used to verify the accuracy of the CFD simulation. CFD isshown to be an effective engineering tool in large-scale fluid flow applications. This paper
also proves how effective this combined approach is in understanding the HAR
phenomenon.
２． Owner/Operator Perspective on HAR
HAR in MLNG Tiga is normally observed during the day time around 10:00 to 16:00, andat night from 21:00 to 23:00. The impact of HAR on the plant production is significant sinceit largely occurs around the propane condenser, which has more than half of the totalcooling duty provided by all the ACHEs in the liquefaction unit.
The HAR issue has been a major factor in a number of plant slowdowns and trips eversince the 2003 commissioning of MLNG Tiga. However, as the panel operators have become
more experienced in handling the plant operation during HAR conditions, the number ofplant trips due to HAR has dropped significantly. The last plant trip was recorded in 2007.
Although plant trips due to HAR have been eliminated, plant slowdowns are still a concern
in order to sustainably maximize the LNG capacity from MLNG Tiga. Fig.3 below shows atypical plant slowdown cycle due to HAR for MLNG Tiga. See ref[1] for additional details ofthe plant operator’s experience in dealing with HAR.

Plant Slowdown due to Hot Air Recirculation
353025+5%

20Target

15
10-5%

5020-07-12

21-07-12

Air Intake Temp (C3 Subcooler)
Air Intake Temp (MR aftercooler)
LNG ProdFig.3

LNG Production

Air Intake Temperature (degC)4022-07-12

Air Intake Temp (C3 Condenser)
Air Intake Temp (MR aftercooler)
LNG Target

Plant slowdown due to HAR for MLNG Tiga.
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日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

A study conducted in 2012 showed that an increase of 1ºC in the ACHE air intake
temperatures can contribute to a significant LNG production loss per train.
３． Site Weather Analysis
A thorough assessment of the site weather conditions, particularly the wind direction
and wind speed, is critical for an air-cooled LNG plant. Collecting accurate long term winddata is essential in understanding the relationship between the wind conditions and HAR.
For this purpose, data from the plant was collected for nearly one year from April 2011 toJanuary 2012 using two weather stations. The weather stations were installed near theMLNG Tiga area to measure wind direction, wind speed, and ambient temperature.
The wind data was divided into 16 wind directions and 6 wind speed ranges, with true
north set at 0 degrees. Plant north is oriented 29.5 degrees in the counter clockwise
direction of true north. All measured wind directions are based on the true direction. Fig.4
below shows the frequency of occurrence (or wind rose) for each of the 16 wind directions
measured at the two weather stations.
%

Fig.4

%

WeatherWeatherStation 1

Station 2

Wind rose for entire measurement period (April 2011 to January 2012).

Although differences exist for the two measurements due to their locations, the diurnal
wind pattern appears to be similar. Winds near the seashore often exhibit a pattern ofinterchanging land and sea breeze throughout one day [2].
４． Influence of the Wind on ACHE Intake Temperatures
Temperature sensors installed for this HAR study were used along with permanent
sensors to monitor ACHE and gas turbine air intake temperatures throughout the entire
measurement period. A total of 152 temperature sensors were used to record temperaturesat an interval of 10 minutes. The temperature sensors were evenly distributed throughout
Train 7 and Train 8 so that an accurate temperature contour for the intake temperatures
could be obtained. A detailed comparison with the CFD results can be made as a result of
the large amount of temperature data collected. Fig.5 shows the installation locations foreach of the ACHE air intake sensors for Train 8 (identical locations for Train 7).
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日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

Fig.5

Installation locations for Train 8 ACHE temperature sensors (72 sensors/train).

As mentioned earlier, a major issue that the plant operator has experienced is thesudden rise in the Train 8 propane condenser air intake temperatures in the day time due
to HAR. Although the night time effects of HAR on plant performance cannot be ignored,
HAR has a much more detrimental impact during the day since temperatures are alreadyelevated and close to the ACHE design limit. Based on the temperature data collected at
the weather stations, the mean daily maximum ambient temperature was found to beapproximately 30ºC. Ambient temperatures generally reached a peak around 14:00. For
this reason, this paper focused on the day time ACHE air intake temperatures.
Fig.6 shows the Train 8 average propane condenser temperature rise under various winddirections for steady wind conditions. Elevated ACHE air intake temperatures were clearlyseen from the data for winds perpendicular to the trains (cross winds). The local
temperature rise for several bays were much higher than the averages shown in Fig.6.

Intake Temperature Rise (°C)

4.0
3.5

3.4

Cross Winds

Parallel Winds

2.9Avg Temperature Rise
Tr-8 C3 Condenser

3.0
2.5

2.3

2.0

1.7

1.5

1.5

1.3

1.5

1.0
0.5
0.0
WSW

Perpendicular
to Train

Fig.6

W

WNW

NW

Wind Direction

NNWParallelto Train

NNNETrain 8 propane condenser, average measured temperature rise(intake minus ambient) under day time wind directions.
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日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

５． Understanding the HAR Phenomenon using CFD
CFD is commonly used in order to understand the complex 3-dimensiontal nature of
fluid flow for individual equipment within an LNG plant. With the growing availability ofmore powerful computers, CFD can now be used to evaluate the fluid flow at a larger scale
as in the study presented in this paper. For this study, the flow characteristics of the hot
air from the ACHE outlets were determined using CFD under different wind conditions.
The flow and temperature fields for the MLNG Tiga plant were simulated using the CFD
software CFX 14.0 developed by ANSYS. The CFD model includes buildings, compressor
enclosures, tanks, columns, vessels, drums, stacks, heat exchangers, and other equipment
aside from the ACHEs and gas turbines that may significantly influence the air flow ortemperature distribution within the plant. The CFD simulation model which was used inthis study is shown in Fig.7. The effects of the atmosphere and turbulence were consideredin properly simulating the wind for this analysis [3, 4].

PlantNorthTrain 7Train 8Fig.7

MLNG Tiga CFD model

５．１ CFD Results for Cross Wind Case
The measured wind data shown in Fig.4 was used as the basis for determining theconditions for the CFD simulation. In order to study the effects of a day time wind, arepresentative wind direction at an intermediate wind speed of 2 m/s was chosen for thisstudy. HAR generally does not occur under calm winds. The WNW wind, which represents
a relatively frequent cross wind direction, was chosen as the case to consider for this study.
The results from the CFD analysis were used to understand the HAR phenomenon. Several
outputs from the CFD analysis are shown in Fig.8.
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日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

Fig.8

Temperature contour (left) and hot plume (right) for WNW wind.

Fig.8 shows a large volume of hot air from Train 7 flowing toward Train 8 for the WNWwind. This hot air reaches the Train 8 ACHEs and raises the air intake temperatures
mainly on the west side of Train 8. Both self-recirculation and HAR from the upstream
Train 7 is observed under this cross wind, leading to high Train 8 intake temperatures.
５．２ CFD Results vs. Site Data
In order to assess the impact of HAR, the intake temperatures to the ACHEs and gas
turbines were calculated using CFD. The temperature rise above the ambient temperature
at the intake of each of the ACHE bays and gas turbines due to HAR were determined.
These results were used to identify locations of ACHE air intake hot spots and comparedwith the site temperature data.
A comparison between the site data and CFD temperature rise results for a steady WNWwind are shown in Fig.9. The average temperature rise for each of the ACHE bays isprovided in the figure. The gas turbine temperatures are also shown. The CFD results
show a very close match with actual site data. Both the site data and CFD results show
local hot spots toward the southern part of the propane condenser (E-91445), with anumber of bays approximately 6 ºC above the ambient temperature.

SiteDataFig.9

CFD

Temperature rise above ambient, site measured data vs. CFD (WNW wind).
7Copyright(C) 2014 JGC All rights reserved.日揮技術ジャーナル Vol.3 No.2 (2014)

The results have proven the effectiveness of CFD in understanding the HAR
phenomenon at an actual plant. However, CFD alone cannot explain everything since there
are limitations in simulating nature. Therefore, an extensive amount of site experienceand data is crucial in assessing the CFD results and ultimately dealing with HAR.
６． Conclusion
An increase in the air intake temperatures of the ACHEs and gas turbines due to HAR
can lead to a detrimental loss of production for an air-cooled LNG plant. As explained inthis paper, HAR cannot be dealt with lightly, and understanding when and how it occurs isof utmost importance for any plant owner/operator in solving this issue.
The integration of actual data from the plant site and CFD analysis has proven to beeffective in understanding the HAR phenomenon at MLNG Tiga. Since weather conditions
such as the wind direction and wind speed strongly influence the degree of HAR observed,
accurate long term wind measurements of must be taken. The weather data must be
carefully evaluated first before using it as input to the CFD model to ensure the reliabilityof the CFD simulation. The CFD results were shown to match well with actual site ACHE
data from MLNG Tiga.
The method presented in this paper in analyzing HAR was demonstrated to be effective
for an existing LNG plant. However, constraints for a plant once it is constructed cansignificantly limit the mitigation measures that can be considered, which was the case for
MLNG Tiga. By taking into account the impact of HAR early, a plethora of ideas based on
experience can be proposed to optimize the plant for maximum LNG production.
JGC has been engaged in studies since 2008 to develop the CFD methods for analyzing
the HAR phenomenon. These studies have led to major improvements in the accuracy ofthe CFD simulations. A large volume of measurements from other LNG plants have also
been used to verify the accuracy of the CFD. Developments in the CFD methods are being
applied on various LNG projects in the FEED and EPC phases, when the most optimal plot
plan and equipment layout to reduce HAR need to be determined.
References1.

Farhana S, Kubota K. Understanding of hot air recirculation phenomena in an
air-cooled base load LNG plant, Proc LNG 17 Conf. 2013.

2.

Wallace JM, Hobbs PV. Atmospheric science: An introductory survey: 2nd Edition.
Academic Press, Burlington, 2006.

3.

Garratt JR. The atmospheric boundary layer, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1992.

4.

Richards PJ, Hoxey RP. Appropriate boundary conditions for computational windengineering using k-ε turbulence model, J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynamics. 1993;46-47;
145−153.

8Copyright(C) 2014 JGC All rights reserved.