LNG: Atlas Copco to supply world?s 1st floating LNG plant

Swedish firm Atlas Copco announced on Friday it has won a multi-million USD contract to supply six turboexpander compressors for a new type of application related to liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The customer, Norway-based KANFA Aragon A.S., part of the Sevan Marine Group, will use the equipment for the world?s first floating natural gas liquefaction plant.

Installed aboard a so-called M-flex storage vessel, the six turboexpander compressors will be a driving force at the plant, used to produce the low-temperature nitrogen necessary in the liquefaction process.

LNG-FPSO (Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading) is an emerging application in offshore gas processing, designed to safely process and store natural gas extracted from a nearby offshore site until it can be offloaded to an LNG tanker. The first site is expected to be off the coast of Nigeria.

Operating at full capacity, the vessel can treat and liquefy 1.7 million tons of gas each year.(alex)