The Steamtug Blog

As you now know, we are building 3 new LNG trains here in Southwest Louisiana, USA. My position is the shift manager and I have 24 troublesome little ducks working for me. So just like a good mother duck, I took them out from the nest in the offices as we were tired of shuffling paper, reading documents, and working out how all this is going to work. We went for a walk out on the construction site to see some of the major pieces of equipment which are being lifted onto freshly poured concrete foundations. It’s hard keeping them all together as their enthusiasm often has them walking off in opposite directions when they spot something interesting, like one of our new 130,000 horsepower gas turbines! The weather is hot. the humidity is 100% and there are many cases of heat stroke being reported out in the field. We have been cooped up in air conditioned offices for too long and don’t cope well being unaclimitised to the true conditions out of site.

We take copies of the plans and look what’s coming next and wonder how all the large bore pipework is going to get fitted up and made to work. Lots to do…. The main refrigerant will be pumped around our circuit by 2 Frame 7 General Electric gas turbines which an extra 15 mw’s of electric motor on the end as a helper. We are really keen to see them in position as they are the heart of the whole process, along with more than 200 fin fan coolers up on the top deck to blow off the low grade heat we need to condense the propane cooling which get’s heated up by the mixed refrigerant, which is used to cool the gas to a liquid at -260 degrees F. I hate using “F”!!! It should be -162 degrees C!!

I have been the shift supervisor before, but never had so many working for me all at once. Keeping track of who has taken a sick day off, when they need vacation, someone’s grandfather died, the other is about to become a first time father and is not sure when he needs the day off, another wants to have the last day of Ramadan off so he can attend his local mosque. Oh… it’s all such a headache!