PERFORMANCE OF THE WALLUMBILLA LPG PLANT

Abstract

Bridge Oil Ltd operates a turbo expander LPG recovery plant at Wallumbilla, near Roma, Queensland. Several novel techniques were adopted to ensure optimum performance under severe operating constraints caused by market characteristics and project economics. These were necessary to maximise recovery over a wide range of throughputs and rapidly fluctuating loads, whilst operating at the end of a two phase pipeline. Flexibility was achieved by recycling gas around the plant, and adopting appropriate control strategies to ensure rapid response to load changes.

The project schedule was compressed into 15 months by skid-mounting equipment, and eliminating various activities from the project schedule. Final design was based entirely on feasibility concepts without preparation of a formal project proposal. Protection against delays from wet weather during site work was also gained by shipping fully fabricated process skids to site.

Minor problems encountered after start-up were rectified for a cost considerably below the incremental revenues generated by the fast track construction philosophy.