LNG Facilities Changing Regulations

Transcription

1 LNG Facilities Changing Regulations Alfonso Ibarreta, Ph.D., PE, CFEI, Delmar Trey Morrison, Ph.D., PE, CFEI, Ryan Hart, Ph.D., PE, CFEI, and Harri Kytomaa, Ph.D., PE, CFEI Exponent, Inc. Abstract Recent growth in availability of domestic natural gas has led to a growth in storage, use, and export of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from the US. As a consequence, many industry players are actively pursuing construction or expansion of LNG facility projects, at both large (import/export terminal) and small (LNG vehicle refueling) scales. The large-scale LNG facility permitting process is driven by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), based on the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 193, which is based on the requirements described in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 59A, Standard for the Production, Storage, and Handling of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Both CFR 193 and NFPA 59A have changed dramatically over the past few years, and are continuing to evolve independently. The regulatory requirements for the design of LNG fueling stations in the US depend on the location of the facility. Unlike large LNG storage facilities, the permitting process for LNG fueling stations is overseen by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), which could be the state or local fire marshal, or the local fire department. Also depending on the state, the permitting requirements will be governed by either the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Code (NFPA 1), or the International Fire Code (IFC). These two codes, in turn reference NFPA 52 Vehicular Fuel Systems Code, which applies to facilities with LNG storage in containers of 70,000 gallons or less. The IFC requires compliance with NFPA 59A. The evolving requirements, multitude of AHJs, and applicable standards make it challenging to determine what types of hazard analyses are required during the permitting process. This presentation will describe the current state of the LNG permitting process in the US and detail the analysis tools that are available to perform the appropriate hazard analyses. The authors will also provide an outlook as to the upcoming changes in US regulations.

2 Outline 1) Introduction a) LNG background i) What is LNG and why is it stored and transported (1) Properties (2) LNG Liquefaction (3) LNG Storage (4) LNG Transport ii) Brief history of LNG in the US iii) Growth of LNG export and use in US (1) Shale gas boom iv) LNG Safety Record 2) Types of LNG facilities a) LNG import and export terminals i) FERC & PHMSA regulators ii) USCG regulators b) LNG peak shaving plants i) FERC vs. non-ferc facilities c) LNG vehicle fueling stations i) Private versus public fueling stations. ii) Fleet fueling 3) Regulations a) Who is the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)? i) FERC / PHMSA ii) USCG iii) Local Fire Department iv) State board b) What are the applicable codes? i) Federal Regulations

3 (1) 49 CFR 193 Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities: Federal Safety Standards. (2) 40 CFR 68 Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions. (3) Recent changes to interpretations ii) State Regulations (1) Example: 220 CMR : Design, Operation, Maintenance and Safety of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plants and Facilities (2) Recent updates to state regulations: NY, MA iii) NFPA Codes (1) NFPA 59A, Standard for the Production, Storage, and Handling of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), 2001 and 2016 Editions (2) NFPA 52, Vehicular Gaseous Fuel Systems Code, 2016 Edition. (3) NFPA 30A, Code for Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages, 2015 Edition. (4) History of LNG fueling facilities NFPA regulations (5) Recent changes to requirements in NFPA codes 4) Hazards of LNG and CNG a) LNG i) Cryogenic liquid ii) Heavier-than-air vapor cloud iii) Liquid spill evaporation iv) Lack of odorant v) Liquefaction process refrigerants b) CNG i) High pressure ii) Lighter-than-air gas iii) Momentum-driven jet releases c) Types of consequences of flammable releases i) Radiation (1) Vapor cloud flash fire (2) Jet fire

4 (3) Pool fire ii) Overpressure (1) Unconfined Vapor Cloud Explosion (UVCE) not potential event (2) Confined Vapor Cloud Explosion (3) Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion d) Consequence Modelling Tools i) Integral models (1) PHAST (2) LNGFIREIII ii) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Models (1) Star-CCM (2) FLACS 5) Take-aways References [1] NFPA 1, Fire Code, 2015 Edition. [2] NFPA 30A, Code for Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages, 2015 Edition. [3] NFPA 52, Vehicular Gaseous Fuel Systems Code, 2016 Edition. [4] NFPA 57, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Vehicular Systems Code, 2002 Edition (Redacted). [5] NFPA 59A, Standard for the Production, Storage, and Handling of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), 2001 and 2016 Editions. [6] Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 193 Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities: Federal Safety Standards [7] Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR 68 Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions [8] National Association of State Fire Marshals, LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS: An Overview of the LNG Industry for Fire Marshals and Emergency Responders,

5 Hildebrand and Noll Associates, Inc., 2005 ( [9] Kohout A. U.S. Regulatory Framework and Guidance for Siting Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities A Lifecycle Approach. Proceedings of Mary Kay O Connor Process Safety Center, 15th International Symposium, College Station, Texas, October 23-25, [10] Fire Protection Research Foundation, Evaluating Vapor Dispersion Models for Safety Analysis of LNG Facilities Research Project, April [11] Fire Protection Research Foundation, LNG Source Term Models for Hazard Analysis: a Review of the State-of-the-Art and an Approach to Model Assessment, March [12] McInerny EH, Hart RJ, Morrison DR, Kytomaa HK, New Quantitative Risk Criteria for U.S. LNG Facilities, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2013 Spring Meeting, 9th Global Congress on Process Safety, San Antonio, Texas, April 28 May 1, [13] Ibarreta AF, Morrison DR, Kytömaa HK, Small scale and transportation: navigating the risk, LNG Industry Magazine 2014 Oct; [14] Ibarreta AF, Hart RJ, Morrison DR, Kytömaa HK, A view of the evolving LNG regulations and associated exclusion zones from an industry perspective, American Institute of Chemical Engineers 2013 Spring National Meeting, 13th Topical Conference on Gas Utilization, San Antonio, TX, April 28-May 2, 2013.