OBSERVATION
The cold testing of nine Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanks was on the commissioning phase critical path to achieving production startup for this Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) platform.
Reducing the Cold Tank Testing (CTT) program timeframe had become critical to reducing overall project costs and accelerating the project’s production phase.
ORIENTATION
The consortium contracted to deliver the project engaged an ORBIZ team of Lean and asset management specialists to facilitate a Breakthrough Event that engaged participants from the four stakeholder organisations.
The event would involve developing an agreed CTT schedule to meet the desired timeframe of the joint-venture customer whilst maintaining the overall project risk profile and health, safety and environmental objectives.
The purpose of the five-day event that included end-to-end analysis across ten fields of speciality was to:
- Map out a detailed program view to ensure a common understanding of the scope and associated roles and responsibilities.
- Identify activities to be completed in parallel to enable schedule compression.
- Define resourcing requirements and plan continuous and efficient work for each party.
OPTIMISATION
Mapping the end-to-end LNG CTT sequence revealed 271 process steps. Analysis of the process highlighted 15 opportunities for improvement and five critical concerns that required further study. Two of these areas required immediate attention due to their potential impact on the critical path. These areas were the Permit to Work (PTW) and Secondary Barrier Tank Testing (SBTT) processes.
A deep dive study of the PTW and SBTT processes revealed a combined 89 process steps. Analysis of these processes highlighted 24 opportunities for improvement and a further 11 critical concerns that would require risk mitigation.
A series of Lean principles were applied to capitalise on a total of 39 improvement opportunities identified. These methodologies included Quick Changeover, Standardise Work and 8-Wastes.
Key improvements introduced included:
- The removal of non-critical path activities from the overall schedule.
- Assigning multiple workgroups to allow for parallel task completion.
- Standardisation of pipe spool relocation activities.
- Implementation of optimised PTW process.
- The development of contingency plans for all critical path activities.
The event concluded with a presentation to project sponsors from across the consortium. The output presented included a clearly defined and agreed schedule of work, detailed resourcing requirements, critical risks and contingency plans, and a detailed register of additional improvement opportunities and actions.
IMPACT
- CTT schedule lead time reduced by 467 hours, delivering a 14% improvement by removing non-critical activities from the critical path.
- Working hours utilisation rate increased by 57% by streamlining resource planning (53% utilisation to 83%).
- Commissioning program lead time was reduced by 714 hours, delivering a 21% improvement.