3D SIM 8020 Condensate Tank Farm

The condensate tank farm is based on part of a real gas receiving and production facility for Southern North Sea, UK. The process is used to store produced liquids from the gas production process.

The process has 2 feed stocks, stabilised and unstabilised condensate that both contain water and methanol. Unstabilised is the raw condensate that has gone through a simple flash process to remove the lightest components. The stabilised condensate is heated and then flashed to remove a greater proportion of the lighter components.

The process plant has 2 types of storage tanks that can be used, fixed roof and floating roof. The fixed roof can take both the stabilised and unstabilised condensate whereas the floating roof can only take the stabilised. Each tank also acts as a separation vessel and often has a level of water and methanol at the bottom and a level of condensate on the top. The fixed roof vessels have natural gas blanket systems to maintain a constant internal pressure within them.

These different liquids once separated can then be collated into single vessels and then dispatched to 1 of 3 different export routes: Tanker Loading, Onsite Vessel T2601 and Export Pipeline.

The process contains 5 different pairs of pumps that perform various functions. Some can do more than one job also as the process has a lot of routing flexibility built into it.

The contents in each vessel can be individually modified by the instructor to allow easy setup of any process configuration.

• Learn about blending and logistics when operating parts of a tank farm.
• Understand how tank farm operation differs from other types of process operation.
• Navigate complex pipe and valve networks.
• Balancing demands against supply.
• Use of off spec storage to optimise operability and recovery.
• Understand the safest ways to lineout the plant for different operations.
• Understand how to safely isolate parts of a plant before plant maintenance takes place.
• Learn how Control Room and Field Operators have to communicate clearly and effectively, especially under adverse conditions.