AGL raises roof of Newcastle LNG storage tank

AGL has raised the dome of its Newcastle Gas Storage Facility (NGSF) tank from the ground to its final height of 40 m.

On 4 April 2014, the 450 t dome was raised in a time of three hours from the floor of the partially constructed LNG tank to the top using two industrial fans.

Gas storage tank

Construction on the AU$ 310 million NGSF began in August 2012 and it is expected to be fully operational by May 2015. The 1.5 petajoule tank will provide the storage capability for up to two weeks of gas for the Greater Newcastle region, Australia, which can then be used as an adequate local gas supply during peak demand periods in the winter months.

AGL’s NGSF Construction Project Manager, Tim Knill, said it took many hours of careful planning and preparation to raise the roof and the “operation went smoothly”.

Comments

Knill commented: “The reason we raised the roof from the ground up, rather than build it at the top is because it’s actually the safest and easiest way to do it. Building it on the ground takes away the risk of suspending it in the air and working at heights.

“We had to factor in weather conditions before we could start but it went up without a hitch, which is a credit to the vast expertise we have working on this project.

“We raised the roof using two industrial fans. These fans raised the pressure under the dome roof sufficiently to lift it slowly into place. Once the roof reached the top of the tank, it was welded into position.

”It’s a concept that sounds impossible to most people but our contractor has been using this method successfully since 1962.”

Economic benefits

Knill added that preliminary research into the economic benefits of the project showed that the estimated annual combined economic contribution of the largest gas users in the Greater Newcastle Region was AU$ 2 billion, “and with looming gas supply shortages predicted for 2016 the cost of one day’s interrupted supply is estimated to be AU$ 5.5 million”.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/11042014/agl_raises_lng_storage_tank_roof_421/