Managing a logistical success

LACC LLC, a joint venture (JV) between Lotte Chemical USA and Westlake Corp., required nitrogen for the commissioning and start-up of a new chemical plant in Louisiana, US. To help bring the plant online, N2 Solutions offered pump truck and liquid nitrogen support to supply supplemental nitrogen above the feed rate of pipeline nitrogen. This article will detail the process behind achieving the project’s results.

Synopsis of the project

LACC LLC was preparing to bring a plant online, which represented the commissioning and start-up of the newest ethane cracker facility in the Westlake area of Louisiana. The facility was among the largest in the world. The existing portion of the plant had a nitrogen supply line that was used primarily to control instrumentation. During commissioning discussions, it became apparent that the gas required to operate the new plant would exceed the existing supply capacity.

The solution was to import liquid nitrogen in trucks and convert it back into its gaseous form onsite, which represented a significant logistical challenge and the largest project completed by N2 Solutions to date. Over a three-week period, approximately 75 million ft³ of gas was pumped, which equates to 150 loads or 805 000 gal.

Scope of work and challenges faced: commissioning phase

In line with expectations, pump rates fluctuated during the plant’s start-up period. As the pump rate increased, there was growing demand for liquid nitrogen to be delivered to site, which put pressure on managing last minute logistics. Overall, N2 Solutions was required to source and coordinate the delivery of 150 loads of liquid nitrogen over the space of three weeks. Because of the fluctuations in demand, there were multiple days when up to 25 loads of nitrogen per day needed to be sourced and delivered, at extremely short notice.

At the height of the project, the company was called upon to manage 57 loads over the space of four consecutive days, which equated to 40% of the entire project. To overcome this challenge, 18 personnel were onsite, managing multiple operations simultaneously at numerous pumping units across the plant.

Solutions provided

One of the suppliers that was utilised on this project was supplying gas to six plants simultaneously, meaning that they were contractually obliged to maintain consistent and adequate gas supply to each of the plants. If one of those plants requested an over-supply of gas one day, this had the potential to hinder the liquid operations of that supplier. The dynamic of supply and demand is notoriously changeable and if the supplier cannot match the daily demand due to obligations with other businesses, alternative supplies need to be sourced.

N2 Solutions is an independent nitrogen pumping company, meaning that it is independent of ties to one single supplier of gas. This provides the flexibility and the capacity to source from multiple suppliers across the US. In one instance, a supplier was unable to supply enough liquid nitrogen on a given day to fulfil the requested 19 loads. However, the company was effectively able to manage a request of this magnitude by obtaining liquid from multiple suppliers, ensuring that adequate daily loads were maintained for the project.

Figure 1. LACC LLC chemical plant in the Westlake area of Louisiana.

Actions taken

With such a heavy reliance on logistics, the success of this project was a result of effective communication, both day and night. Throughout the project, team members were stationed in the office, communicating with personnel that were working pumping units in disparate areas of the plant at all times, helping to smoothly schedule incoming loads with the supplier, and offloads at various plant locations.

Because the company works with multiple industrial gas suppliers, there is a need for more extensive and concise communication in order to accurately schedule and manage multiple pick-ups. Furthermore, with a timescale of approximately one hour to offload a single load of liquid nitrogen per truck, N2 Solutions’ personnel were stationed onsite throughout the process to schedule the deliveries and streamline truck movement to avoid costly queuing bottlenecks at the facility.

In addition to costs incurred due to idling trucks, all drivers were restricted by federal regulations that stipulated that they could only drive for 11 hours during a 14-hour work day – effectively taking that transport truck out of operation. Aside from an open line of communication between the vendors and contractors, there was also the need to effectively communicate with the client, who was in the process of forging uncharted territory in the necessary and ever-changing steps required to bring its new units online.

Of course, there was also the need to consistently and continually communicate the importance of safety, especially with a project of this size and timeframe that had so many variables. To ensure safe operations, N2 Solutions participated in a pre-job planning meeting in which customer expectations of employee competences and equipment assurances were noted.

A verification process was initiated, and assigned employees were pre-checked to ensure that they had the current training and operator qualifications that were required by the customer. Equipment designated for the project underwent a thorough inspection process and pre-job operational and functionality testing. Additionally, the operations team ensured that the operating conditions of the job site were within the expected limits of the equipment. A pre-job walk-through was conducted, and equipment was spotted and rigged so as not to create additional hazards in regards to accessibility. N2 Solutions’ technicians and operators conducted an onsite Job Safety Analysis in which hazard mitigation reduced risk exposure. Upon completion of the project, the company’s QHSE Manager reviewed safety-related documentation.

The onsite logistics coordinator is key to leading communication efforts during a project of this size. Key responsibilities in this role are decisions on where to send the liquid when it arrives, and whether enough storage space is available before the trucks arrive. The logistics coordinator is also required to be in constant contact with the office, determining how many loads of nitrogen are required that day, how they will be sourced, and when.

Figure 2. N2 Solutions’ transport truck fleet.

Results: learning and adapting

The successful completion of this large and complex project was the culmination of experience earned during work on many smaller projects. Lessons learned in this project are being carried across and implemented in current ones, ensuring that logistical methodologies are continuously improved. In projects such as these, a flexible and reactive plan is essential; one that will adapt to every bump in the road along the way.

Overall, the LACC LLC project proved to be a success for the client, N2 Solutions, as well as the nitrogen suppliers.

Written by Jake Garber, Doug Keller and Chad Hollier, N2 Solutions.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/special-reports/12072023/managing-a-logistical-success/