Krechba is the Gas Gathering Centre for the Algeria Phase 1 In Salah Gas Project. The facility comprises of two near
identical gas processing trains that treat gas from the production centres of REG and TEG. At the time of the incident (May 19), the plant was in the final stages of commissioning.
Krechba is the Gas Gathering Centre for the Algeria Phase 1 In Salah Gas Project. The facility comprises of two near
identical gas processing trains that treat gas from the production centres of REG and TEG. The facility provides final gas
treatment to sales gas spec before the gas is exported along the new export pipeline line to Hassi R’ Mel. Treatment is
simple comprising glycol dehydration and CO2 removal. The JGC/ KBR consortia are the EPC contractor, front end
engineering design was undertaken by the KBR subsidiary Granhearne.
At the time of the incident (May 19), the plant was in the final stages of commissioning. Train 1 had been flowing gas
for a couple of weeks, Train 2 was brought on stream on May 19. Within a matter of hours of start-up, problems with the
CO2 plant resulted in gas being diverted to flare. During the start-up of Train 1, it had been note that the flare system
seemed excessively noisy and vibration in some of the pipe work resulted in bolts holding pipe clamps becoming loose.
As Train 2 started to send gas to flare the situation became worse. Within hours the 6†line taking gas off the top of the
glycol contactor to the flare header failed catastrophically at the header. The plant then went into automatic emergency
shutdown resulting in a large proportion of the gas inventory (calculated circa 80 tonnes) venting through the hole left by
the failed 6†pipe in the flare header. Luckily the wind was blowing away from the plant and the gas did not ignite.
Further explanation can be downloaded below:
