Rampside Gas Terminal
Encyclopedia
Rampside Gas Terminal is a gas terminal
situated in Barrow-in-Furness
, Cumbria
on the Irish Sea
coast. It connects to gas fields in Morecambe Bay
.
to the north and Rampside
to the south. The sea around the gas platforms is around 30 metres (93 ft) deep. Centrica's facilities employ about 400 people, with a maximum of 172 people offshore, with around 140 being Centrica personnel. Offshore personnel are transferred via helicopter from Blackpool International Airport and also directly from the terminal itself with flights currently operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters
. Gas is transferred to the terminals via 36 inch pipelines. Gas, after processing and compression, is supplied to the National Transmission System
. Gas is also transferred to the Roosecote Power Station
, next-door to the north at Roose.
Oil and Gas Ltd (now called COGAP) of Manchester from January 2002. The whole £185m project, including the fields, was originally developed by Burlington Resources
, who were bought by ConocoPhillips in 2006. The gas coming to the terminal is sour
and contains plenty of nitrogen
and hydrogen sulphide
. Gas is transferred from here to the North Morecambe Terminal. Waste hydrogen sulphide is burned to produce sulphur dioxide
and converted to liquid sulphuric acid
which has industrial use.
and nitrogen than the South Morecambe plant, and hence has to be treated in different processes, and thus needs a separate plant. There is three phase separation and carbon dioxide is removed via an amine wash. Nitrogen is removed via a cryogenic distillation process.
, and are expected to provide 6% of UK demand. In 2009, it can produce 48 million cubic metres of gas a day, which is 8% of peak gas demand for about two million homes.
. This field is not manned and has one platform.
s, powered by the field's gas or low-sulphur diesel
. There are five drilling platform
s and the main accommodation platform is in the CPC. 80% of the total gas in the Morecambe Bay area is in this field.
) and Asland (named after the River Asland
) fields.
and Dalton-in-Furness
in Cumbria. Millom discovered in April 1982 with production starting in August 1999. Dalton discovered in April 1990 with production starting in August 1999.
. Largest of the Rivers fields. Situated just south-west of the South Morecambe field. Discovered in February 1982.
and River Crossens.
Natural gas processing
Natural-gas processing is a complex industrial process designed to clean raw natural gas by separating impurities and various non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids to produce what is known as pipeline quality dry natural gas.-Background:...
situated in Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
on the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
coast. It connects to gas fields in Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
.
History
Production started in 1985 with the South Morecambe gas field. The North Morecambe terminal was built in 1992. The Rivers Fields Area was discovered in 1982. The terminal was built on a site used by the former Roosecote coal fired power station.Operations
It consists of three gas terminals, situated between RooseRoose
Roose or Roosecote is a suburb and ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The word 'roose' is Celtic for "moor" or "heath" and the suffix 'cote' of Roosecote means "hut" or "huts"...
to the north and Rampside
Rampside
Rampside is a village in Cumbria, England, located a few miles south-east of the town of Barrow-in-Furness, in the north-western corner of Morecambe Bay on the Furness peninsula.-History:...
to the south. The sea around the gas platforms is around 30 metres (93 ft) deep. Centrica's facilities employ about 400 people, with a maximum of 172 people offshore, with around 140 being Centrica personnel. Offshore personnel are transferred via helicopter from Blackpool International Airport and also directly from the terminal itself with flights currently operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters
Bond Offshore Helicopters
Bond Offshore Helicopters is a British Helicopter operator, specialising in providing offshore helicopter transportation services between Aberdeen, Scotland and several North Sea Oil platforms...
. Gas is transferred to the terminals via 36 inch pipelines. Gas, after processing and compression, is supplied to the National Transmission System
National Transmission System
The National Transmission System is the network of large-diameter gas pipelines throughout the United Kingdom that supply gas to 40 power stations from natural gas terminals situated on the coast, and also gas distribution companies which lead indirectly to homes.-Similarity to the National...
. Gas is also transferred to the Roosecote Power Station
Roosecote Power Station
Roosecote Power Station is a gas-fired and former coal-fired power station, situated in the Roosecote district of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, North West England. The current gas-fired station was the first CCGT power station to supply electricity to the United Kingdom's National Grid.-Coal-fired...
, next-door to the north at Roose.
Rivers Terminal
It is named as it is because its fields are all named after Lancashire rivers. This is operated by HRL on behalf of ConocoPhillips. The £60m contract for the plant was built by CostainCostain Group
Costain Group plc is a British construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead. It was part of the original Channel Tunnel consortium and is involved in Private Finance Initiative projects.-History:...
Oil and Gas Ltd (now called COGAP) of Manchester from January 2002. The whole £185m project, including the fields, was originally developed by Burlington Resources
Burlington Resources
Burlington Resources, was an American oil and gas company. Their headquarters were in Houston, Texas. The company was acquired by ConocoPhillips in 2006....
, who were bought by ConocoPhillips in 2006. The gas coming to the terminal is sour
Sour gas
Sour gas is natural gas or any other gas containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide . Natural gas is usually considered sour if there are more than 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of natural gas, which is equivalent to approximately 4 ppm by volume...
and contains plenty of nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
and hydrogen sulphide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
. Gas is transferred from here to the North Morecambe Terminal. Waste hydrogen sulphide is burned to produce sulphur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is released by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide unless the sulfur compounds are removed before burning the fuel...
and converted to liquid sulphuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
which has industrial use.
North Morecambe Terminal
Operated by Centrica. Gas arriving here has a higher concentration of carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
and nitrogen than the South Morecambe plant, and hence has to be treated in different processes, and thus needs a separate plant. There is three phase separation and carbon dioxide is removed via an amine wash. Nitrogen is removed via a cryogenic distillation process.
South Morecambe Terminal
Operated by Centrica. It receives gas only from the South Morecambe field. First to begin production in 1985. Gas is compressed via two GE LM2500+ gas turbines and Vectra power turbines that drive gas compressers.Centrica gas fields
Operated by Hydrocarbon Resources Limited (HRL), owned by Centrica. These Centrica fields are some of the largest on the UK Continental ShelfUK Continental Shelf
The UK Continental Shelf is the region of waters surrounding the United Kingdom, in which the country claims mineral rights. This principally refers to the North Sea, where there are large resources of hydrocarbons. The North Sea is also bordered by Norway, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands...
, and are expected to provide 6% of UK demand. In 2009, it can produce 48 million cubic metres of gas a day, which is 8% of peak gas demand for about two million homes.
North Morecambe
Discovered in March 1976. Production started in October 1994. Both North and South Morecambe fields are about 25 miles west of BlackpoolBlackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. This field is not manned and has one platform.
South Morecambe
Discovered in September 1974. Production started in January 1985. Gas is transferred to the South Morecambe Terminal. The Central Processing Complex (CPC) is powered by four dual-fuel gas turbineGas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
s, powered by the field's gas or low-sulphur diesel
Ultra-low sulfur diesel
Ultra-low-sulfur diesel is a term used to describe diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur content...
. There are five drilling platform
Drilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
s and the main accommodation platform is in the CPC. 80% of the total gas in the Morecambe Bay area is in this field.
ConocoPhillips gas fields
Operated by HRL on behalf of ConocoPhillips. Also to include the Hodder (named after the River HodderRiver Hodder
The River Hodder is a river in Lancashire, England. The river is a County Biological Heritage Site.It rises on White Hill and flows for approximately 23 miles to the River Ribble, of which it is the largest tributary...
) and Asland (named after the River Asland
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
) fields.
Millom and Dalton
Part of the Rivers project. Gas goes to the North Morecambe platform, where the fields are situated near to, then the North Morecambe terminal. Named after MillomMillom
Millom is a town and civil parish on the estuary of the River Duddon in the southwest of Cumbria, England. The name is Cumbrian dialect for "At the mills". The town is accessible both by rail and an A class road...
and Dalton-in-Furness
Dalton-in-Furness
Dalton-in-Furness is a small town of 8,394 people, north east of Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, England.-History:Dalton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, written as "Daltune" as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Historically, it was the capital of Furness...
in Cumbria. Millom discovered in April 1982 with production starting in August 1999. Dalton discovered in April 1990 with production starting in August 1999.
Calder
Gas goes to the Rivers terminal. Named after the River Calder, LancashireRiver Calder, Lancashire
The River Calder is a major tributary of the River Ribble, starting in Cliviger close to Burnley in Lancashire, England and is around 24 km / 15 miles in length. Its source is very close to that of the West Yorkshire river with the same name, and that of the River Irwell. It flows through...
. Largest of the Rivers fields. Situated just south-west of the South Morecambe field. Discovered in February 1982.
Darwen and Crossens
Not in production. Gas will go to the Rivers terminal. Named after the River DarwenRiver Darwen
The River Darwen is a river running through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire.The river was seriously polluted with human and industrial effluent during the Industrial Revolution, up to the early 1970s. The river often changed colour dramatically as a result of paper and paint mills routinely...
and River Crossens.
External links
- ConocoPhillips in the East Irish Sea
- ConocoPhillips operations in the UK
- Centrica operations
- Rivers project
- North Morecambe terminal being built in 1992
- History of the gas fields
- Costain construction of the Rivers Terminal (PDF)