Over 35 years of formation and development, Vietnam Gas Corporation (PV GAS) has written a proud journey, from the first steps amidst countless difficulties to the pillar position of the country's gas industry. The cluster of projects named "Application of scientific and technological solutions in Vietnam's gas industry to contribute to ensuring energy security and national food security" is the clearest proof of the creative spirit and aspiration to conquer of Petrovietnam/PV GAS's staff and employees in the gas industry.
Resolving challenges, bringing precious energy ashore
In the 1990s of the last century, Vietnam faced countless difficulties due to being besieged and embargoed and a severe energy shortage. Power grids were frequently cut in rotation, causing production stagnation and negatively affecting social life. Meanwhile, although Vietsovpetro has been exploiting oil at the Bach Ho field since 1986, the separated accompanying gas still had to be burned offshore due to lack of collection infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Ba Ria Thermal Power Plant, only about 120 km from the Bach Ho field, is completely dependent on imported DO/FO oil.
Faced with that urgent requirement, in 1991, Vietnam Gas Company (now Vietnam Gas Corporation - PV GAS) was assigned the responsibility by Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (now Vietnam National Group of Industry and Energy - Petrovietnam): To soon collect and bring the gas flow ashore to replace oil fuel at Ba Ria thermal power plant.
This is a huge challenge when PV GAS has to start from "zero": limited experience, technology and human resources; the legal system is not synchronized while the budget is extremely tight. However, with efforts to learn and innovative scientific and technological solutions, PV GAS has closely coordinated with Vietsovpetro to successfully bring the first gas flow to the mainland. This event not only solves the fuel problem for Ba Ria Thermal Power but also marks a historical milestone: The birth of Vietnam's gas industry.
S&T Impressions: Foundation for safe and stable operation
To soon realize the goal of bringing gas flows ashore in the context of a complete shortage of offshore compression systems as well as onshore treatment infrastructure, PV GAS and Vietsovpetro have implemented breakthrough technical solutions. By creatively applying vein pressure combined with the natural cold of bottom seawater to successfully transport gas from the Bach Ho field to the mainland without the need for compressors or complex heat exchange equipment.
In particular, this is the first time in Vietnam and the region that high-capacity jet (Ejector) equipment has been put into application to blend high and low-pressure gas flows. This solution helps increase gas flow at medium pressure, creating momentum to push the gas flow further in the pipeline. The flexibility and creativity in technology helped PV GAS promptly supply clean fuel sources to power plants, solving the country's energy thirst at that time.
During operation, the two-phase gas-fluid pipeline system from offshore to shore (with a length of the world's leading group) always faces extremely high risks from the formation of giant "fluid nozzles" (slug). If these liquid nozzles penetrate the treatment system at the plant, they can damage the entire equipment, leading to serious consequences both economically and safety-wise.
To control this situation, PV GAS has deployed an optimal operating solution based on MSI simulation software. This technology allows strict control of the accumulation and movement of liquid nodules inside the gas pipeline, ensuring continuous, stable and safe flow for the entire onshore treatment system.
At the same time, PV GAS has affirmed its technological autonomy capacity through the successful research and development of GCAP software with features equivalent to international HYSYS software.
This tool plays an important role in controlling gas processing processes, while allowing accurate forecasting of hydraulic losses of gas - liquid flow inside the pipeline throughout the operation process.
Mastering the MSI and GCAP software duo has created a comprehensive technology monitoring platform, helping to maintain absolute stability and safety for offshore transportation pipelines and gas processing plants.
In the process of operation, PV GAS is also creative and flexible in research, taking advantage of the existing capacity of equipment to upgrade the gas treatment capacity for Dinh Co plant from 4.3 to 7 million Sm3/day and Nam Con Son plant from 20 to 22 million Sm3/day, ensuring maximum recovery of liquid products, LPG, improving production and business efficiency. This is a solution with high practical value, creating a basis for the state to develop more thermal power plants and plants producing products for other industries and agriculture.
The strength of science and technology has brought impressive figures when the total direct economic value from the solutions of the project cluster reached about 2,400 billion VND. To date, PV GAS has collected and transported 186 billion Sm3 of gas ashore, contributing to bringing total revenue to 1.3 million billion VND and contributing 110 trillion VND to the state budget; forming a complete gas system nationwide including: Cuu Long, Nam Con Son, Ca Mau, Ham Rong - Thai Binh gas systems; warehouse and port systems and gas distribution systems, gas products, serving the collection and transportation of gas from offshore to ashore and processing to commercial products, supplying to customers.
Going beyond economic value, this cluster of projects plays a key role in ensuring national energy and food security through stable gas supply for production and life. The safe operation of the gas system not only strengthens confidence for investors to promote exploration and exploration but also sparks the development of industrial parks using gas as raw materials and fuel, contributing to changing the socio-economic face of many localities and countries.
This is a clear proof of PV GAS's pioneering position in combining scientific intelligence and production practice. These strategic achievements have laid a solid foundation and contributed to the formation of a modern, complete, and potentially rich gas industry, which is continuing to play an important role in bringing Vietnam's energy industry confidently into a new era with a new stature and position.
