Conceptual, FEED, Detailed Eng - Phases (An Overview).doc

Background on Engineering Design It is best to understand understand engineering design within the context of project phases Project Phases LNG projects (and other large engineering projects) generally follow a number of phases. These phases are sometimes called different names by different proponents but are generally as indicated in the figure below.

!inal In"estment #ecision (!I#) generally generally ta$es place after !%%# but in more complex projects this is sometimes delayed until part of the detailed design has been completed. !or the purpose of this project the focus is on the first three phases. These are discussed below.

Concept / Visualisation  The concept & "isualisation "isualisation phase starts starts after a resource resource has been disco"ered. 'cti"ities in the concept & "isualisation "isualisation phase include identification and scoping where "arious initial concepts and options are

considered preliminary cost estimates are underta$en and initial ris$ assessments are completed.  The objecti"e of a concept study is to strategically re"iew a number of alternati"e project schemes to gi"e sufficient information to enable a go or nogo decision on whether to progress the most promising de"elopment pathway. *onceptual studies typically last for three to twel"e months during which many alternati"es are considered. +ften a cost estimates to ,-/0 per cent are generated including preliminary costs for major e1uipment and factored estimates for piping ci"il electrical and instrumentation needs.This phase is also often called 2re!%%#.

Front End Engineering Design (FEED) !%%# follows the initial concept phase. It is underta$en to analyse the "arious technical options for new de"elopment with the objecti"e of more clearly defining the project. !%%# phase includes prefeasibility (sometimes this is included in concept phase) feasibility and ban$able feasibility studies. #uring !%%# a wor$able process design is generated project costs are analysed systems are identified and the initial plot layout is proposed. #uring !%%# an engineering solution is de"eloped with sufficient detail to enable a ,3 per cent cost estimate to be established. 'dditionally the project schedule is further de"eloped and often commercial contracts are being prepared. #uring this phase the project team expands and input is pro"ided from engineering estimating planning and legal departments. #epending on the si4e of the project this phase can ta$e up to 3 years. In international projectfinanced projects the lending institutions are the ones who set the le"el of  accuracy re1uired for cost estimates to e"aluate a proposed loan. This dri"es the detail re1uired in !%%#. Inherently a !%%# is not sufficient to specify purchase install startup or operate a major process. The !%%# is an outline with basic engineering done. It is used to help ma$ing a final in"estment decision (!I#) and to obtain the funds re1uired to underta$e the necessary engineering that will yield the final detailed design that can subse1uently be specified purchased fabricated installed started up and operated !I# is generally based on the !%%# but in more complex projects this is sometimes delayed

until part of the detailed design has been completed.

Detailed Design !ollowing !%%# detailed design is underta$en. The focus is on designing all project elements to sufficient detail so that these can be fabricated and constructed. The project team ta$es the !%%# design and implements rigorous design calculations safety and en"ironmental auditing interdisciplinary re"iew and operability chec$s. The wor$load rises as numerous documents and information are transferred between parties. This is the busiest time in the design phase of the project. ' large number of people are in"ol"ed in the detailed design phase. #epending on the project this can be more than 0 design engineers and draughts people. #etailed design has o"er time been substantially commoditi4ed and is nowadays mostly underta$en in major design centres. #ue to cost pressures these design centres ha"e been relocated to lower cost countries including India 5alaysia Thailand and Indonesia.

Macro Trends Impacting on Engineering Design  There are a number of macro trends which impact on the ability for 6' to de"elop engineering design expertise. These include the following7 Increasing Importance of Natural Gas as Energy Source 's the world population increases and more and more people and countries urbanise and industrialise the demand for energy will increase. The I%' estimates that the world demand will increase by 08 per cent from the current le"els. This e1uates to 9.8 per cent increase per annum which is higher than the expected population growth. Gi"en the green credentials of gas it will continue to grow in importance as energy source. It will be the third most important energy source behind oil and coal. Cost Pressures *osts of LNG projects ha"e increased o"er the past few years for a number of reasons. These include increased complexity to get to the raw material limited a"ailability of %2*& %2*5 contractors due to high number of projects worldwide high material prices including steel lac$ of s$illed and experienced wor$force exchange rate etc.

Increased complexity and new technologies LNG projects are becoming increasingly complex as the need increases to search for new gas sources in more hostile en"ironments. :imilarly cost and other pressures re1uire the de"elopment of different technologies which all in turn ha"e an impact on engineering design re1uirements.

Emergence of Engineering, Procurement and Construction Managers (EPCM) ;esource owners are increasing using %ngineering 2rocurement and *ontract 5anagement (%2*5) companies. $nown as an %ngineering 2rocurement and *onstruction (%2*) contract. Increasingly howe"er there has been a mo"e away from using a single contractor for all facets of a project design and construction. This has been mostly due to a mo"e towards ris$ sharing and increasing mo"e towards cost reimbursable contracts especially with target price pain&gain mechanism built in.  This has led to %ngineering 2rocurement and *ontract 5anagement (%2*5) companies. they are only acting on behalf of the owner or resource de"eloper.

prefabrication preassemblies or pac$aged & s$idded components all fall under the umbrella of modularisation.  This trend towards modularisation is impacting 6estern 'ustralia=s chances to attract !%%# and detailed design opportunities as it is easier for companies to create the designs in the locations in which they will be manufactured. 5odules that are prefabricated and shipped as they are re1uired by firms ha"e less need of indi"idual design and scheduling is easier to control by $eeping all processes in one location such as 5alaysia where some of the major construction yards are located. Internationalization of Suppl C!ains 's with supply chains of other industries the supply chain in the oil and gas (LNG) sector is increasingly being internationalised. This implies that the "arious acti"ities in the supply chain that are footloose are underta$en in the part of the world where it ma$es the most commercial sense to do so. That is acti"ities are underta$en where it best meets the re1uirements of a"ailable expertise cost project schedule ris$ management technology and so forth.  The internationalisation of the supply chains is increasingly impacting on design ser"ices. #etailed design

is increasingly commoditised and mo"ed to appropriately s$illed and low cost centres with sufficient resources. These include India Thailand *hina and :outh ?orea. :imilarly Initial and front end design is underta$en by %2*5 companies where it is most appropriate for them. This is to some extend dri"en by costs but also by the a"ailability of highly s$illed staff and the need to ha"e a project design pipeline to ensure continued engagement of their staff. This includes centres such as @ouston ;eading and  Ao$ohama.