Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620
www.elsevier.com/locate/ngib

Research Article

Modularization for ground engineering construction in the Anyue Gasfield,

Sichuan Basin, with the designed annual gas processing capacity of six
billion m3
Chen Chaoming*, Ma Yanlin, Li Qiao, Song Guanghong, Pu Yuanyang, Chen Zhiqin
Southwest Company of China Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd., Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
Received 27 June 2016; accepted 25 September 2016
Available online 8 July 2017

Abstract

In the Anyue Gasfield, Sichuan Basin, the Lower Cambrian Longwangmiao Fm gas reservoir in Moxi Block has enormous natural gas
reserves, and it is a typical three-high (high temperature, high pressure, and high flow rate) sour gas field. Its ground engineering project (with
the designed gas processing capacity of 60  108 m3/a) is characterized by high processing rate of each unit, complex process control, large
construction load, restricted construction site and tight schedule. Based on the traditional engineering construction mode, however, it is difficult
to complete the project design and construction within 16 months. In view of this, the design concept of unit large-scale modularization was
introduced to implement “normalized design, scale purchase, factory-like prefabrication and modularized construction” and develop the
modularization technology of large-scale surface engineering construction. This modularization technology is performed as follows. First, the
modularized units are laid out reasonably according to the technological process. Second, the layout of modularized units is usually super-
imposed in the multi-layer framework. Third, those equipments with the same or similar operational modes, medium properties, functional
characteristics and installation requirements are concentrated in the pattern of a module. Fourth, escape passageway is specially set up. Fifth,
room for installation, maintenance and repair of large equipments is reserved. And sixth, transportation and hoisting requirements of modules are
taken into consideration sufficiently. This technology is contributive to the improvement of design quality, effective shortening of design period,
reduction of field working load, decrease of safety management risk of on-site installation, increase of production efficiency, conservation of
land occupation and diminishment of construction investment. It plays a reference role in the modularized construction of surface engineering of
similar large projects.
© 2017 Sichuan Petroleum Administration. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords: Sichuan Basin; Anyue Gasfield; Longwangmiao Fm gas reservoir; Surface engineering; Construction mode; Process unit; Large-scale; Modularization

The Lower Cambrian Longwangmiao Fm gas reservoir in
Moxi Block, Anyue Gasfield, is located in the middle Sichuan
Basin. With the proven gas in place of 4403.83  108 m3, it is
the largest mono marine carbonate gas reservoir found in
China. The source gas has H2S content of 10e15 mg/m3 and
CO2 content of 30e60 mg/m3, and has the characteristics of
“three highs” (high temperature, high pressure and high flow
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: chenchaoming@sina.com (Chen CM.).
Peer review under responsibility of Sichuan Petroleum Administration.
rate). The source gas at the wellhead is more than 100  C and
over 60 MPa. The single well natural gas production is up to
200  104 m3/d. The Surface Engineering Construction
Project of Moxi Block, Anyue Gasfield (hereinafter referred to
as Moxi Project) is in Suining City, Sichuan Province. This
area is characterized by complex topography and dense pop-
ulation, which brings great potential risks to the project.
Moreover, for the purpose of safe, fast, efficient and high-
quality production of the project, the Longwangmiao Fm gas
reservoir is divided into three exploitation phases. The
schedule of each phase is very tight. The ground surface

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ngib.2017.05.012
2352-8540/© 2017 Sichuan Petroleum Administration. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
 Chen CM. et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620
production-test section (with the designed gas processing ca-
pacity of 10  108 m3/a) and the ground surface section (with
the designed gas processing capacity of 40  108 m3/a) in the
Moxi Phase I Project were successfully completed and put into
production respectively in October 2013 and August 2014.
The foundation design of the ground surface engineering
section (with the designed gas processing capacity of
60  108 m3/a) in the Moxi Phase II Project was scheduled to
start in June 2014 and that was scheduled to be completed and
put into production in October 2015, therefore, the project
design and construction tasks are huge and challenging.
Based on the traditional engineering construction mode,
however, it is difficult for the design and construction teams to
complete the project design and construction within only 16
months. Accordingly, the design concept of making the unit
being in large-scale modularization was thus introduced in the
Moxi Phase II Project [1e5].
1. Characteristics of the ground engineering section in the
Moxi Phase II Project
The ground surface engineering section in the Moxi Phase
II Project (60  108 m3/a) is another extra-large gasfield
surface engineering part following the production test engi-
neering and Moxi Phase I projects in the development of the
Moxi Gasfield. It is an extension project carried out in the
same factory just after the Moxi Phase I was completed and
put into operation. It has the following characteristics.
1.1. Complex technical process
With enormous natural gas reserves, the Longwangmiao Fm
gas reservoir of Moxi Block in the Anyue Gasfield is a mono
integral marine carbonate gas reservoir. The content of H2S and
CO2 in natural gas reaches 10e15 mg/m3 and 30e60 mg/m3
respectively. As to the main natural gas treatment process, the
desulfurization and decarbonization of the source gas are firstly
carried out, and then the dehydration of the desulfurized and
decarbonized natural gas is performed with triethylene glycol.
The dewatered natural gas is sent to the natural gas pipeline
network. The sour gas going out from the desulfurization and
decarbonization units enters the sulfur recovery unit, and then
the recovered liquid sulfur flows into the tank storage and
sulfur molding workshop. The exhaust gas after sulfur recovery
enters the step of exhaust gas treatment. In addition, the project
is equipped with the corresponding air nitrogen station, circu-
lating water stations, steam systems and other public works, as
well as the auxiliary facilities for industrial wastewater treat-
ment and evaporation crystallization. In the Moxi Phase II,
natural gas treatment is characterized by long process, complex
technology and high requirements for automation.
1.2. High processing rate of each unit
The normal processing rate of each unit is 600  104 m3/
d in Phase II, which is twice as much as that in Phase I. With a
total of 3 gas treatment units, the processing rate of source gas
615
is 1800  104 m3/d, which is 1.5 times that of 1200  104 m3/
d in Phase I. In that way, each unit in this project has the
largest processing rate among those put into operation in the
gas fields all over China.
1.3. Restricted construction site
Since the ground surface engineering (60  108 m3/a) of
Moxi Project is included in Phase II, the processing rate of
each unit is larger and twice as much as that in Phase I.
Moreover, each unit is added with a set of tail gas treatment
and sour water stripping units. However, Phase II is an
extension project carried out after Phase I is completed and put
into operation. It is required that the unit in this engineering
design has the same length as that in Phase I. Since the land
occupation of the project is restricted by the overall planning
and whole acquired land area, the difficulties in the layout and
the construction of the unit obviously increase.
1.4. Large construction load
Since the surface engineering section (60  108 m3/a) of
Moxi Phase II Project is characterized by complex process,
large scale and a large number of units, the workload of
pipeline welding alone is more than 440000 DIN. Due to the
huge welding workload, it is challenging to put the project into
production on schedule [6e9].
1.5. Short construction period
If the annual gas supply targets of the operating organiza-
tion are to be ensured, the project is required to be completed
and put into production in October 2015, with the design and
construction period of about only 16 months.
2. Application of the design concept of making the unit
being in large-scale modularization
In the Project Phase II, the design concept of making the
unit being in large-scale modularization was introduced into
the scheme from the stage of foundation design, and was also
firmly followed for the modularization in the stage of as-built
drawing design. According to the characteristics of Phase II,
and the practices in the production test engineering and Phase
I, in-depth study was conducted in the preliminary planning
stage, and a series of deployments were performed to achieve
unit large-scale modularization, with consideration to the
procurement progress of key materials and the capability and
strength of the on-site construction unit [10e19].
2.1. The modularized unit in a large scale
The processing rate of each unit in Phase II has doubled
compared with that in Phase I, and the layout of each unit is
restricted by the operation of Phase I and the owner's land
acquisition, so the modularized unit can only stretch vertically
upwards. Research, planning and design in a deeper level were
616 Chen CM. et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620

performed on the layout of large-scale units in Phase II based suitable for modularization, they were arranged according to
on the experience of the production test engineering and Phase the requirement of technological process and the requirement
I as well as the technical process optimization of Phase II. of centralized layout of similar equipments (Fig. 2).

2.2. Layout of the modularized unit
2.2.1. Module division of the unit based on the technical
process
At the preliminary design in Phase II, the location of the
modularized unit was reasonably arranged depending on the
process sequence and medium properties (Fig. 1). In this way,
the requirements of the process sequence and the medium flow
sequence were satisfied so that excessive bending of pipes can
be avoided due to unreasonable layout of units, which may
result in excessive pressure drop of the fluid medium and
waste of pipe materials.
2.2.2. Unit layout in the multi-layer framework
At the start of modularized unit design in Phase II, ac-
cording to the experience in the production test engineering
and Phase I, and with full consideration to the characteristics
in Phase II, such as complex process, large construction load,
high processing rate of each unit and restricted construction
site, the modularized units were superimposed in the multi-
layer framework to address the problem of limited space.
2.2.3. Unit layout according to the principles of similarity
in operational characteristics and convenience
During the modularized unit design in Phase II, those units
with the same or similar operational modes, medium proper-
ties, functional characteristics and installation requirements
were concentrated in the pattern of a module, without strict
division of each treatment unit. For tower-type equipment,
large-scale vertical equipment, large-scale pump-type rotating
equipment, large-scale air cooler and other equipment not
2.2.4. Full consideration to the requirements of safe escape
Modularization requires that the units be changed from the
horizontal layout on the ground to the vertical layout above the
ground. Compared with the traditional layout, the multilayer
layout of modularized units raises higher requirements of safe
escape. Accordingly, in the modularized unit layout planning
and design, escape passageway is specially set up, as shown in
green parts in Fig. 3.
2.2.5. Sufficient consideration to the installation,
maintenance and repair requirements of large equipment,
heat exchanger, cooler and module
In the layout of modularized units in Phase II, not only the
hoisting of large equipment, but also the hoisting, maintenance
and repair of heavy modules should be considered. Therefore,
the above factors are taken into account in the layout of the
modularized units and the layout of the equipment to meet the
space requirement for installation, maintenance and repair of
large equipment, large air coolers on the pipe rack and heavy
modules, as shown in the red part of Fig. 4.
2.2.6. Sufficient consideration to transportation and
hoisting requirements of modules
If the modules assembled in the factory are successfully
hoisted and transported to the project site, module trans-
portation and lifting must be considered carefully in the module
planning. On one hand, the limitations for transportation from
the factory to the project site should be adequately investigated.
On the other hand, the limitations for module transportation in
the project site should be analyzed, for Phase I is still in normal
operation during the construction of Phase II.

Fig. 1. Plane layout of main units. Note: In the figure, ④ represents the solvent storage tank area for the desulfurization, dehydration and exhaust gas treatment
units; ⑤ represents the desulfurization unit integrated with the dehydration and absorption part of the dehydration unit; ⑥ represents the sulfur recovery unit
integrated with the hydrogenation reduction part for the exhaust gas treatment; ⑦ represents the sour water stripping unit integrated with the exhaust gas treatment
unit; ⑨ represents the torch emptying separator area.
 Chen CM. et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620 617

Fig. 2. 3D model of the modularized unit.

The above limitations include the maximum size (length,
width and height) and maximum weight of materials to be
transported if the transport route is allowable. The final size
and weight of each module should be calculated based on the
conditions of the transport vehicle, the on-site lifting equip-
ment and the site layout.
2.3. The positive effect of modularization on the
procurement
In the modularization mode, the equipment supply data has
a large impact on the modularization. In the preliminary
design stage, after the technical plan is approved, it is neces-
sary to determine the design size and nozzle orientation of key
process equipment and large equipment, and put relevant data
and technical requirements into the procurement documents.
Then, the procurement documents should be submitted to the
owners to carry it out. During the procurement, any adjustment
relevant to the equipment structure, key dimensions and nozzle
orientation in the procurement documents must be confirmed
and agreed with the designer in the first time to minimize the
impact of equipment procurement on the modularization. The
positive effect of modularization on the procurement is as
follows:
1) The timely preparation of the modularization scheme
facilitates the owner's mass purchasing of materials.
2) The application of 3D design software improves the
accuracy of material procurement and avoids the artifi-
cial error of material statistics.
3) Systematic material coding rules facilitates the stan-
dardization of material procurement and control.
2.4. The positive effect of modularization on the
construction team
As to the pipelines and steel structures and other materials
used for module manufacturing in the factory, the designer
supplies the materials to the module factory in three batches
(60%, 90%, and the remaining materials respectively), in order

Fig. 3. Safety passageway layout in the 3D model.

618 Chen CM. et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620
Fig. 4. Maintenance and repair space planning and layout.
to facilitate the procurement of module materials and the pre-
fabrication and assembly of pipes and steel structures, avoiding
the waste caused by redundant procurement of materials.
In the modularization of the project, from the modulariza-
tion planning in the early stage to the model reviews in three
stages (30%, 60% and 90% of the 3D model design), the owner
and the related personnel of the site construction party are
invited to participate in the process management of the mod-
ularization and the 3D model review. In this way, it is expected
to avoid the occurrence of design changes due to changes in the
owner's requirements and the implementation failure of the
construction plan in the late stage of the project design, which
would result in reworking of module manufacturing.
2.5. Advantages of modularization
Through design and implementation of large-scale modu-
larization, the surface engineering (60  108 m3/a) of Moxi
Project achieved success in the following six aspects.
2.5.1. Decrease of safety management risk in on-site
installation
1) Factory prefabrication and modularization make the on-
site construction interface simplified and reduce the risk
in safety management.
2) Maximization of ground prefabrication is performed on
the steel structure and pipeline welding, reducing the
workload of on-site overhead operations.
3) The module is connected by bolts, which reduces the
time of operation with fire in the project site and reduces
the safety risk in on-site re-assembly.
2.5.2. Increase of production efficiency and shortening the
construction period
The on-site civil construction and the process module
construction of the skid-mounted device manufacturing
factory can be carried out simultaneously. The module
manufacturing is done in the factory and is not constrained
by factors such as weather and site conditions, which re-
duces the construction period of the project by approxi-
mately 30% compared with the conventional construction
mode. Advantages are mainly manifested in the following
three aspects:
1) Factory prefabrication maximization and automated fa-
cilities accelerate the progress of prefabrication.
2) Indoor processing avoids the effect of the weather on
prefabrication and installation of the steel structures and
pipelines of the module (Fig. 5).
3) Maximization of bolt connection simplifies the site re-
assembly and improves the speed of re-assembly.
2.5.3. Reduction of field working load
The module manufacturer completes the welding and pre-
installation of the module, in which the prefabricated weld-
ing of the pipe and steel structure of the module is completed
up to 93%. The on-site re-assembly of the modularized unit
 Chen CM. et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620
only includes the lap joint of the module and the installation
for connection between device systems.
2.5.4. Fully mobilization of the materials and human
resources in the vicinity of the factory
The mechanical and human resources of the manufacturer
should be mobilized fully in order to reduce the constraints of
on-site conditions.
2.5.5. Reliable quality
Welding, purging, pressure testing and debugging are
completed in the module factory, where the operation condi-
tions and quality are good. Advantages are manifested in the
following three aspects:
1) The wide application of automatic welding equipment
enables the pipe to have high weld joint forming rate,
neat appearance and good weld joint quality.
2) The factory is equipped with special quality inspection
facilities to facilitate the test and inspection of pre-
fabricated pipes, which ensures the product quality.
3) The management of the module factory is more metic-
ulous, which is favorable to the quality management of
the prefabricated welding of pipes and steel structures.
2.5.6. Reduction of land occupation and construction
investment
The modularization allows the transformation from the
horizontal layout to multilayer spatial integration of units,
which saves about 41% of the project land occupation and
reduces the on-site installation workload of the construction
unit during the implementation of the project. As a result, it
reduces the investment of project funds as a whole. Advan-
tages are manifested in the following three aspects:
1) The transformation from the planar layout to the
multilayer spatial integration of units reduces the land
occupation of the project by 41% (80000 m2), thus
reducing the land acquisition costs of the project.
2) The cost of temporary measures, the use of large
equipment and rental costs in the on-site construction
are reduced.
3) Good construction conditions of the module factory can
effectively increase the operating efficiency and ensure
the operation time, reducing the on-site labor costs.
Fig. 5. Duration comparison between the modularization unit mode and the
traditional on-site construction mode.
619
Fig. 6 shows a summary of the results of the modularization
mode in the ground surface engineering section of the Moxi
Phase II Project.
3. Difficulties and measures of modularized layout
In the modularization, the multilayer structure formed as a
result of spatial superposition will lead to the calculation of
steel structure. Corresponding measures are taken to solve
these problems in the Moxi Phase II Project.
3.1. Modularization results in increased consumption of
steel structures
Due to the limitation of the project site, the modularized
unit was superimposed from the ground surface to the sky,
resulting in a multilayer structure, which led to an increase in
the consumption of steel structures in the installation area by
15%.
Although the steel consumption in the installation area
increased, the reduction of land occupation and the pipe rack
length of the system resulted in the reduction of investment in
the pipe rack and steel structure; moreover, the device was
arranged in steel frames, reducing the workload of the
equipment foundation earthwork excavation and the founda-
tion concrete pouring.
According to the statistical results, when the increase in the
cost of material due to the increase in steel structure con-
sumption caused by the modularization, the decrease in the
cost of steel and piping materials associated with the reduction
of the pipe rack length of the system, and the decrease in the
cost of the equipment foundation earthwork and concrete
pouring were all taken into consideration, the total increase in
the cost was less than 5%.
3.2. Equipment maintenance and repair measures
For the multilayer modularized unit, most of the parts were
built in the module, so the layout space in the installment area
was limited. It is difficult to satisfy the space requirements for
the maintenance of some horizontal pressure vessel equipment
and large-scale air coolers on the pipe rack of the system.
Fig. 6. Implementation effect of the modularization in the surface engineering
section of the Moxi Phase II Project.
620 Chen CM. et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 3 (2016) 614e620
Accordingly, space must be reserved for the installation and
maintenance of large equipment in the modularization plan-
ning. Meanwhile, for the large-scale air cooler on the pipe rack
of the system, the crane location for the maintenance should
be specifically set up to meet the needs of maintenance and
repair.
3.3. Convenience of operation
Compared to the traditional layout, the modularized layout
demonstrates more compact equipment and piping arrange-
ment. Too many steel structure columns lead to the lack of
convenience in the maintenance, repair and operation of some
pipes or devices.
In order to reduce the impact of compact device layout on
the operation and maintenance of the device, the designer
optimized the equipment size, process instrumentation control,
pipe valve selection, steel structure design and the like from
the stage of process scheme planning, so as to provide
maximum operating space for the equipment and pipelines in
the module. Moreover, the beams and columns of some
structures were set in the removable form to ensure the space
for operation, maintenance and repair of the equipment.
4. Conclusion
Since the surface engineering section (60  108 m3/a) of
the Moxi Phase II Project is characterized by complex process
and instrumentation control, high processing rate of each unit,
large construction load and tight schedule, there is a huge
challenge in the project design and construction. The concept
of “normalized design, scale purchase, factory-like prefabri-
cation and modularized construction” was implemented in the
design. In the initial stage of design, standardized design was
carried out according to the existing standardization achieve-
ments of the owner, combined with the proprietary standard-
ized design file system of the design unit, so as to improve the
design quality and effectively shorten the design cycle, which
created favorable conditions for scale purchase, factory-like
prefabrication and modularized construction and provided a
strong technical support for the success of large-scale modu-
larized construction of the project.
The implementation of the modularized construction in the
Moxi Phase II Project (60  108 m3/a) proves that design, as
the soul, should be surely taken as the priority in the modu-
larization mode. The design idea and construction concept of
large-scale modularization of gas field surface engineering
equipment is feasible, thus it is worthy of popularization.
References
[1] Chen Chaoming, Chen Weicai, Li Anshan, Tang Xiaoyong, Chen Zuhan.
Analysis on advantages of large gas field surface engineering modula-
rization mode. Nat Gas Oil 2016;34(1):8e13.
[2] Zhang Chunyan, Zhu Minggao, Liu Chengzhao. Discussions on superi-
ority of modularization and standardization design of skid-mounted oil &
gas gathering and transportation equipment. Nat Gas Oil
2009;27(6):10e1.
[3] Li Hairun, Liu Baichun, Xu Jiashuang, Tang Xun, Mao Min, Yang Fan,
et al. Application of skid-mounted units in certain overseas gas field
surface gathering and transportation system. Nat Gas Oil
2013;31(2):14e7.
[4] Liu Jun, Huang Guorong, Xie Yuanfei, Chen Zenghui, Yang Dongxue,
Han Zhaopeng. Application of integrated gas gathering plant in Sulige
Gas Field. Nat Gas Oil 2014;32(5):14e7.
[5] Yan Guangcan, Liu Jianmin. Technologies on gas field energy conser-
vation and reducing consumption. Nat Gas Oil 2001;19(2):58e64.
[6] China National Petroleum Corporation. Q/SY 1602-2013 Code of oilegas
field surface construction engineering. Beijing: Petroleum Industry Press;
2013.
[7] The Ministry of Public Security of People's Republic of China. GB
50016-2014 Code for fire protection design of building. Beijing: China
Planning Press; 2014.
[8] The Ministry of Industry and Information of the People's Republic of
China. SH3012-2011 Code for design of metallic piping in petrochemical
industry. Beijing: China Petrochemical Press; 2011.
[9] China Petrochemical Corp. GB50517-2010 Code for quality acceptance
of metal pipeline engineering in petrochemical industry. Beijing: China
Planning Press; 2010.
[10] China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Survey and Design Association.
GB50236-2011 Code for construction and acceptance of field equipment,
industrial pipe welding engineering. Beijing: China Planning Press;
2011.
[11] Xiang Bo. Design characteristics of “West-to-East” gas pipeline H. Nat
Gas Oil 2008;26(3):1e5.
[12] Liu Li, Wang Jian, Liu Xiaotian. Discussions on on-site management in
project management. Nat Gas Oil 2002;20(3):66e8.
[13] China National Petroleum Corporation & the Ministry of Public Security
of the People's Republic of China. GB 50183-2004 Code for fire pro-
tection design of petroleum and natural gas engineering. Beijing: China
Planning Press; 2005.
[14] National Energy Administration of China. SY/T 6331-2014 Technical
specification for design of energy conservation for gas field surface en-
gineering. Beijing: Petroleum Industry Press; 2014.
[15] Zhang Dejiang, Wang Huaiyi, Liu Shaoye. Processing pipeline installa-
tion and design manual for petrochemical unit. 5th ed. Beijing: China
Petrochemical Press; 2015.
[16] Yan Dan, Lin Qinsen. Installation engineering manual for applied pipe-
line. Beijing: China Machine Press; 1997.
[17] Yu Qingjun, Pan Siming, Chang Yanan. Discussion of modularize pattern
for engineering construction. China High-Tech Enterp
2010;(12):129e31.
[18] Fan Jixian, Wan Qisen. Modularized construction e new mode of the
petrochemical engineering. Pet Eng Constr 2015;35(5):22e4.
[19] Yue Min. Modularization technology in petrochemical industry. Pet Eng
Constr 2015;41(2):63e7.