Exxon still explains the root cause of a blaze
By Kemol King
Kaieteur News – Today is three days since Kaieteur News asked ExxonMobil to clearly define the cause of a blaze at Liza Destiny’s Float Production, Storage and Unloading (FPSO) ship.
On the morning of February 18, Government and Public Affairs Advisor for ExxonMobil Guyana, Janelle Persaud, told reporters “The axial vibration of the compressor rotor was the starting event of the technical issue experienced on January 27. The vibration due to the compressor was the a case of the mechanical seal failure initially reported. “
At this point, Kaieteur News asked if the rotor vibration was related to the previous issue that ExxonMobil encountered which caused it to flame through the year 2020, and / or was related to a design, maintenance, fault improper or some other cause. This was asked to ensure that there would be no associated recurrence in Phase One Liza or any future ExxonMobil developments. ExxonMobil was also asked to provide a timeline for repairs on the compressor.
ExxonMobil Guyana Government and Public Affairs Adviser Janelle Persaud
Up until press time last night, there was no definitive answer.
The company’s local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), insists the issue is not test-related; it has been doing to increase the production capacity of the operation.
The first time he said this was during a press conference on Monday, Feb. 8, held to brief media activists and ask their questions on a blaze that took place since January 27, last. EEPGL Production Manager Mike Ryan had said the advanced production tests were not the cause, as the equipment was operating at 70 percent capacity when the malfunction occurred.
When the company issued a statement on February 17, announcing that repairs had begun on the flash gas compressor at the German manufacturer’s MAN energy workshop, it said, “MAN Energy has confirmed that production optimization activities are unrelated to technical . problems with the flash gas compressor. At the time of the incident with the compressor, it was operating only at ~ 70% of its design capacity. Production optimization is a routine process for operations worldwide. A comprehensive security evaluation was conducted prior to the optimization process. “
This question was not raised as to whether the production capacity tests had caused equipment malfunctions, which led to a blaze by Kaieteur News, but ExxonMobil repeatedly insisted on this in its public statements. It is yet to say what the underlying cause was.
Meanwhile, torching continues in the Liza Destiny at a rate of about 16-18 million cubic feet a day, after adding hundreds of millions of cubic feet to the 12 billion flamed last year, said the Vice President of the position, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo is unacceptable.
ExxonMobil plans to increase the production capacity of Liza Destiny. It has produced up to 130,000 barrels of oil a day. Production Manager Mike Ryan has said that the Liza Destiny currently has a fluid capacity of 158,000 barrels per day.