The liquefied natural gas industry is shifting rapidly toward modular and floating production, and the valves, actuators, and regulators these facilities depend on face a fundamentally different set of execution risks from those of traditional stick-built plants. In a recent LNG Industry webinar, “Valve Strategies to De-risk Modular LNG & FLNG Execution,” three industry practitioners laid out a practical, engineering-first framework for what project teams should consider earlier in the design cycle to avoid costly surprises at startup.

The presentation was delivered by Emerson’s Joe DeMonte, Senior Director of Global Industry Sales, and George Duckworth, Project Pursuit Leader for Emerson’s Isolation Valve Business, alongside Jake Pittman, Director of Valve Services at Emerson Impact Partner, John H. Carter Company’s ControlWorx division. Together, they bring roughly 35 years of combined LNG project experience spanning procurement, execution, and field commissioning across the Gulf Coast and globally.

Why It Matters

Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand is expected to reach 720 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2030, driven by natural gas’s role as a transition fuel, energy security requirements, and rising power demand. While only about 10% of the roughly 490 MTPA of operational LNG capacity today is modular or floating, approximately 40% of the current project funnel of 200 to 250 MTPA now under development uses modular or floating LNG (FLNG) technology. That shift introduces valve procurement and execution complexity that traditional approaches were not designed to handle, and project teams that fail to adapt early risk schedule slips, rework, and startup delays.

Key Takeaways

• Modular and FLNG projects scatter valve procurement across multiple package-unit vendors worldwide, each with different sizing, selection, paint, non-destructive examination (NDE), and marine certification requirements, unlike traditional projects driven by a single engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor and end-user specification.
• Early engagement among operators, EPCs, package vendors, and valve suppliers is the single most repeated recommendation, allowing teams to align on specifications, testing protocols, and documentation before execution complexity compounds.
• Standardizing valve and actuator technology across modules and assets reduces variability, as George put it plainly: “Variability is cost.”
• Triple-offset butterfly valve technology can replace legacy globe, gate, and ball valves for larger diameters, offering metal sealing with comparable shutoff performance while reducing weight, footprint, and pipe stress in space-constrained modular and topside environments.
• Spare parts strategy for FLNG is fundamentally different: spare valves must be onboard the vessel before it leaves port, making sparing as time-critical as the delivery of production valves.
• Post-installation performance verification using smart instrumentation (not just a four-point check) establishes a baseline that feeds directly into long-term run-and-maintain programs, which is especially important for non-traditional operators entering the LNG market.

Traditional vs. Modular: A Different Valve Procurement Model

Joe outlined the structural difference clearly. In traditional LNG, a single EPC typically procures all valve categories, from general service control valves and severe service control valves to cryogenic valves, relief valves, regulators, and automated on-off valves, under a well-defined, end-user-driven specification. These end users, such as major oil and gas operators, know what they want from their valve technology based on decades of operational experience.

In modular and FLNG projects, valve procurement is distributed among multiple package-unit vendors responsible for pre-treatment, balance-of-plant, power island, liquefaction, boil-off gas, jetty, and tank packages. Each vendor applies its own selection criteria, and many end users in this space are shipbuilders or equity-backed entities new to LNG operations. The result is wide variability in valve requirements, with no single point of alignment unless teams deliberately establish one.

Optimizing for Weight, Space, and Repeatability

George made the case for rethinking legacy valve specifications rather than carrying them unchanged into modular designs. Modular construction and FLNG topsides demand reduced footprints, lighter assemblies, and consolidated configurations. Legacy specifications written for traditional stick-built plants may call for globe or gate valves in diameters where a triple-offset butterfly valve achieves the same shutoff performance at significantly lower weight and installation cost.

Beyond individual valve selection, George emphasized standardizing technology across multiple modules and even fleets of assets. Doing so simplifies automation schematics, consolidates inventory, and gives operations teams clarity for day-to-day work and long-term maintenance. He also encouraged the adoption of smart positioners and monitoring technology to improve selection validation, operational safety, and total installed cost, rather than focusing solely on purchase price.

The Seven Error Traps in the Field

Jake brought the perspective of someone who has spent 15 years supporting LNG startups in South Louisiana. He identified seven critical error traps that modular and FLNG projects encounter repeatedly:

1. Asset preservation and storage – Cryogenic valve packaging gets torn open at module yards for component verification, desiccant bags are discarded, and open ends are left exposed to salt air and humidity. Material handlers need to understand cryo packaging requirements and the consequences of ignoring them.
2. Asset identification – Thousands of valves from manufacturers worldwide arrive at the site. Without properly installed base lists and plant asset walkdowns, teams cannot identify the right manufacturer contact when a startup issue arises. Jake recommended pre-identifying service contacts from every manufacturer and obtaining installation, operation, and maintenance manuals (IOMs) upfront.
3. Installation practices – Valves are not piping alignment devices. Using a cheater bar to force alignment can warp the valve body or cross-thread the bolt holes, triggering weld repairs that require a full teardown and replacement of cryogenic seals, with lead times of 20 to 30 weeks.
4. Local inventory – Standardizing equipment and maintaining local access to spare parts, particularly for positioners, solenoids, and actuators, is essential when projects run 24/7, and a single valve hold can slip the production schedule.
5. Post-installation performance verification: Running smart diagnostics, such as ValveLink, rather than a simple four-point check, is the best way to confirm engineered performance before startup and establish a maintenance baseline.
6. Startup assistance – Having valve and process control subject matter experts on hand, not just technicians who pull wrenches, enables fast troubleshooting of controllability issues and keeps the startup on schedule.
7. Documentation and reporting – Thorough quality-control documentation supports Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) site sign-offs, milestone adherence, warranty evaluations, and the development of future preventive maintenance programs.

Building Schedule Certainty Through Global Execution Alignment

George addressed the challenge of managing parallel module fabrication across multiple time zones, countries, and labor markets. He stressed that increasing transparency into supply chain production steps is essential for schedule certainty, and that strategically placing project management and execution resources close to module yards, suppliers, and EPC teams enables real-time decision-making that prevents downstream holds. As he put it, having people where they need to be, when they need to be there, reduces execution risk across every barrier.

Joe reinforced this point by noting that Emerson’s global manufacturing capabilities enable production near the skid- or package-unit vendor, reducing delivery risk. The “design one, build many” model makes getting the first train right especially critical because the valve selections, testing protocols, and documentation standards established there serve as the template for every subsequent module.

Explore Emerson’s full portfolio of final control valves for LNG applications.