Imtech Marine equips LNG-Hybrid Barge

Becker Marine Systems has contracted Imtech Marine to equip the first LNG-Hybrid Barge with its latest ‘green’ technology.

The LNG-Hybrid Barge is fitted with Imtech Marine’s electrical solutions and fire extinguishing equipment. Imtech Marine also installed the complete ventilation systems with corresponding heat recovery and sea water cooling systems, supporting the Hybrid Barge’s ‘green’ approach by saving energy through reduced heating and cooling requirements.

The LNG-Hybrid Barge will serve the AIDA cruise fleet at the port of Hamburg starting next year, reducing the cruise ship’s sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and particle emissions.

During the summer season, the Hybrid Barge will provide electrical energy for the AIDA and other cruise ships. In winter, during the cruise off-season, the LNG-Hybrid Barge will provide both electrical energy and heat for the public grid.

Imtech Marine’s scope of supply started with analysis of the new build project. After the analytical phase, Imtech Marine installed the full range of electrical and fire extinguishing equipment. In addition, Imtech Marine installed an energy efficient ventilation system with a corresponding heat recovery system, which uses the engine’s heat radiation to evaporate the liquid and cold LNG to provide gas for the engines.

Power management system

The LNG-Hybrid Barge’s Power Management System (PMS) was one of the most challenging tasks for Imtech Marine. Due to its different functionalities for summer and winter operation at different net frequencies (50/60 Hz), the PMS of the Hybrid Barge is very complex and needed a special technological solution.

In summer, the PMS of the Hybrid Barge has to interact with the PMS of the AIDA vessel. During this process, the complete electrical load of the AIDA vessel will be transferred to the LNG-Hybrid barge in a specific time frame. To provide the whole load of an AIDA vessel, it is necessary that all five gas engines of the LNG-Hybrid Barge run in parallel and already before being connected to the ship. After the load transfer from the ship to the LNG-Hybrid Barge, all the engines on the AIDA will be stopped (cold ironing).

During winter operation, a load-dependent start and stop of the LNG-Hybrid Barge’s gas engines is provided. An additional challenge is the handling of the electrical power cable due to the large tide range of approximately three metres in the Hamburg harbour.

Adapted from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/14112014/imtech-marine-equips-lng-hybrid-barge-1789/