Engineers and designers at Houlder have recognised the importance of using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, and are consequently developing specialist equipment.
The company announced the development of a standalone processing unit that efficiently manages boil-off gas on board bunker vessels at the Lloyd’s Maritime Academy LNG Bunkering Seminar. With an estimated 5000 LNG fuelled vessels on the production line, Houlder’s unit it expected to make a significant impact to LNG powered vessels in the future.
Minimise power consumption
The design focuses on improving the retention of natural gas vapour generating by warming tanks and through the transfer process. The system should minimise requirements from the host vessel in terms of emissions footprint and power consumption, particularly in comparison to reliquefaction plants.
The importance of effective boil-off gas management is becoming ever more crucial in the case of vessels operating with slow speed, low pressure engines and non-pressurised tanks. These systems operate at near atmospheric pressure, meaning that boil-off gas cannot be managed through tank pressure increases.
The company anticipates that the Houlder boil-off management system will provide noticeable savings to vessel operators. “We’re very excited to have announced our concept this week. We’ve already engaged with [the] industry and will work more closely with stakeholders throughout 2014 to bring the system to the market,” commented Ian Meaden, Houlder’s expert on LNG projects.
Image courtesy of Houlder Limited
Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward