Samsung Heavy Industries S-Fugas LNG supply system
Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI)’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-fuelled vessels built with its own technology have just completed their first bunkering at the port of Rotterdam. The two LNG-fuelled 113,000 dwt oil tankers were delivered to an Asian shipowner early this year in January and February.
One of the main features of these LNG-fulled oil tankers is that in comparison with conventional vessels using diesel oil as fuel, they are fitted with an SHI-designed LNG supply system, ‘S-Fugas’, that can eliminate Sulphur Oxide (Sox) emissions by 99%, Nitrous Oxide (NOx) emissions by 85% and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions by 25%.
The S-Fugas is a core technology necessary to be applied to the engineering and construction stage due to its feature that vaporizes LNG at the temperature of -163C to supply the gas to the main engines and generators. S-FuGaS is composed of the tank for storing extremely low temperature LNG and the system supplying NG at the temperature and pressure required by engines by vaporization. The supplying pressure of natural gas delivery pressure depends on the specifications of the main engines.
An additional feature is an integrated smart ship solution, INTELLIMAN ship software, which helps further increase operational safety of the vessels with its real-time monitoring function that shows changes in temperature and pressure, fuel level, etc. in a LNG fuel tank not only on-board but on-shore.
Currently, LNG as fuel is considered as a cheaper and more eco-friendly alternative than low sulfur oil and scrubber in the long run to meet the IMO 2020 regulations that require the reduction of Sulfur content in fuel to 0.5%.
SHI’s LNG propulsion technology has helped it secure orders for 10 LNG-fuelled ships from international shipowners to date this year.
Prepared for IMO 2020
In preparation for the most stringent maritime environmental regulations in history, the IMO 2020, SHI has since 2012 made numerous attempts to ensure the quality of LNG-fuelled vessels by applying different shapes and materials to a LNG fuel tank system and different engines (high pressure/low pressure: MEGI, X-DF).
“SHI’s competences have been proven when it comes to the fabrication of the entire LNG value chain from Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facilities, LNG carriers, LNG bunkering vessels, to LNG-fuelled vessels” said Dr. Yong-Lae Shim Vice President of Ship & Offshore Research Institute in SHI. “SHI will continue working towards even better quality and costs by using more local vendors for materials and equipment and upgrading the system performance”.
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