ABS Awards AIP for Innovative LNG Carrier Design

GE’s Marine Solutions and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (HZ) have received Approval in Principle (AIP) from the America Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for a jointly developed liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier design to be powered by GE’s Combined Gas Turbine Electric and Steam (COGES) system.

“We are delighted to work with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding on this 178,000 cubic-meter LNG carrier design that will use our efficient, reliable and dual-fuel marine gas turbine,” said GE’s Brien Bolsinger, Vice President, Marine Operations. “With AIP in hand from ABS, customers can now procure this LNG carrier that is capable of meeting Tier III International Maritime Organization and Tier 4 United States Environmental Protection Agency emissions requirements today,” Bolsinger added.

“Thanks to the compact and lightweight attributes of GE’s COGES arrangement, customers can realize an additional 4,000 cubic meters of LNG cargo space versus a traditional 174,000-cubic meter LNG carrier powered by dual fuel diesel engines,” said HZ President Chen Jun. “Also, since the GE gas turbine is dual fuel capable, it can operate either on the carrier’s cargo of boil off gas or on Marine Gas Oil to provide for all power and propulsion.”

“New technologies and innovations are essential ingredients for sustainable growth of the marine industry and protection of our natural environment,” says Bill Shi, ABS Vice President of Engineering, Greater China Division. “By evaluating this new design concept jointly developed by Hudong-Zhonghua and GE and granting this milestone AIP, we have acknowledged that the eco-friendly propulsion system is in compliance in principle with the requirements of the ABS standards and international regulations. We are pleased to be an integral part of this joint development project with a great potential to reduce exhaust emissions.”

Shown in Figure 1 is the COGES system applied on the design of the HZ LNG carrier. The COGES system will feature one GE LM2500-family gas turbine generator, one heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and one steam turbine generator. Additional specifications for the HZ LNG carrier are in Table 1.

The LM2500-family gas turbine used in GE’s COGES system is derived from GE’s proven CF6 aircraft engines. In fact, the marine gas turbine maintains a high degree of commonality with its flight-tested forerunner, boasting the same field reliability of 99.9 percent.

The compact COGES arrangement—fully 80 percent lighter and 30 percent smaller than comparable two-stroke diesels—will allow for increased container carrying capability. The COGES system also offers customers lower life cycle costs, negligible lubricating oil consumption, no methane slip and no pilot fuel or exhaust treatment required. Maintenance is also easy since little is required with COGES; only about 300 man-hours per year while the ship is underway. When more extensive maintenance is required, the entire turbine can be removed and replaced within 24 hours, reducing downtime and enabling maintenance to be carried out with minimal interruption to ship operations.