Post by Ferryman on Dec 15, 2012 13:39:04 GMT -8
With all of the next up and coming vessel replacements, there is no doubt a lot of discussion of what path the next newbuilds will be based on. LNG or Liquified Natural Gas has been a huge topic for debate to be used in newbuilds and eventually newer existing vessels. I'm hoping to spark some more debate and insight into the use of LNG with this thread.
From wikepedia ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_natural_gas )
Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4) that has been converted to liquid form for ease of storage or transport.
Liquefied natural gas takes up about 1/600th the volume of natural gas in the gaseous state. It is odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive. Hazards include flammability, freezing and asphyxia.
A typical LNG process. The gas is first extracted and transported to a processing plant where it is purified by removing any condensates such as water, oil, mud, as well as other gases such as CO2 and H2S. An LNG process train will also typically be designed to remove trace amounts of mercury from the gas stream to prevent mercury amalgamizing with aluminium in the cryogenic heat exchangers. The gas is then cooled down in stages until it is liquefied. LNG is finally stored in storage tanks and can be loaded and shipped.
The liquefaction process involves removal of certain components, such as dust, acid gases, helium, water, and heavy hydrocarbons, which could cause difficulty downstream. The natural gas is then condensed into a liquid at close to atmospheric pressure (maximum transport pressure set at around 25 kPa/3.6 psi) by cooling it to approximately −162 °C (−260 °F).
LNG achieves a higher reduction in volume than compressed natural gas (CNG) so that the energy density of LNG is 2.4 times heavier than that of CNG or 60% of that of diesel fuel.[1] This makes LNG cost efficient to transport over long distances where pipelines do not exist. Specially designed cryogenic sea vessels (LNG carriers) or cryogenic road tankers are used for its transport
BC Ferries has also put together a small presentation with the use LNG with potential savings in existing vessels and new vessels.
www.cngva.org/media/25659/bc_ferries_lng_-_presentation_to_tc_conference__-_26_june_2012.pdf
Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the concept of using LNG at this time. Probably because I still don't know a whole lot about it still. I don't see it as a very forgiving fuel if something goes wrong. I've always felt that there's a bit more of a safety threshold with Diesel in case something goes wrong. Yes, it's still bad if something goes wrong with diesel storage, or if it spills overboard, etc.
Fjord1 in Norway has been using LNG Ferries for 6 years now, when they launched the first of five vessels built to use LNG. I can't seem to find much if any in the way of negative reviews of the vessels. So they seem to be a success. Here's a look at their vessels.
www.setcorp.ru/main/pressrelease.phtml?news_id=38986&language=english
Anyways, lets hear of what you have to say about the use of LNG in Ferries. What do you like/hate about the use of LNG Ferries?
From wikepedia ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_natural_gas )
Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4) that has been converted to liquid form for ease of storage or transport.
Liquefied natural gas takes up about 1/600th the volume of natural gas in the gaseous state. It is odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive. Hazards include flammability, freezing and asphyxia.
A typical LNG process. The gas is first extracted and transported to a processing plant where it is purified by removing any condensates such as water, oil, mud, as well as other gases such as CO2 and H2S. An LNG process train will also typically be designed to remove trace amounts of mercury from the gas stream to prevent mercury amalgamizing with aluminium in the cryogenic heat exchangers. The gas is then cooled down in stages until it is liquefied. LNG is finally stored in storage tanks and can be loaded and shipped.
The liquefaction process involves removal of certain components, such as dust, acid gases, helium, water, and heavy hydrocarbons, which could cause difficulty downstream. The natural gas is then condensed into a liquid at close to atmospheric pressure (maximum transport pressure set at around 25 kPa/3.6 psi) by cooling it to approximately −162 °C (−260 °F).
LNG achieves a higher reduction in volume than compressed natural gas (CNG) so that the energy density of LNG is 2.4 times heavier than that of CNG or 60% of that of diesel fuel.[1] This makes LNG cost efficient to transport over long distances where pipelines do not exist. Specially designed cryogenic sea vessels (LNG carriers) or cryogenic road tankers are used for its transport
BC Ferries has also put together a small presentation with the use LNG with potential savings in existing vessels and new vessels.
www.cngva.org/media/25659/bc_ferries_lng_-_presentation_to_tc_conference__-_26_june_2012.pdf
Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the concept of using LNG at this time. Probably because I still don't know a whole lot about it still. I don't see it as a very forgiving fuel if something goes wrong. I've always felt that there's a bit more of a safety threshold with Diesel in case something goes wrong. Yes, it's still bad if something goes wrong with diesel storage, or if it spills overboard, etc.
Fjord1 in Norway has been using LNG Ferries for 6 years now, when they launched the first of five vessels built to use LNG. I can't seem to find much if any in the way of negative reviews of the vessels. So they seem to be a success. Here's a look at their vessels.
www.setcorp.ru/main/pressrelease.phtml?news_id=38986&language=english
Anyways, lets hear of what you have to say about the use of LNG in Ferries. What do you like/hate about the use of LNG Ferries?
