• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.413-418
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• 2017

In the present study, silica-aerogel-polyurethane foams were synthesized to improve the mechanical characteristics and insulation performance of the polyurethane foam applied to a liquefied natural gas carrier at a cryogenic temperature of $-163^{\circ}C$. A silica-aerogel-polyurethane foam bulk was prepared using a homogenizer by varying the weight ratio of the silica aerogel (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt%), while maintaining the contents of the polyol, isocyanate, and blowing agent constant. Compression tests were performed at room and cryogenic temperatures to compare the mechanical properties of the silica-aerogel polyurethane foams. The internal temperature of the universal testing machine was maintained through the cryogenic chamber. The thermal conductivity of the silica-aerogel-polyurethane foam was measured using a heat flow meter to confirm the insulation performance. In addition, the effect of the silica aerogels on the cells of the polyurethane foam was investigated using FE-SEM and FTIR. From the experimental results, the 1 wt% silica aerogel polyurethane foam showed outstanding mechanical and thermal performances.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2018

An FLNG (floating liquefied natural gas) or LNG FPSO (floating production, storage and offloading) unit is a notable offshore unit with the increasing demand for LNG. The liquefaction process on an FLNG unit is the most important process because it determines the economic feasibility, but would be a hazard source because of the large quantity of hydrocarbons. While a high efficiency process such as C3MR has been preferred for onshore liquefaction processes, a relatively simple process such as the SMR (single mixed refrigerant) or DMR (dual mixed refrigerant) liquefaction process has been selected for offshore units because they require a more compact size, lighter weight, and higher safety due to their space limitation for facilities and long distance from shore. It is known that an SMR has the advantages of a simple configuration, small footprint, and lower risk. However, with an increased production rate, the inherent safety of SMR needs to be evaluated because of its small train capacity. In this study, the potential explosion risks of the SMR and DMR liquefaction processes were evaluated at the conceptual design stage. The results showed that an SMR has a lower overpressure than a DMR at the same frequency, only with a small production capacity of 0.9 MTPA. With increased capacity, the overpressure of the SMR was higher than that of the DMR. The increased number of trains increased the frequency in spite of the small amount of equipment per train. This showed that the inherent risk of an SMR is not always lower than that of a DMR, and an additional risk management strategy is recommended when an SMR is selected as the concept for an FLNG liquefaction process compared to the DMR liquefaction process.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.14-18
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• 2016

The power generation system using cold energy, which evolves in a large amount during the vaporization process of the liquefied natural gas, was designed in favor of the Rankine cycle with a mixed refrigerant as the working fluid. In this study it is intended to identify the allowable limits of the working fluid composition in respect of equipment safety in the Rankine cycle-type power generation system driven by the cold energy. The thermodynamic properties of the working fluid, which is a hydrocarbon mixture, were calculated with the Peng-Robinson model. In the steady state simulation of the power generation system by using a commercial tool Aspen HYSYS, the feed conditions of LNG Test Bed Train No.1 along with some necessary assumptions were incorporated. The results indicated that deterioration of the mechanical performance of the equipment as well as its safety would be brought about if contents of $C_2H_6$ and $C_3H_8$ in the mixture become, respectively, too high or too low.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.16-21
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• 2010

During the loading/offloading operation of a liquefied natural gas carrier (LNGC) that is moored in a side-by-side configuration with an offshore plant, sloshing that occurs due to the partially filled LNG tank and the interactive effect between the two floating bodies are important factors that affect safety and operability. Therefore, a time-domain software program, called CHARM3D, was developed to consider the interactions between sloshing and the motion of a floating body, as well as the interactions between multiple bodies using the potential-viscous hybrid method. For the simulation of a floating body in the time domain, hydrodynamic coefficients and wave forces were calculated in the frequency domain using the 3D radiation/diffraction panel program based on potential theory. The calculated values were used for the simulation of a floating body in the time domain by convolution integrals. The liquid sloshing in the inner tanks is solved by the 3D-FDM Navier-Stokes solver that includes the consideration of free-surface non-linearity through the SURF scheme. The computed sloshing forces and moments were fed into the time integration of the ship's motion, and the updated motion was, in turn, used as the excitation force for liquid sloshing, which is repeated for the ensuing time steps. For comparison, a sloshing motion coupled analysis program based on linear potential theory in the frequency domain was developed. The computer programs that were developed were applied to the side-by-side offloading operation between the offshore plant and the LNGC. The frequency-domain results reproduced the coupling effects qualitatively, but, in general, the peaks were over-predicted compared to experimental and time-domain results. The interactive effects between the sloshing liquid and the motion of the vessel can be intensified further in the case of multiple floating bodies.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.208-216
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• 2020

The Integrated Offshore Standard Specification (IOSS) involves Korean shipyards, classification societies, research institutes, the Korean industrial society, engineering companies, and oil companies with the objective of reducing costs and risks without compromising safety in international offshore engineering procurement construction (EPC) projects using new standardized bulk components and qualification procedures. The activities of the IOSS include the analysis of the existing rules and regulations to achieve the best standardization, which is reflected in the best practices, and minimize the variables in regulations and rules. In addition, a standard inventory of shapes and dimensions, referred to as specifications, is proposed in the IOSS. In this paper, the aluminum tertiary standardization part (IOSS S102-1/2 S104: Specification for Structural Tertiary Design) is presented with the details of the procedures, background reviews, and cost-benefit analyses of the design and verification methods for standard designs in the IOSS standardization items. Based on the cost-benefit analysis, the application of standardized aluminum tertiary items to offshore projects has significant advantages in terms of maintenance and repair compared to the carbon steel tertiary items utilized in current industrial practices.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.16 no.4 s.63
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• pp.296-306
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• 2006

It is difficult to solve problems regarding the adjustment on demand and supply of LNG due to seasonal variations of domestic demand of LNG, a discordance among import pattern and limits of storage facilities and so on. Also, there may be instability in LNG supply due to chances of accidents at LNG producing areas. Therefore, it is very important to secure large LNG storage facilities and to stabilize LNG supply management on a long term basis. The objective of this study is to examine the real-scale applicability of a lined underground rock storage system, which have been verified by a successful operation of the Daejeon LNG pilot plant. The new technology has many advantages of better economy, safety and environment protection, for above-ground and in-ground storage systems. The results of this study may promote the first ever real scale underground LNG storage system in a rock cavern.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.501-514
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• 2017

In the previous research, a study was carried out to estimate the actual performance such as the propeller Revolution Per Minute (RPM) and engine power of a Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier (LNGC) using the full-scale measurement data. After the predicted RPM and engine power were verified by comparing those with the measured values, the suggested method was regarded to be acceptable. However, there was a limitation to apply the method on the prediction of the RPM and engine power of a ship. Since the information of route, speed, and environmental conditions required for estimating the RPM and engine power is generally regarded as the intellectual property of a shipping company, it is difficult to secure the information on a shipyard. In this paper, the RPM and engine power of the 151K LNGC was estimated using the combination of Automatic Identification System (AIS) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) database in order to replace the full-scale measurement. The simulation approach, which was suggested in the previous research, was identically applied to the prediction of RPM and engine power. After the results based on the AIS and ECMWF database were compared with those obtained from the full-scale measurement data, the feasibility was briefly reviewed.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.643-649
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• 2011

For the development of butterfly valves used in liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, the seat tightness is one of the important factors to be taken into account in the valve-design process. An O-ring-type metal seal with a retaining ring showing good seat tightness at cryogenic temperatures has been widely used, despite the high manufacturing costs involved. As an alternative, a flexible solid metal seal offers not only sufficient tightness of the butterfly valve, meeting specification requirements, but also relatively low manufacturing costs. In this study, a design criterion to ensure the seat tightness of the butterfly valve using the flexible solid metal seal is proposed. The contact pressure can be calculated by the simulation of the frictional contact behavior between the surface of the metal seal and the valve disc. The geometry of the flexible solid metal seal is determined so that it satisfies the design criterion for sufficient seat tightness, and is verified by experiments according to BS6755 and BS6364.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.77-88
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• 2020

In this study, heading characteristics and heading control performances were evaluated to achieve the wave shield effect. The wave shield effect originating from heading control reduces the relative motions of moored vessels in a floating liquefied natural gas bunkering terminal (FLBT). Therefore, loading and off-loading performances are improved through reduced relative motion. For the objective of this study and efficiency of the analysis, a simplified model was used that assuming no relative motion of the moored vessels in the FLBT. The simplified model involved modeling the environmental loads and inertia of several floating bodies, including FLBT, into the environmental loads and inertia of a single vessel. The simplified model was validated through comparisons with model tests. With the simplified model, heading characteristics and heading control simulations were performed using low-frequency planar motion equations. The heading characteristics and heading control performances of FLBT were analyzed through the results of simulations under the expected environmental conditions. The capacity of the tunnel thrust for the heading control performance was confirmed to be adequate for improvement of the loading and off-loading performances using the wave shielding effects under the operation conditions.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.1054-1061
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• 2015

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been regulating emissions by making mandatory the compliance with institutions aimed at protecting air quality such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) and Tier III. Under the circumstances, one of the response measures considered to be the most feasible is the replacement of existing marine fuel with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The industry has been preemptively building infrastructure and developing and spreading engine technology to enable the use of LNG-fueled ships. The IMO, in turn, recently adopted the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-Flash-Point Fuels (IGF Code) as an institutional measure. Thus, it is required to comply with regulations on safety-related design and systems focused on response against potential risk for LNG-fueled ships, in which low-flash-point fuel is handled in the engine room. Especially, the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention was amended accordingly. It has adopted the qualification and training requirements for seafarers who are to provide service aboard ships subject to the IGF Code exemplified by LNG-fueled ships. The expansion in the use of LNG-fueled ships and relevant facilities in fact is expected to increase demand for talents. Thus, the time is ripe to develop methods to set up appropriate STCW training courses for seafarers who board ships subject to the IGF Code. In this study, the STCW Convention and existing STCW training courses applied to seafarers offering service aboard ships subject to the IGF Code are reviewed. The results were reflected to propose ways to design new STCW training courses needed for ships subject to the IGF Code and to identify and improve insufficiencies of the STCW Convention in relation to the IGF Code.