GE’s Marine Solutions and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC) completed a preliminary design for the conversion of a steam turbine powered LNG Carrier (LNGC) to a gas turbine-based propulsion system.
Featuring GE’s COmbined Gas turbine, Electric and Steam (COGES) system, the design aims at steam-powered LNGCs that offer low fuel efficiency, but are not ready to be retired from service.
“This feasibility study provides ship owners a competitive retrofit solution for 10 to 15 year-old steam-powered LNG carriers,” said GE’s Brien Bolsinger, Vice President, Marine Operations, Evendale, Ohio, USA.
A gas turbine’s smaller footprint allows for the minimum necessary conversion work required by the shipyard, added Yingbin Ma, DSIC Deputy Technical Director. This allows ship owners to increase the charter rate and “win back opportunities in a market dominated by dual-fuel diesel engines.”
Compared with two-stroke diesel engines, a gas turbine is 80% lighter and 30% smaller. Featuring reduced weight, size — and using one of the existing steam turbines — the system offers a simpler conversion that requires less dry dock time compared to a similar conversion with diesel engines.
Featuring reduced weight, size — and using one of the existing steam turbines – the system offers a simpler conversion that requires less dry dock time compared to a similar conversion with diesel engines. The study is based on a 138,000 cubic meter LNGC powered by a steam turbine, but it can be applied on other similar size ships.