South Korean shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) received Approval in Principle by LR to provide structural health management of independent gas containment tanks using digital twin technology.
The AiP for HHI’s Digital Health Management (DHM) System for a Type B gas containment tank came after a Joint Development Project (JDP) between the two parties launched in November 2019.
Following LR assessment, the system, Hyundai Prismatic Independent IMO Type B Tank eXcellence (HiPIX), received Digital Twin Ready AiP.
This approval sets HHI on the path to become a DHM provider for the maritime industry, opening up the possibility to shippers to operate and maintain their ships’ Type B gas containment tanks in an optimal cost-effective way while complying with classification and statutory requirements.
HHI is aiming to develop a complete structural DHM system for its LNG Fuel Type B Tank onboard the world first dual-fuelled ultra-large container ships that are currently under construction at Hyundai Samho Yard.
This will assure structural integrity in operation and safety and enhance the ship’s operational and compliance performance.
HHI’s HiPIX is a suite of software and service solutions designed to assure the structural safety of Type B tanks and enhance the performance of assets by obtaining survey credit through accurate insights on the condition of tank components, using digital twin technology and data as an alternative to a physical survey.
This will provide shipowners with an advantage when securing charterer contracts by lowering the through-life costs of the containment tank while maintaining a high level of safety and reliability.
The digital twin’s ability to process real-time data and generate insights on the health condition of the gas containment tank improves maintenance effectiveness through the ability to make just-in-time, specific maintenance advisories. Furthermore, its ability to estimate and localise incipient fault conditions allows accurate tracking and progression of faults, prior to becoming costly failures.
A new paradigm in shipping has started, towards remote operations, when digital health management technology starts enabling remote servicing, maintenance and testing of critical equipment for the safety of ships, with digital technology that can be trusted by ship managers and ship operators end users,
…said Luis Benito, LR’s Marine & Offshore Innovation and Co-creation Director.
LR awarded the world’s first Digital Twin Ready AiP to GE at SMM 2018, the first ever approval of a digital twin health management system for marine applications.
