Partner trio team up to promote LNG as a fuel

With the growing relevance of LNG as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, Sembcorp Marine, ABS, and A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) announced a collaboration to develop new technologies, applications and capabilities in the offshore, marine and energy sectors that will advance the adoption of LNG as a globally preferred fuel.

Fuels | 21/09/18

Through this collaboration, the three organisations aim to make LNG more accessible, reliable and safer for industry and domestic consumption. On 19 September, at Sembcorp Marine Tanjong Kling Yard, the technology partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the following areas:

-Development of Market-ready LNG solutions

Sembcorp Marine and ABS will work on the approval and certification of Sembcorp Marine’s gas value chain solutions for small-scale LNG applications, such as LNG-battery hybrid tugs, LNG bunker vessels and LNG terminals.

To enhance these solutions further, Sembcorp Marine will tap the gas expertise and simulation capabilities of ABS and IHPC respectively.

-LNG Technology development

Sembcorp Marine, ABS and IHPC will focus on offshore LNG processing, transfer and containment, and new applications of LNG as a sustainable fuel. Through various joint developmental projects, they also seek to augment the safety and reliability of LNG for offshore applications.

-Development of LNG-related capabilities

The partners will develop and conduct training and technical workshops through the Sembcorp Marine Academy to build knowledge and skill sets supporting the growth of LNG technology-related businesses.

These projects will cover four main areas:

LNG Processing: During the regasification process, a significant amount of cold waste energy is generated. The technology partners will explore efficient methods to recover, store and redistribute this energy for essential cooling or ventilation services.
LNG Transfer: The technology partners will carry out a holistic study on preventing or minimising boil-off gas generation during LNG transfer operations.
LNG Containment: The technology partners will employ multiple analyses, including heat transfer and finite element and fatigue analyses, to optimise the safe design of LNG containment systems.
Use of LNG as a Sustainable Fuel: At a later stage, the partners plan to carry out research on optimising the energy efficiency performance of Sembcorp Marine’s LNG-powered ship designs, including LNG-battery hybrid tugs.

Overall, the research collaboration will see the partners leveraging one another’s domain expertise, namely, Sembcorp Marine’s offshore, marine and energy value chain solutions; ABS’s LNG experience in applying operational technology; and IHPC’s expertise in computing, system modelling and advanced simulation.

Speaking at the MOU signing, Sembcorp Marine President & CEO Mr Wong Weng Sun said:

While the benefits of LNG as an environmentally sustainable and affordable fuel are conclusive, we can do much more in the offshore, marine and energy sectors to advance its adoption as a preferred fuel for global consumption. I am therefore excited that Sembcorp Marine is working with ABS and IHPC to spearhead the development of new gas technologies, applications and solutions that could expedite this outcome.