SHANGHAI - GE’s Marine Solutions and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company (HZ) report they have received Approval in Principle (AiP) from ABS for their jointly developed design of a 100 MW LNG power supply vessel. The ship features GE’s COmbined Gas turbine, Electric and Steam (COGES) system the project participants announced today at the Marintec China 2017 industry trade exhibition.

According to GE’s Brien Bolsinger, Vice President, Marine Operations, "This AiP demonstrates the completion of the preliminary design of the 100 MW LNG power supply vessel based on our COGES system. This configuration is ideal for utilities and other applications that require power as the ship will export electricity to a land based electrical transmission system. Customers will get better environment performance, reliability inherited from GE’s aviation flight engines, and a more flexible, compact arrangement."

"We are glad to work with GE on this LNG power supply vessel design which relies on three installed COGES systems to handle the 100 MW power requirements. Thanks to GE’s modular COGES power trains, the vessel well accommodates three power trains on its upper deck with total 100 MW capacity, and could expand capacity by adding more power trains," said HZ General Manager Chen Jun. "Unlike traditional power barges, this ship features three LNG tanks (32,000 cbm total) for fuel supply so that additional fuel bunkering ships are no longer needed," he noted.

"The AiP of this joint development project demonstrates that ABS is always adapting new technologies and innovations," says Eric Kleess, ABS Division President and COO, "By awarding AiP to GE and HZ, we have acknowledged that this LNG power supply vessel is in compliance in principle with ABS standards and international regulations. We are confident that this joint design can provide a competitive power supply solution to customers."

This LNG power supply vessel is equipped with three sets of COGES systems. Each COGES system features one GE LM2500+ gas turbine generator, one heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and one steam turbine generator (see Figure 1). The ship is equipped with two azimuth thrusters to move independently without tugboats.

GE and HZ

Separately, GE and HZ already received AiP from ABS for a jointly developed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier design. This new 178,000 cubic-meter LNG carrier uses GE’s COGES system for all power and propulsion. The compact and lightweight COGES arrangement allows customers to realize an additional 4,000 m3 of LNG cargo space versus a traditional 174,000-m3 LNG carrier powered by dual fuel diesel engines. Since the GE gas turbine is fuel flexible and dual fuel capable, it can operate either on the carrier’s cargo of Boil Off Gas (BOG) or on Marine Gas Oil (MGO).

Gas Turbine Benefits

GE’s LM2500 family includes the base LM2500 model (25 MW), LM2500+ (30 MW) and LM2500+G4 (35 MW). These same gas turbines are used onboard cruise ships, high speed yachts, fast ferries and offshore platforms, as well as by 35 navies worldwide. Three sizes of LM2500 gas turbines offer the flexibility to adapt the COGES power to specific ship size and the ability to optimize performance.

Marine turbines are dual fuel capable and can operate on various fuels including LNG, MGO and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The engines are able to handle wide gas variations. Equipped with a dry low emissions (DLE) combustor or single annular combustor (SAC), a gas turbine can reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions to meet IMO Tier III/United States Environmental Protection Agency Tier IV requirements with no post combustion exhaust treatment.

Customers can expect lower life cycle costs with a COGES system thanks to negligible lubricating oil consumption, no methane slip and no pilot fuel or exhaust treatment required. Maintenance is easy since little is required with COGES; only about 300 man-hours per year while the ship is underway. When more extensive maintenance is needed, the entire turbine can be removed and replaced within 24 hours, reducing downtime and enabling maintenance to be carried out with minimal interruption to ship operations.

Source: GE Marine Solutions
Associated URL: https://www.gemarinesolutions.com/content/ge-and-hudong-zhonghua-receive-abs-aip-lng-power-supply-vessel-using-gas-turbine