Gas Generator News

RIX Industries, a leader in advanced gas compression and generation technologies, announced a service alliance agreement with Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd (SHI). Under the agreement, SHI will serve as a key partner in expanding access to RIX Industries’ high-performance piston compressors and gas generators, delivering tailored solutions for a wide range of vessel types and offshore applications. This arrangement is the first of its kind between a compressor and gas generator OEM and a ship repair firm, aiming to increase technician response speed for improved readiness of the U.S.

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer, billed as the world’s first ammonia dual-powered vessel, left Singapore in January of this year on voyage past the Cape of Good Hope en route initially to Southampton, both for Port State Control and to demonstrate the use of ammonia in its engines to the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and then on to London’s Canary Wharf where is stayed through mid-April, before travelling to other north European ports.At the time when the IMO’s Marine Environment…

The Norwegian ship owning company Havila Kystruten AS, has ordered four new build Ro-Pax vessels of Havyard 923 design. Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine will provide power and propulsion for all four ships.From January 2021, Havila Kystruten will operate four ships on the coastal route between the cities of Bergen in south western, and Kirkenes in northern, Norway. The company has contracted Spain’s Astillero Hijos de J. Barreras shipyard to build two of the cruise ferries and Turkey’s…

A new shuttle tanker concept developed by the world’s largest shuttle tanker services provider, Teekay, will offer a new level of innovation, says Wärtsilä, whose smart technology solutions will be featured on the new vessels. To date, Teekay has ordered four of these ‘next generation’ ships, each to be built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in South Korea. According to Wärtsilä, the newbuilds will feature a broad assortment of its latest technology innovations, all of which are central to the concept’s overall performance gains.

Heat transfer, separation and fluid handling technology specialist, Alfa Laval, has expanded its Test & Training Center in Aalborg, Denmark with a new gas testing facility. At the same time it continues developing new technologies in the areas of ballast water treatment, sulfur oxide emission control, touchscreen boiler control, fuel efficiency automation for inert-gas systems and methanol booster systems. Alfa Laval, a global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on the key technologies of heat transfer…

U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson paid a visit to Coldharbour Marine recently as the ballast water treatment system manufacturer’s facility in Nottinghamshire gears up for significant export-oriented production. Coldharbour Marine has spent more than 10 years researching and developing the system based on unique patented in-tank inert gas technology, which the manufacturer said is now undergoing rapid commercialization. Boris Johnson’s timing was no coincidence. The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Convention finally enters force on September 8 this year…

The Alfa Laval Automatic Fuel Efficiency Module (AFEM) is a new modification for reducing the fuel consumption of Alfa Laval Smit Combustion inert gas systems. It does so by ensuring the inert gas that keeps cargo safe during offloading is only generated in the exact amounts required. In a two-year pilot project, the AFEM allowed Italian shipping company Navigazione Montanari S.p.A. to achieve an average fuel savings of 30 percent. Based in Fano on the Adriatic Sea, Navigazione Montanari owns and manages a fleet of 21 tankers.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea has contracted Wärtsilä to supply combined inert gas generators and gas combustion units for 17 new LNG Carrier vessels under construction at the company's yards. The vessels are being built for leading operators in Singapore, Greece, South Korea, Cyprus and Canada. These significant contracts with Wärtsilä were signed in June and September. These will be the first ever units delivered by Wärtsilä that combine inert gas generators (IGG) and gas combustion units (GCU) with high capacity. The systems have a maximum volume of up to 3800 kg/h, which is sufficient for the industry's largest LNG carriers. The concept of combining the two systems was developed by Wärtsilä in close cooperation with DSME.

Gas Star is the first of two 84,000 CBM LPG Carrier built by Hyundai Heavy Industries for KSS. The vessel measures 225 x 36.6 m, with a depth of 22.2 m and a design draft of 11.6 m. The ship is powered by a HYUNDAI-MAN B&W 6S60MC-C8.2 main engine with a NCR output of 11,340 kW at 89.5 rpm, enabling it to sail at a service speed of 16.8 knots with 15% sea margin. Electrical supply is derived from three generators of 1,140 kW, plus an emergency unit of 150 kW. It has a cargo space divided into four cargo holds.

Breakthrough order in Japanese shipbuilding market sees largest ever capacity Maritime Protection IG units delivered for leading domestic owners. Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions (WTS) has secured multiple orders to supply its Maritime Protection Dry Inert Gas Generator (DIGG) systems for installation on LNG carriers under construction at Japan Marine United’s Tsu shipyard. Two DIGG units will be installed on two gas carriers under construction for Japanese owners Tokyo LNG Tanker Co., Ltd./Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (first vessel) and Tokyo LNG Tanker Co., Ltd./NYK Line (second vessel). Maritime Protection Managing Director, Steinar Andersen said…

Caterpillar Oil & Gas will unveil the new Cat CG137-8 natural gas generator set  at the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota during the 2014 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference  now in progress from May 20 – 22nd. The new Cat CG137-8 generator set provides 282 ekW (352 kVA), 60 Hz @ 1800 rpm of rated power, offering customers an additional power node to complement existing Cat power solutions in land production applications. The CG137-8 generator set will now be available to order from the global Cat dealer network. “The CG137-8 generator  set power node is a great addition to the proven Cat G3306B (135 ekW) and CG137-12 (400 ekW) oilfield generator sets, Russ Goss, Caterpillar Oil & Gas  new product introduction project manager said.

A new spar platform being built for Statoil's Aasta Hansteen field off the coast of Norway will feature Wärtsilä's Inert Gas and Nitrogen Generator systems, the power solutions company said. The contract has been issued in the first quarter 2014 by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea, the yard building the platform. The Wärtsilä Inert Gas Generator will utilize titanium in its construction, the first time ever that this material has been used in such a system. Titanium was preferred due to its superior corrosion resistance in relation to sea water. Wärtsilä's claims its experience and technical expertise in gas handling systems were critical factors in the award of this contract…

Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions (WTS) say they have secured multiple orders to supply Maritime Protection Inert Gas Generator (IGG) systems for installation on vessels under construction for operations offshore China. The Maritime Protection systems will be installed on three FPSOs for oil major China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Two identical systems, comprising a deck house module with electric power, fuel and sea water supply/discharge, will be supplied for two FPSOs which will operate in the Bohai oil field in northern China.

GE Marine reported that the United States Navy has ordered eight Digital Fuel Control (DFC) kits for LM2500 marine aeroderivative gas turbines. The DFC kits provide for improved gas turbine reliability and maintainability, yielding lower maintenance and reduced long term costs. The eight LM2500s, to be retrofitted, will power U.S. Navy DDG Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The DFC kits incorporate the most state-of-the-art controls available for GE LM gas turbines – a technology now standard on new LM2500, LM2500+ and LM2500+G4 engines.

GE Marine reports its LM500 aeroderivative gas turbine has been selected to power the Republic of Korea Navy’s PKX-B patrol boat program. The LM500 gas turbines will be manufactured in-country by Samsung Techwin at its Changwon, Korea, facility. The potential gas turbine propulsion system value over the life of the 34-ship PKX-B program is approximately $400 million. The program will be conducted in two phases. The first phase is for 16 shipsets. After completion, Phase II will proceed according to ROK government procedures.

Dutch-based Peters Shipyards introduces revolutionary Inland Shipping concept. Planned, developed and built by Dutch Peters Shipyards, located in Kampen, a unique inland tanker is now the world’s first river vessel driven by combustion engines consuming purely natural gas. In April, the innovative new vessel was handed over to its time charterer, Shell Netherlands, who will operate the “MTS Greenstream,” via Interstream Barging, between the Netherlands and Germany; primarily on the river Rhine.

Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has secured multiple orders to supply its Maritime Protection Inert Gas Generator (IGG) systems for installation on vessels working offshore Brazil. The company will deliver a total of eight dual-fuel Maritime Protection systems via contracting partner EEP to Brazil’s national oil company Petrobras for installation onboard a quartet of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) being converted to Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels. The conversion of the VLCC hulls is scheduled take place in the Estaleiro Inhauma drydock where the IGG equipment, capable of operation both on marine diesel oil/gas oil and natural gas, will be installed.

Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply a combined inert gas generator and gas combustion unit for two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built at the DSME yard in South Korea. The ships will be owned by Canada based Teekay Corporation, one of the world's largest marine energy transportation, storage and production companies. The contract was signed in May 2013. The concept of combining the two systems was developed by Wärtsilä in cooperation with DSME, and the system burns the boil off gas using an already existing Wärtsilä Moss inert gas generator.

The pan-European SuSy (Surfacing System for Ship Recovery) consortium has recently completed a set of sea trials at Chalkis shipyard in Greece. Led by BMT Group Ltd, the international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, the SuSy project has developed a rescue system to be used for merchant ships in emergency situations. Application scenarios include preventive installation on ships with hazardous cargo, rapid stabilization of capsized ships by coast guard and other rescue squads and recovery of sunken ships, as well as many other applications in this field.

As ship owners globally face the eventual mandate to install ballast water management technology onboard their ships – a refit which is touted as the most expensive equipment refit ever – Maritime  Reporter & Engineering News in its February 2013 edition examines emerging Ballast Water Technologies for consideration. In 2002 N.E.I. began development of a de-oxygenation ballast water treatment system – the Venturi Oxygen Stripping (VOS). In 2007, N.E.I. obtained the world’s first IMO Certification-Liberia.

Wärtsilä is to supply inert gas systems for a Floating Storage Unit (FSU) on Norway's Heidrun offshore oil & gas field, and for two supporting shuttle tankers. The FSU is owned by Statoil, the Norwegian state owned energy company, and the tankers by AET Tanker Holdings, the Singapore based petroleum transportation company. All three vessels are being built by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in South Korea. The Wärtsilä contract with SHI was signed in February 2013. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for October, 2013.

Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has launched an upgraded Unitor-Generon inert gas system to meet demand for a high-efficiency, low energy purging and padding system for liquid cargo safety. The updated Unitor-Generon system features modern membrane technology developed by Generon which enables the complete system to produce required levels of nitrogen using smaller compressors and other components, reducing overall footprint and lowering onboard energy consumption. With shipowners and operators increasingly focused on optimising energy management to meet with voluntary standards and comply with regulatory requirements, the new system will be offered to both newbuilding and retrofit applications as a means of delivering measurable operational efficiencies.

Wärtsilä to supply a combined inert gas generator & gas combustion unit for 2 new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built at the DSME yard in South Korea for Canada-based Teekay Corp. The concept of combining the two systems was developed by Wärtsilä in cooperation with DSME, and the system burns the boil off gas using an already existing Wärtsilä Moss inert gas generator. In so doing, it eliminates the need for a conventional gas combustion unit thus providing capital expenditure savings for the customer. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled to begin in autumn 2014.