DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE
NEW CNG TANK TECHNOLOGY
FOR SPECIALIST CLASS OF SHIPS
A new containment system and a class of vessel suited to the short-medium distance transport
of natural gas from offshore production and storage facilities has been developed as part of
the EU-funded GASVESSEL project
The four-year project commenced in June 2017 and is
being led by naval architects Navalprogetti of Italy with
classification support provided by ABS. The project is due
to be completed in January 2022, and its aim has been to
develop a cost-efficient way of transporting natural gas that
would otherwise be stranded or flared. The transportation
of compressed natural gas (CNG) at a relatively small scale
over short distances (around 2,500 kilometres) is likely to be
more flexible than pipeline transport and more economical
than LNG. Energy consumption for the compression
process is about half of that required by liquefaction and
regasification.
In an EU context, the project furthers the ambition for
reducing Europe's dependence on a single supplier by
diversifying supply routes and unlocking new resources. In
particular, GASVESSEL is expected to open up energy routes
in Europe to three different oil and gas fields:
5 East Mediterranean gas fields - the CNG concept will
enable supply of remote areas such as the Greek and
Italian islands and Cyprus
5 Black Sea region - CNG transport offers a flexible solution
for early start-up of gas exploitation, before the planned
pipeline will be finished
5 Barents Sea offshore oil field - the CNG concept will exploit
gas associated with oil winning, which is currently
reinjected in the oil fields.
CNG-burning dual-fuel engines
The ship design and cargo capacity can be adjusted
depending on specific project requirements, but the vessel
design that is currently being assessed under the scope of
the GASVESSEL project has a length overall of 205m, a 36m
maximum breadth and 7.5m design draft. The ship will have a
cargo capacity of 15 MNm3 and be powered by four Wartsila
8V31DF dual-fuel engines (each 4240 kW at 720 RPM). As well
40 | SEPTEMBER 2021
Used with permission from The Motorship.
8 A rendering of the
the latest iteration
of the 205m-long
GASVESSEL
concept design
as having dual-fuel power burning CNG, the ship will feature
an air lubrication system. Hull and bulbous bow optimisations
have achieved a reduction in resistance of approximately 15%
at cruising speed.
Researchers from Cenergy and the University of Trieste
developed a process simulation model to estimate the time
needed for loading and unloading the CNG. The modelling
indicates that it could take around 100 hours (35-51 hours for
loading and 46-55 for unloading), depending on ambient
temperature. Energy consumption for the loading process
could vary in the range of 150-180 kJ for a unit mass of CNG.
The total fuel consumption of the modelled processes varied
between 1.14% and 1.45% of the total cargo.
The researchers note that the first and only CNG ship
currently in service, the Jayanti Baruna, was launched in
January 2016 in Indonesia. It is classed by ABS. The vessel has
a capacity of 0.67 MNm3 @250 bar of gas. The gas is stored in
a vertical cylinder (height 12 metres, diameter 615 mm,
thickness 19 mm), and the ratio container/cargo weight is
0.15. This low ratio between the mass of transported gas and
the vessel's cargo weight could be one of the reasons why
CNG ship technology currently has such a limited uptake.
Non-load sharing metallic liners
Therefore, a unique and important feature of the GASVESSEL
project is the development of large, light weight cargo tanks.
The design consists of compressed gas cylinders of around
3m in diameter and 22m in length, installed and fixed
vertically within the ship's hull and designed to store CNG
(with a minimum methane number of 70) @300bar and 20oC.
Their design was developed by engineering company
CNGV of Slovenia using software provided by Italy's ESTECO
Enterprise. CNGV and engineering and fabrication company
BMPlus are currently burst and fatigue testing prototype
cylinders under the supervision of ABS. CNGV has already
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 DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE

provided finite element structural analysis that implies that

the concept is technically sound and feasible.
The cylinders are made of a 6mm stainless steel liner
wound with carbon fibres. The design reduces the total
weight down to 70% of the current alternatives of the same
capacity. The fabrication involves a specially-developed
hydroforming and autofrettage processes, while the winding
process is optimized to provide the most efficient design. The
pressure cylinder design is now patented in 13 countries:
China, Norway, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece,
Cyprus, Turkey, South Africa, Singapore and the US.
Both the pressure cylinder and the CNG ship concepts
have received Approval in Principle from ABS. Stavros Niotis,
Senior Principal Engineer, Global Gas Solutions ABS, says: “In
general, the technology of compressed gas cylinders with
non-load sharing metallic liners is well known in industries the gas to the ship at about 240 bar. The ship is fitted with 8 The GASVESSEL
design includes
other than shipping. However, what makes this design unique cargo compressors to raise the pressure from 240 to 300 bar innovative
is the size of the cylinders and the construction techniques inside the cylinders to increase cargo carrying capacity. lightweight CNG
that must be followed during their fabrication. This is to verify Compressors will also be used during ship unloading tanks, reducing
the total weight by
that the liner will always have good contact with the various operations as scavenging compressors when the differential
70% compared with
layers of the carbon fibre windings during the cylinder's pressure between gas in the cargo cylinders and receiving existing alternatives
lifetime and for the intended operation.” shore system is low enough to affect the scheduled
discharging time.
High pressure design implications Once cargo loading is complete, all the remote-controlled
In evaluating the design, Niotis says: “The main safety issue stop valves between deck piping and cargo containment
associated with CNG carrier designs is the high pressure at systems will be closed to segregate the cargo tanks from each
which the natural gas will be stored, so its systems need to other. The deck piping will remain pressurized after loading.
be able to handle much higher pressures as compared to After unloading, residual gas is expected to be about 30bar.
other ship types. Also, the risk of explosion in case of failure The ship could receive natural gas previously dehydrated
of such systems is high and the potential consequences can and desulfurized by a production facility or a CNG floating
be catastrophic. storage unit (FSU), as there is no provision on board the ship
“For the cargo containment system, the high temperatures for preliminary treatments of the natural gas. “Currently the
that will be developed during loading are also highly project does not cover the option of loading gas directly from
important as they can affect the properties of the carbon stranded fields as some preparation and treatment needs to
fibre windings. The ship's cargo holds, where the cylinders be done before the gas is transferred to the ship,” says Niotis.
are placed, are designed to be continuously inerted in line “It is a technically feasible option, especially from the ship
with the ABS Guide for Compressed Natural Gas Carriers.” design perspective, but it would need to be further assessed.”
The cargo containment area will consist of an eight cargo Several contacts are already in progress with companies
holds, each one divided in two sections by one longitudinal interested in CNG transportation and distribution.
bulkhead, designed to contain the CNG pressure cylinders. Eight countries are represented in the GASVESSEL project:
The manifolds are placed amidships, and loading will be Navalprogetti (Italy), Dow Deutschland Anlagengesellschaft
done from ship's side. The loading and unloading cargo (Germany), Dowaksa Deutschland (Germany), PNO Innovation
station is located on the deck according to OCIMF rules. The (Belgium), Vnipitransgaz (Germany), SINTEF Ocean (Norway),
cargo holds are double bottom and double sided. These BMPlus (Italy), CNGV (Slovenia), Cenergy (Italy), Hanseatic
spaces achieve complete segregation of the cargo and to Lloyd Schiffahrt GMBH & CO KG (Germany), Cyprus
store ballast water. Hydrocarbons Company (Cyprus), Esteco (Italy) and American
Each cargo tank is comprised of four pressure cylinders Bureau of Shipping - ABS Hellenic (Greece). The project has
interconnected via common header. The ship systems are received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
designed to provide continuous monitoring and control of research and innovation programme.
the various piping arrangements including cylinder pressure
8 The ABS-classed
and temperature during loading, unloading and
Jayanti Baruna was
transportation, while a dedicated 'blow-down' system will the first CNG vessel
verify that any part of the cargo will be vented before any to enter service
more serious occurrence. The cargo holds will be inerted in 2016
with nitrogen at a positive pressure of 50 mbar.
The cargo tanks will be connected to loading/unloading
manifold via cargo deck piping which will be routed via a
segregated pipe tunnel that runs above the cargo holds dome,
in a central position. The cargo pipe tunnel will also inerted
with nitrogen. All the CNG piping will be butt-welded without
flange connection to prevent any leakage during operation.
Under the scope of the GASVESSEL project, detailed
analysis has been performed relating to the loading/
unloading systems and facilities that will be required for the
new class of ship. The loading and unloading operations will
be carried out while the ship is berthed or secured by a single
mooring, and the production facility or CNG FSU will supply

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Used with permission from The Motorship.