Energy 244 (2022) 123065

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/energy

Review on the design and optimization of BOG re-liquefaction process

in LNG ship
Liang Yin, Yonglin Ju*
Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In recent years, liquefied natural gas (LNG) boil-off gas (BOG) re-liquefaction technologies in LNG ships
Received 14 July 2021 have been developing rapidly as LNG trade across the sea has become a hot spot in global energy trade.
Received in revised form However, there are lots of restrictions on board and BOG re-liquefaction is an energy-intensive industrial
28 December 2021
process. Reducing energy consumption, improving efficiency and reducing costs play an important role in
Accepted 29 December 2021
the BOG re-liquefaction processes. In this paper, the detailed progress of design and optimization for the
Available online 6 January 2022
BOG re-liquefaction processes in recent years are summarized. Two categories of the re-liquefaction
processes, indirect re-liquefaction processes and direct re-liquefaction processes, are specifically dis-
Keywords:
BOG re-Liquefaction
cussed. The indirect re-liquefaction process includes the nitrogen refrigeration cycle re-liquefaction
Energy consumption process, the mixed refrigerant cycle re-liquefaction process and the oxygen refrigeration cycle re-
Efficiency liquefaction process. Finally, the challenges and the future directions to address these challenges for
Optimization the BOG re-liquefaction process in LNG ships are proposed.
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Principles of BOG Re-liquefaction process design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. Indirect BOG Re-liquefaction process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.1. Re-liquefaction processes with nitrogen refrigeration cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.1.1. Reverse brayton cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.1.2. Claude, kaptiza and cascade cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.1.3. LNG subcooled cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.2. Re-liquefaction processes with mixed refrigerant cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3. Re-liquefaction processes with oxygen refrigeration cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4. Direct BOG Re-liquefaction process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5. Current status and future opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Declaration of competing interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1. Introduction

In order to deal with the global greenhouse effect, environ-

mental pollution and the shortage of fossil resources, the replace-
ment of traditional energy by clean energy has become a general
* Corresponding author. trend. Liquefied natural gas (LNG), as a kind of high heat value,
E-mail address: yju@sjtu.edu.cn (Y. Ju).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.123065
0360-5442/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
L. Yin and Y. Ju Energy 244 (2022) 123065

relatively inexpensive, sustainable and clean energy, has been are divided into two categories, namely indirect re-liquefaction
increasingly used and it is expected to emerge as major energy by processes and direct re-liquefaction processes. Finally, the chal-
2035 [1]. LNG trade is becoming a hot spot in the global energy lenges and future directions in the design and optimization of BOG
market [2]. LNG is mainly transported by pipelines, railways, roads re-liquefaction processes onboard are identified. The review will
and ships. For the long-distance across the sea and ocean trans- provide the experience and help for the BOG re-liquefaction system
portation, LNG is only transported by LNG ships. In addition, due to on board in the future.
the economy, safety and environmental protection of the LNG, it
can also be used as marine fuel. The regulation issued by the In-
2. Principles of BOG Re-liquefaction process design
ternational Maritime Organization (IMO) limits the maximum
content of sulfur in the fuel oil and have two strict level [3].
The BOG re-liquefaction system on board is different from the
Therefore, LNG as marine fuel will be also developed rapidly.
LNG plant onshore and there are many limiting factors. Therefore,
LNG is generally stored in the highly insulated cryogenic tanks
several key points need to be considered [8,10] when choosing a
at 161  C on board, and the liquefaction volume is around 1/600 of
suitable re-liquefaction process.
the gaseous state [4]. The objective factors such as heat leakage
from the storage tank and ship rolling lead to the partial vapor-
 Operation must be safe and reliable in the process.
ization of the heated LNG to produce boil-off gas (BOG). With the
 Due to the limited space onboard, the scale of the re-liquefaction
continuous increase of the BOG, the pressure of the storage tank is
plant is not allowed to be too large, and the structure must be
gradually increasing [5]. In order to prevent the risk of explosion
compact.
caused by excessive pressure of the storage tank, the BOG must be
 Energy consumption should be low, otherwise LNG ships will be
handed. If the BOG is directly discharged into the atmosphere by
required to provide more energy, which will increase costs and
the valve, it will not only cause economic losses, but also damage
extend the payback period of investment.
the environment. Currently, the common method is to send the
 Because of the limited staff on board, in order to ensure the
BOG as fuel into the gas turbine of the engine to provide power,
normal operation of the equipment, the device is required to be
which is a good option for the LNG carrier. However, when the ship
easy to operate. For example, quick start and stop can be
berths, the excess BOG is needed to be dealt with. Another way is to
realized.
re-liquefy the BOG by re-liquefaction system and then return it to
 The re-liquefaction system should be easy installation, easy
the storage tank [6]. BOG re-liquefaction system in LNG ship is
maintenance and low cost.
becoming the study focus of many researchers.
The first BOG re-liquefaction plant in the world was installed in
the ship of LNG Jamal by Mitsubishi Group in 2000 with a cargo
capacity of 135000 m3 [7]. This system was a reverse Brayton cycle 3. Indirect BOG Re-liquefaction process
(RBC) using nitrogen as the refrigerant. However, due to the lack of
relevant re-liquefaction technology, the main propulsion device of For the indirect BOG re-liquefaction process, nitrogen, propane,
the ship was still a steam turbine with lower efficiency. Part of the ethylene, or mixed refrigerants, etc. as refrigerants are generally
BOG was burned in the boiler to generate steam to drive the tur- used to re-liquefy the BOG, which is a common method of re-
bines and met the power required by the re-liquefaction device. liquefaction process in industry. The refrigeration cycle and the
While the BOG remained was re-liquefied by the device. In addi- BOG re-liquefaction process are two independent systems. The
tion, Romero Go
mez et al. [8] compared the famous re-liquefaction block diagram of BOG re-liquefier based on the indirect refrigera-
technologies on board from 2000 to 2009, including TGE, Mark I, tion is shown in Fig. 1. The refrigerant-driven refrigeration system
EcoRel, Mark III, Mark III Laby-GI and TGE Laby-GI. The last one was and the BOG re-liquefaction are thermally connected through the
a cascade process with ethylene and propylene of higher thermal BOG condenser.
efficiency and others were based on the nitrogen reverse Brayton
refrigeration cycle. George et al. [9] focused on the re-liquefaction 3.1. Re-liquefaction processes with nitrogen refrigeration cycles
system and its performance improvements for the LNG ships
two-stroke propulsion system, compared the currently available The refrigeration cycle with nitrogen as the working fluid is
technologies, and provided a deeper understanding of the Joule- widely used in marine applications due to its easy operation, quick
Thomson system. start and stop function, compactness and the inherent safety of
The operating cost is reduced and the efficiency is improved in using inert nitrogen gas.
the LNG ships since the BOG re-liquefaction system on board. At the
same time, more and more researches on BOG re-liquefaction
systems have been conducted in recent years. But most of them
are manufactured for LNG carriers with larger transportation ca-
pacity. In fact, there are still many small-capacity LNG bunkering
ships and LNG fuel ships that require BOG re-liquefaction treat-
ment. Considering the design features and loads of different ship
types, BOG re-liquefaction systems for large, medium and small
LNG ships need to be studied. The purpose of this paper is to pro-
vide an up-to-date review of the latest BOG re-liquefaction process
researches applied on ships, including the large, medium and small
LNG ships. Because of the intensive energy of the BOG re-
liquefaction process, many researchers focus on designing new
re-liquefaction processes and optimizing the existing re-
liquefaction processes. In the following sections of this paper, the
review of BOG re-liquefaction process researches in ships in recent
years are implemented. Furthermore, the re-liquefaction processes Fig. 1. Simplified diagram of BOG re-liquefier based on indirect refrigeration.

2
L. Yin and Y. Ju
3.1.1. Reverse brayton cycles
The operation of the RBC is based on the nitrogen that is highly
compressed and intercooled to the ambient temperature, and then
expanded in the turbine to reduce its temperature to a low tem-
perature level [11]. This nitrogen is then used to cool and liquefy
BOG in the cryogenic heat exchanger. Pil et al. (2007) [12] intro-
duced a nitrogen RBC re-liquefaction system with large capacity,
evaluated the reliability of the system, and focused on the redun-
dancy optimization and maintenance strategies. Anderson et al.
(2009) [13] described the design and system control of the two
nitrogen RBCs based BOG re-liquefaction systems for Hamworthy
Mark I system and Cryostar EcoRel System in Q-Flex and Q-Max
LNG carriers. Shin and Lee (2008) [14] designed the BOG re-
liquefaction process based on the nitrogen RBC, and gave the
static thermodynamic state under the design BOG load. The full
BOG load was assumed to be 6800 kg/h. In addition, the authors
added a loop for recovering excess nitrogen, because the non-
condensable nitrogen content would continue to increase during
the LNG evaporation process. In order to solve the problems related
to process control, the authors developed a virtual plant based on
dynamic modeling and used various control ideas to evaluate the
performance of the plant, as shown in Fig. 2. The control was
divided into two modes: pre-cooling mode and normal operation
mode. Four actuators: buffer tank valve, expander inlet guide vane,
bypass valve and flash gas purge valve were put into the process.
Based on the traditional nitrogen RBC re-liquefaction system,
Romero et al. (2012) [15] aimed to understand and evaluate the
influence of the selection and changes of several factors on process
parameters and specific energy consumption (SEC) for large LNG
ship, including the temperature of sea water, BOG precooling before
compression, inlet temperature of the BOG to the re-liquefaction
plant, the fraction of nitrogen at the end of the expansion, and
the nitrogen temperature or pressure before the expansion. Ryu
et al. (2016) [3] designed two BOG re-liquefaction systems onboard
Fig. 2. Static performance at the design load [14].
3
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
based on the nitrogen RBC with 30000 kg/h, one was a dual ni-
trogen expansion refrigeration cycle, which exchanged the heat in
the heat exchanger to liquefy the BOG, and the other adopted the
subcooled LNG to condense the transient BOG inflow in spraying
way. By comparing with the conventional re-liquefaction system,
the superiority of the system was verified in terms of energy con-
sumption and exergy efficiency. For the small-scale BOG re-
liquefaction process, Kwak et al. (2018) [16] chose the RBC using
nitrogen as the refrigerant fluid, and considered two different
configurations that did not use cryogenic compressors for small
LNG fueled ship. Namely, Case 1, the BOG feed stream was re-
liquefied without compression, and Case 2, the BOG feed was
preheated and compressed at ambient temperature. The schematic
diagrams of the process flowsheets for Case 1 and Case 2 are
revealed in Fig. 3. In the study, the authors adopted the genetic
algorithm (GA) to optimize the process parameters with the SEC as
the objective function and the optimization results for Case 1 and
Case 2 were 1.27 kWh/kgBOG and 1.41 kWh/kgBOG, respectively.
Finally, the variations of the BOG pressure, composition, and re-
liquefaction rate were considered to perform the sensitivity anal-
ysis of the re-liquefaction process.
Yin and Ju (2019) [17] improved the basic nitrogen RBC, and
proposed and compared two refrigeration cycles in parallel and in
series with nitrogen expansion for small-scale LNG ships. In the
parallel nitrogen expansion process, as shown in Fig. 4 (a), the ni-
trogen from the heat exchanger 2 was divided into two streams.
One stream entered the expander 1 for expansion and cooling, and
the other went through the heat exchanger 3 before being
expanded. However, for the series nitrogen expansion process, as
shown in Fig. 4 (b), the nitrogen from the heat exchanger 2 passed
through two expanders in sequence. It concluded through the GA
optimization and exergy analysis that the parallel nitrogen
expansion process showed better performance. On this basis, the
authors (2020) [18] proposed a new BOG re-liquefaction method
L. Yin and Y. Ju
Fig. 3. Schematic diagrams of process flowsheets for Case 1 and Case 2 [16].
combined with absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC) in order to
explore new ways of combining new energy, low-grade energy and
new technology with traditional processes. The working fluid of the
ARC in Fig. 5 was ammonia-water solution, and the heat of the
reboiler Qreb came from hot steam heated by solar energy. After
optimizing by GA, several performance parameters were compared
and analyzed, such as SEC, energy efficiency, coefficient of perfor-
mance (COP), hot and cold composite curves of the heat ex-
changers, exergy loss, and economy. It turned out that integrating
ARC with traditional processes could improve system performance.
However, due to the limited space on board, the authors also stated
that the current ARC process was not yet mature and there were
still several problems. For example, the ARC should be added to the
appropriate part of the traditional process to reduce the complexity
of the system. In addition, the energy to drive the ARC should be
selected according to actual conditions, such as solar energy,
geothermal energy, waste heat, etc.
Kochunni and Chowdhury (2019) [19] evaluated the parameters
of the basic nitrogen RBC re-liquefaction system with 7200 kg/h,
including the BOG components, BOG import conditions, exergy
analysis and economic feasibility analysis. Kochunni et al. (2019)
[20] latterly improved the basic nitrogen RBC in a variety of ways.
The purpose of these modifications was to achieve higher
4
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
thermodynamic efficiency by replacing the compression of BOG
from cryogenic state to ambient temperature and transferring the
cold capacity from BOG to the nitrogen system through the heat
exchanger. One improvement was based on the intercooling of the
BOG before the compressor sucked in. Other improvements were
based on the BOG normal temperature compression. The three
diagrams of the BOG re-liquefaction were illustrated in Fig. 6 (a),
(b), and (c). When the BOG was in a saturated steam state, the flow
control valve placed on the bypass flow remained closed. In this
case, the operation of Fig. 6 (a) was exactly the same as the EcoRel
system. The difference was that when the BOG inlet was over-
heated, the flow control valve was opened to allow the cold ni-
trogen entering the pre-cooler for the BOG saturated. In Fig. 6 (b),
the BOG was heated to the ambient temperature by compressed
nitrogen. While for Fig. 6 (c), the heat generated by the compressed
BOG itself was warmed up the BOG to the ambient temperature. In
order to achieve zero methane loss in the re-liquefaction process,
Kochunni and Chowdhury (2020) [21] proposed two modifications
based on the nitrogen RBC, as shown in Fig. 6 (c). One was that the
phase separator was removed, and the vent gas was recycled and
re-liquefied with the BOG. The other was to use packed bed
distillation instead of the phase separator to purify the exhaust gas
to less than one part per million of methane and nearly pure ni-
trogen was fed back into the system, as demonstrated in Fig. 7. The
results proved that the exergy efficiency of the vent gas recircula-
tion and distillation column system was 14.9% and 8.7% higher than
that of the basic system, respectively.
3.1.2. Claude, kaptiza and cascade cycles
In addition to the nitrogen RBC, Claude refrigeration cycle,
Kaptiza refrigeration cycle or cascade refrigeration cycle has been
proposed and discussed as well. Moon et al. (2007) [22] removed
the third heat exchanger to reduce the initial cost, thereby modified
the basic Claude re-liquefaction system, and the modified system
was the Kapitza system using nitrogen as refrigerant, the mass flow
of BOG was 5640 kg/h. The author found that for LNG ships, the
Kaptiza refrigeration cycle was more effective in terms of plant
operability and cost of the BOG re-liquefaction process than the
Claude cycle. Beladjine et al. (2011) [23] studied the BOG re-
liquefaction plant with nitrogen as the working fluid of the
Kapitza cycle and conducted a rigorous and detailed exergy anal-
ysis. Sayyaadi and Babaelahi (2010) [24] designed a nitrogen Claude
cycle refrigerator with a turbo expander for large LNG carriers. The
GA was used to optimize the six decision variables and appropriate
constraints, and the sensitivity of the objective function exergy
efficiency to certain design parameters was reviewed. The same
authors (2010) [25] proposed a schematic of nitrogen Claude cycle
refrigerator with turbo expander utilized as BOG re-liquefaction
system onboard, as shown in Fig. 8. They optimized the thermal
economy of the BOG re-liquefaction system with unit cost as the
objective function. At the same time, they established a thermal-
economic model based on energy and exergy analyses and an
economic model according to the total revenue requirement. In the
next year, the authors (2011) [26] selected a more suitable and
robust multi-objective optimization algorithm, namely Non-
Dominant Sorting Genetic Algorithm, which was used to optimize
the process with multiple objectives to find a set of Pareto optimal
solutions based on exergoeconomic and exergetic objectives.
3.1.3. LNG subcooled cycles
In recent years, LNG subcooled cycles have become more pop-
ular. The LNG in the storage tank is directly pumped out through
the LNG cryogenic pump, and then is pressurized into the re-
liquefaction unit. The temperature of the LNG is lowered in the
cryogenic heat exchanger to make the LNG subcooled by 10e15  C,
L. Yin and Y. Ju Energy 244 (2022) 123065

Fig. 4. (a) Parallel nitrogen expansion process for BOG re-liquefaction; (b) Serial nitrogen expansion process for BOG re-liquefaction [17].

Fig. 5. Integrated the traditional process for BOG re-liquefaction and ARC [18].

and then the LNG is sprayed back to the storage tank to liquefy the
BOG and reduce the pressure of the storage tank. Yin and Ju (2020)
[27] designed a direct re-liquefaction way that the LNG pumped
from the bottom of the storage tank became subcooled LNG
through the nitrogen RBC, and then sprayed out from the upper
part of the storage tank to condense the BOG and the mass flow of
the BOG was 1000 kg/h. The subcooled LNG spraying system was
demonstrated in Fig. 9. In addition to optimizing the system, the
authors conducted a study on the flexibility of the process in order
to compare the system performances of the BOG with different
mass flow rates. The results indicated that the system requirements
could be met only by adjusting the mass flows of the nitrogen
refrigerant and LNG for the BOG with different mass flows.
Recently, Wang et al. (2020) [28] also put forward the similar idea,
as described in Fig. 10 (a). They proposed a nitrogen RBC with a
cryogenic heat exchange network and a liquid nitrogen regenera-
tion refrigeration system for the re-liquefaction onboard. Liquid
nitrogen was the main working medium. The authors tested the
system, and the experimental system diagram was shown in Fig. 10
(b). It was concluded from the test results that the solution was
compact structure, no freezing, simple control logic, and effective
pre-cooling liquefaction, especially suitable for new energy ships.

5
L. Yin and Y. Ju Energy 244 (2022) 123065

Fig. 7. RBC based re-liquefaction system with packed bed distillation column [21].

Fig. 6. (a) Intercooling using nitrogen during cold compression of BOG; (b) Ambient
compression of BOG; BOG is warmed by nitrogen; (c) Ambient compression of BOG;
BOG is warmed using compressed BOG itself [20].

3.2. Re-liquefaction processes with mixed refrigerant cycles

The mixed refrigerant cycles (MRC) use the mixture of hydro-

carbon refrigerants. In more detail, a refrigerant mixture usually
composed of iso-butane, propane, ethylene and nitrogen is used to
cool and re-liquefy excess BOG in the cryogenic heat exchanger. The
proportion of each component in the MR can be fine-tuned to Fig. 8. Schematic of Claude cycle refrigerator with turbo expander [25].
match the BOG characteristics to suit the re-liquefaction efficiency
of each different cargo [9].
Nekså et al. (2010) [29] developed and tested a single-separator agreement between the simulation model and the experimental
MR BOG re-liquefaction system, which had been installed in a research. The authors believed that the gas carrier was also
10,000 m3 gas carrier. Through simulation and loss analysis the designed to carry other gases, such as vinyl chloride, liquefied pe-
authors proposed several possible improvements. Furthermore, troleum gas (LPG) and liquefied ethylene gas (LEG). Romero et al.
standard refrigeration components that were easily available were (2015) [30] believed that due to the safety, reliability and flexibility
used during the system design. In addition, there was a good of dual fuel diesel engines, it was truly feasible alternative plan to

6
L. Yin and Y. Ju Energy 244 (2022) 123065

install a four-stroke (medium speed) or two-stroke (low speed)

engine propulsion system in combination with a BOG re-
liquefaction system in the LNG ship. Therefore, the authors classi-
fied the dual diesel engine according to the gas supply pressure, as
illustrated in Fig. 11, where RS indicated re-liquefaction system and
GCU indicated gas combustion unit. Afterwards, the BOG re-
liquefaction process with BOG mass flow of 4557.6 kg/h, which
used propylene and ethylene as refrigerants in LNG ships, operated
by a cascade vapor compression cycle was studied. The re-
liquefaction flow chart was shown in Fig. 12. The propylene and
ethylene cycles formed a cascade cycle, which provided cooling
Fig. 9. The subcooled LNG spraying system [27].

Fig. 10. (a) A cryogenic heat exchange network system for BOG re-liquefaction; (b) The flow chart of the experimental system [28].

7
L. Yin and Y. Ju
Fig. 11. Different configurations for dual fuel engine gas supply: (a) at high pressure,
(b) at low pressure [30].
capacity for the BOG in two heat exchangers respectively. Finally,
the authors calculated the performance values such as COP, exergy
efficiency, irreversibility and SEC, and proposed the suggestions
that the efficiency could be improved on the basis of BOG cold
energy recovery and BOG compression heat rejection with cooling
water in the intercoolers. In order to improve the energy efficiency
of the existing system, Tan et al. (2016) [31] further proposed an
ejector-enhanced BOG re-liquefaction system based on the cascade
system of Romero et al. (2015) [30] for LNG carrier, as depicted in
Fig. 13. In the new system, the ejector-1 and ejector-2 were used to
Fig. 12. Schematic diagram of the re-liquefaction plant [30].
8
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
reduce the energy loss during the expansion of pressurized BOG,
inject part of the fuel BOG into the compression system, and the
recuperator was adopted to recover the cold energy of the BOG
discharged from the LNG storage tank. The results indicated that
the COP and exergy efficiency were increased by 12.1%, and SEC was
reduced by 10.6%. Later, Tan et al. (2018) [32] proposed a dual MRC
to provide cooling capacity for the re-liquefaction of BOG, as
described in Fig. 14, where MR1 consisted of methane, ethylene and
propane, and MR2 consisted of ethane, propane and isobutylene.
Yin and Ju (2020) [33] designed and compared two MRC re-
liquefaction processes, namely single-stage and dual MRC with
normal-temperature compressor in LNG carriers. The diagrams of
two processes were shown in Fig. 15 (a) and (b), respectively. The
SEC was as the objective function to be optimized by GA and the
optimized parameters included the component ratio of MR and
pressure, etc. The optimized results indicated that the performance
of the dual MRC was better than that of the single MRC. The authors
also simulated the single-stage and dual MRC re-liquefaction sys-
tems using cryogenic compressors and compared them with
normal-temperature compressor systems to explore the effect of
increasing the intake temperature of BOG compressors on system
performance. It was concluded that for the normal-temperature
compressor system, not only the cold energy of the BOG was
effectively used, but also energy consumption was reduced and
efficiency was improved.
Kim et al. (2020) [34] presented a single MR cycle to re-liquefy
the BOG on board with the cargo capacity of 174000 m3, consid-
ering the partial load requirement according to actual condition, as
illustrated in Fig. 16. The authors defined three operating loads,
design load, 65% load, 25% load, and analyzed the problems caused
L. Yin and Y. Ju
Fig. 13. The flow diagram of the ejector enhanced BOG re-liquefaction system [31].
Fig. 14. The flow diagram of the dual MRC based BOG re-liquefaction system [32].
by the cycle operation of the MR compressor under low load, such
as the condensate in the MR scrubber and the decrease in system
efficiency. After the GA optimization, the best results under the
design load were obtained.
3.3. Re-liquefaction processes with oxygen refrigeration cycle
For the indirect BOG re-liquefaction system, in addition to the
commonly used nitrogen and MR refrigeration cycle, researchers
have also studied the re-liquefaction system using oxygen as the
refrigerant. Beladjine et al. (2013) [35] analyzed the oxygen Kapitza
refrigeration cycle in LNG carriers and compared it with the ni-
trogen refrigeration cycle. The results showed that the pressure
required to replace nitrogen with oxygen was much lower than the
pressure prevailing in systems by using nitrogen.
4. Direct BOG Re-liquefaction process
All the above-mentioned researches can be summed up to in-
direct re-liquefaction processes that transfer cooling power to the
BOG through the heat exchangers by other working fluids. The
partial or full liquefaction of the BOG can be achieved by adjusting
the relevant parameters of the refrigerants. Many scholars have also
studied the direct re-liquefaction processes and the simplified flow
chart of the direct re-liquefaction is shown in Fig. 17. In the direct
re-liquefaction process, part of BOG is employed as the refrigerant
to liquefy another part of BOG, so BOG can only be partially
9
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
liquefied. Since only a small part of BOG is re-liquefied, the flow rate
through the compressor is several times the BOG generated. When
the rate of re-liquefied BOG is equal to the rate of BOG produced
from the LNG tank, the system comes to a steady state.
Choi (2017) [36] proposed a modified partial re-liquefaction
system and a cascade Joule-Thomson valve (JTV) system for LNG
carrier of 4000 kg/h BOG. As shown in Fig. 18 (a), partial re-
liquefaction system was a simple system with a relatively small
number of equipment components. Exergy analysis was carried out
on the design conditions and results and the JTV-1 showed the
worst exergy efficiency. In order to reduce the exergy loss in JTV,
the author used the cascaded JTV system, as demonstrated in Fig. 18
(b). The performance of the system was compared by changing the
BOG composition and re-liquefaction amount. When the required
amount of re-liquefaction was small, the partial re-liquefaction
system and the cascade partial re-liquefaction system had ach-
ieved high performance.
Kim et al. (2019) [37] studied the different JT re-liquefaction
processes with pressurized BOG as the refrigerant, while adding a
liquid turbine to the re-liquefaction configuration with 2946.5 kg/h
BOG. The authors found that when the price of LNG was lower than
4 USD/MMBtu, the re-liquefaction system was not economical
compared to the fuel supply system from the sensitivity analysis of
different LNG prices. Kochunni and Chowdhury (2017) [38] pro-
posed a new structure based on the Kapitza liquefaction cycle for
LNG carriers, which used BOG itself as the refrigerant and
compared it with the traditional nitrogen RBC re-liquefaction
L. Yin and Y. Ju
Fig. 15. (a) The diagram of single mixed refrigerant process with normal-temperature compressor for BOG re-liquefaction system; (b) The diagram of dual mixed refrigerant process
with normal-temperature compressor for BOG re-liquefaction system [33].
Fig. 16. A single MR re-liquefaction process to reliquefy the BOG on board [34].
Fig. 17. Simplified flow chart of direct BOG re-liquefaction process.
10
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
system. It turned out that the energy efficiency of the Kaptiza
system was the same as that of the RBC, but the Kaptiza system only
required the BOG compressor without any nitrogen. In a later pa-
per, the authors [39] stated that the direct cryogenic re-liquefaction
cycle using BOG as the working fluid had the potential to reduce the
power and size of the system to a level much lower than that of the
existing re-liquefier based on the RBC. The author proposed a basic
Kapitza direct re-liquefaction system and three modified configu-
rations. In order to get the maximum exergy efficiency, the in-built
optimizer tool of HYSYS was used to optimize the parameters of the
direct re-liquefier. A schematic diagram of single pressure modified
Claude based direct BOG re-liquefaction was illustrated in Fig. 19 (a)
and this system was divided into three parts: BOG compression,
cold box and re-liquefaction. The dual pressure modified Claude
was shown in Fig. 19 (b). A part of the stream expanded from the
intermediate pressure in the turbine to the lowest pressure of the
system. The remaining flow was further compressed to the highest
system pressure. The third method of modifying the system was
described in Fig. 19 (c), where the expansion of the turbine occurred
from the outlet pressure of the BOG compressor to the intermediate
pressure. For the configuration 2, the intermediate pressure rep-
resented the turbine inlet pressure, while for the configuration 3, it
represented the turbine outlet pressure. Finally, the authors
concluded that when the outlet pressure of the BOG compressor
was 6000 kPa, the exergy efficiencies of the dual pressure Claude
cycle were 53.7%, 29.5% and 16.3% higher than that of the indirect
liquefication based on the RBC, cascade cycle and MRC, respectively.
At the same time, the size of the heat exchanger decreased with the
increase of the BOG pressure.
L. Yin and Y. Ju
Fig. 18. (a) Process flow diagram of partial re-liquefaction system; (b) Process flow diagram of cascade partial re-liquefaction system [36].
5. Current status and future opportunities
The BOG re-liquefaction process is an industrial process with
high energy consumption like the natural gas liquefaction process.
Taking into account of the limited space on board and more re-
strictions, there are higher requirements for the BOG re-
liquefaction process. Low energy consumption, high efficiency,
11
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
compact structure, easy to operate, and good economy of the re-
liquefaction processes have received more and more attention.
Therefore, many researchers have focused on designing higher
thermodynamic efficiency re-liquefaction processes and proposing
more suitable optimization methods.
The timeline of the BOG re-liquefaction processes in literatures
are summarized and presented in Fig. 20. It can be seen that the
L. Yin and Y. Ju
Fig. 19. (a) Single pressure modified Claude based BOG re-liquefier: Configuration 1;
(b) Dual pressure modified Claude based BOG re-liquefier: Configuration 2; (c) Dual
pressure Claude based BOG re-liquefier: Configuration 3 [39].
Fig. 20. The timeline of BOG re-liquefaction processes in literatures.
12
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
development of BOG re-liquefaction process on board has been
mainly concentrated in the last two decades, especially in last two
years, increasing relevant studies have been reported. Among them,
South Korea, China, and India have contributed numerous in-
vestigations in this area. The research papers focused on the ni-
trogen refrigeration cycle account for the largest proportion of the
related publications because nitrogen is safe, non-toxic, econom-
ical, and easy to operate on board. Moreover, due to the simple
nitrogen composition, it is easy to realize a compact and well-
sealed structure, so that it occupies a relatively small area, the
numbers of filling refrigerant are small, and the times of mainte-
nance is also reduced. The nitrogen compression turbine integrated
machine mentioned in many papers can realize the output power
of the expander to provide driving force to the compressor, thereby
reducing the energy consumption of system, but this technology is
still immature in China. The MRC re-liquefaction processes have
also received more attention due their high thermodynamic effi-
ciency. Therefore, researchers have proposed several improved
SMRC, DMRC and MR cascade cycle re-liquefaction process, and
optimized them through various optimization methods. Since 2017,
the direct re-liquefaction processes, namely the partial re-
liquefaction cycle, have been frequently proposed to use BOG it-
self as the refrigerant, which eliminates the need for additional
refrigerants. The remaining re-liquefaction process by oxygen
refrigeration cycle and combining with the ARC have also been
mentioned by researchers, but there are few related research pa-
pers at present.
From the perspective of optimization, most of them chose the
minimum total energy consumption or the SEC or the highest
exergy efficiency as the objective function, and a few took the cost
as the objective function. The optimization methods mainly
included the GA tool in MATLAB and the optimizer in HYSYS. Lack of
optimization algorithms and research content that combine cost
with energy consumption or efficiency, for example: neural
network, artificial intelligence and so on are convenient and effi-
cient optimization methods in the future work.
Reducing energy consumption, improving efficiency and
reducing costs have drawn much attentions in the BOG re-
liquefaction processes. In the further design and optimization of
BOG re-liquefaction processes in LNG ships, several potential de-
velopments may include:
1. At present, the commonly used refrigerants in the re-
liquefaction process are nitrogen, MR and BOG itself. The main
L. Yin and Y. Ju
re-liquefaction methods are RBC, cascade cycle, Claude cycle,
Kapitza cycle, etc. Therefore, appropriate refrigerant and re-
liquefaction method should be selected according to the char-
acteristics of the ships, such as the capacity of the cargo tank, the
propulsion technology of the ship, the voyage distance and so
on. Compact, highly integrated and skid-mounted shipboard re-
liquefaction plants will be definitely gained a broad market
prospect.
2. LNG ships can be divided into small-scale LNG bunkering ships,
medium-scale LNG fuel ships and large-scale LNG carriers ac-
cording to their capacities. However, most research papers
mainly focused on the large-scale LNG carriers. Due to the par-
ticularity and irreplaceability for the ships of different scales, the
BOG re-liquefaction systems for LNG ships with different func-
tions are indispensable. Therefore, more attention should be
paid to small-scale and medium-scale LNG ships, considering
different design features and selecting appropriate equipment.
3. Most optimization researches chose the total energy consump-
tion, SEC or exergy efficiency as the optimization objective
function, and a few took investment cost as the objective
function. To fully evaluate the economics of a BOG re-
liquefaction process, one must consider not only the system
investment cost, but also the system operating cost. Among
them, energy consumption and exergy efficiency are related to
the operating costs, so the optimization algorithms that com-
bined the system energy consumption with investment costs
should be simultaneously considered. Furthermore, reducing
the optimization time on the basis of obtaining the global
optimal value will be very helpful to the design and optimiza-
tion of the BOG re-liquefaction process.
4. The dynamic simulation and experimental investigation of the
BOG re-liquefaction process are rarely mentioned in the above
research papers. Since the main parameters in the BOG re-
liquefaction process are varying with time, it is necessary to
conduct dynamic simulation and experimental verification for
the BOG re-liquefaction process. For the complex industrial
process of BOG re-liquefaction, experimental test is relatively
difficult. Therefore, dynamic simulation should be conducted in
order to provide a deeper understanding of the process and to
design a robust control structure for the process. The main
challenge of the dynamic simulation is the requirement of the
detailed design parameters of the equipment, especially of the
multi-stream heat exchangers [40]. However, it is quite difficult
to figure out how to dynamically simulate the equipment such
as multi-stream heat exchangers without the design
parameters.
5. In order to improve the energy efficiency of the BOG re-
liquefaction process, it is very useful to use new refrigeration
technologies, for example: absorption refrigeration cycle,
refrigeration system combined with cryogenic energy storage
(CES) and so on. In order to improve the system efficiency and
energy utilization efficiency, the renewable energy or low-grade
energy such as solar energy, waste heat, etc. and cold energy
utilization methods can be selected.
6. To achieve high efficiency in the re-liquefaction process, highly
efficient equipment should be adopted. Compression and
expansion integrated machine and other advanced technologies
should be popularization and application, it is critical to solve
the core issues of cryogenic sealing, heat dissipation, and rotor
stability.
13
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
6. Conclusions
The purpose of this review is to provide the state of the art
progress in the design and optimization of the BOG re-liquefaction
process in LNG ships. The re-liquefaction processes can be divided
into two categories, namely indirect re-liquefaction processes and
direct re-liquefaction processes. The indirect re-liquefaction pro-
cesses include the nitrogen refrigeration cycle, the MRC and the
oxygen refrigeration cycle. Due to the limited area and safety
considerations on board, most researchers focused on the nitrogen
RBC re-liquefaction process and the MRC re-liquefaction process. In
recent years, direct re-liquefaction processes by directly using BOG
as refrigerant have been frequently proposed. The different refrig-
eration processes and latest technologies have been comprehe-
sively discussed and summrized. Furthermore, the challenges and
future research directions have been also identified. This review
may bring great benefits to the engineering and science, by taking
into account of different design and optimization approaches to
understand the development of the BOG re-liquefaction process on
board.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Abbreviations
BOG boil-off gas
HX heat exchanger
LNG liquefied nature gas
SEC specific energy consumption
COP coefficient of performance
RBC reverse Brayton cycle
JTV Joule-Thomson valve
GA genetic algorithm
MR mixed refrigerant
MRC mixed refrigerant cycle
ARC absorption refrigeration cycle
CES cryogenic energy storage
References
[1] Dudley B. BP energy outlook. London, England: British Petroleum; 2017.
p. 14e5.
[2] Kumar S, Kwon H, Choi K, Lim W, Cho J, Tak K, Moon ILNG. An eco-friendly
cryogenic fuel for sustainable development. Appl Energy 2011;88:4264e73.
[3] Ryu J, Lee C, Seo Y, Kim J, Seo S, Chang D. A novel boil-off gas Re-liquefaction
using a spray recondenser for liquefied natural-gas bunkering operations.
Energies 2016;9:1004.
[4] Khan MS, Karimi IA, Wood DA. Retrospective and future perspective of natural
gas liquefaction and optimization technologies contributing to efficient LNG
supply: a review. J Nat Gas Sci Eng 2017;45:165e88.
[5] Migliore C, Tubilleja C, Vesovic V. Weathering prediction model for stored
liquefied natural gas (LNG). J Nat Gas Sci Eng 2015;26:570e80.
[6] Krikkis RN. A thermodynamic and heat transfer model for LNG ageing during
ship transportation. Towards an efficient boil-off gas management. Cryogenics
2018;92:76e83.
[7] Yoneyama H, Irie T, Hatanaka N. The first BOG reliquefaction system on board
ship in the world “LNG Jamal”. Paper presented at. In: The 22nd world gas
conference; 2003. Tokyo, Japan.
[8] Romero Go
mez J, Romero Go
mez M, Ferreiro Garcia R, De Miguel Catoira A. On
board LNG reliquefaction technology: a comparative study. Pol Marit Res
2014;21:77e88.
[9] George DG, Eleftherios KD, Chariklia GA. LNG carrier two-stroke propulsion
L. Yin and Y. Ju
systems: a comparative study of state of the art reliquefaction technologies.
Energy 2020;195:116997.
[10] Li W, Sun Y, Chen H, Li Y, Dong X. Application of the reliquefaction plant used
in LNG carrier. Mechanical and Electrical Equipment 2010;27:1e3.
[11] Amalina NS, Setiawan TM, Hadisupadmo S, Hendradjit W. Development of a
simulation package of natural gas liquefaction system. Procedia Eng
2017;170:177e81.
[12] Pil KC, Rausand M, Vatn J. Reliability assessment of reliquefaction systems on
LNG carriers. Reliab Eng Syst Saf 2008;93:1345e53.
[13] Anderson T, Ehrhardt M, Foglesong R, Bolton T, Jones D, Richardson A. Ship-
board reliquefaction for large LNG carriers. 2009. p. 317e24.
[14] Shin Y, Lee YP. Design of a boil-off natural gas reliquefaction control system
for LNG carriers. Appl Energy 2009;86:37e44.
[15] Romero J, Orosa JA, Oliveira AC. Research on the Brayton cycle design con-
ditions for reliquefaction cooling of LNG boil off. J Mar Sci Technol 2012;17:
532e41.
[16] Kwak DH, Heo JH, Park SH, Seo SJ, Kim JK. Energy-efficient design and opti-
mization of boil-off gas (BOG) re-liquefaction process for liquefied natural gas
(LNG)-fuelled ship. Energy 2018;148:915e29.
[17] Yin L, Ju YL. Comparison and analysis of two nitrogen expansion cycles for
BOG Re-liquefaction systems for small LNG ships. Energy 2019;172:769e76.
[18] Yin L, Ju YL. Conceptual design and analysis of a novel process for BOG re-
liquefaction combined with absorption refrigeration cycle. Energy
2020;205:118008.
[19] Kochunni SK, Chowdhury K. LNG boil-off gas reliquefaction by Brayton
refrigeration system e Part 1: exergy analysis and design of the basic
configuration. Energy 2019;176:753e64.
[20] Kochunni SK, Joy J, Chowdhury K. LNG boil-off gas reliquefaction by Brayton
refrigeration system e Part 2: improvements over basic configuration. Energy
2019;176:861e73.
[21] Kochunni SK, Chowdhury K. Zero methane loss in reliquefaction of boil-off gas
in liquefied natural gas carrier ships by using packed bed distillation in
reverse Brayton system. J Clean Prod 2020;260:121037.
[22] Moon J, Lee Y, Jin Y, Hong E, Chang H. Cryogenic refrigeration cycle for re-
liquefaction of LNG boil-off gas. International cryocooler conference, cryo-
star the cryostar magazine 2007:629e35.
[23] Beladjine MB, Ouadha A, Benabdesselam Y, Adjlout L. Exergy analysis of an
LNG BOG re-liquefaction plant. Paper presented at:. In: Proceedings of the
23rd IIR international congress of refrigeration; 2011.
[24] Sayyaadi H, Babaelahi M. Exergetic optimization of a refrigeration cycle for
Re-liquefaction of LNG boil-off gas. Int J Therm 2010;13:127e33.
[25] Sayyaadi H, Babaelahi M. Thermoeconomic optimization of a cryogenic
refrigeration cycle for re-liquefaction of the LNG boil-off gas. Int J Refrig
14
Energy 244 (2022) 123065
2010;33:1197e207.
[26] Sayyaadi H, Babaelahi M. Multi-objective optimization of a joule cycle for re-
liquefaction of the Liquefied Natural Gas. Appl Energy 2011;88:3012e21.
[27] Yin L, Ju YL. Design and analysis of a process for directly Re-liquefying BOG
using subcooled LNG for LNG carrier. Energy 2020;199:117445.
[28] Wang Z, Han F, Ji Y, Li W. Analysis on feasibility of a novel cryogenic heat
exchange network with liquid nitrogen regeneration process for onboard
liquefied natural gas reliquefaction. Case Stud Therm Eng 2020;22:100760.
[29] Nekså P, Brendeng E, Drescher M, Norberg B. Development and analysis of a
natural gas reliquefaction plant for small gas carriers. J Nat Gas Sci Eng
2010;2:143e9.
[30] Romero Go
mez J, Romero Go
mez M, Lopez Bernal J, Baalin ~ a Insua A. Analysis
and efficiency enhancement of a boil-off gas reliquefaction system with
cascade cycle on board LNG carriers. Energy Convers Manag 2015;94:261e74.
[31] Tan H, Zhao Q, Sun N, Li Y. Enhancement of energy performance in a boil-off
gas re-liquefaction system of LNG carriers using ejectors. Energy Convers
Manag 2016;126:875e88.
[32] Tan H, Shan S, Nie Y, Zhao Q. A new boil-off gas re-liquefaction system for LNG
carriers based on dual mixed refrigerant cycle. Cryogenics 2018;92:84e92.
[33] Yin L, Ju YL. Comparison and analysis of two processes for BOG re-liquefaction
in LNG carrier with normal-temperature compressor. Int J Refrig 2020;115:
9e17.
[34] Kim S-E, Hwang H, Kim Y, Park S, Nam K, Park J, Lee I-B. Operational opti-
mization of onboard reliquefaction system for liquefied natural gas carriers.
Ind Eng Chem Res 2020;59:10976e86.
[35] Beladjine BM, Ouadha A, Adjlout L. Performance analysis of oxygen refrigerant
in an LNG BOG Re-liquefaction plant. Procedia Comput Sci 2013;19:762e9.
[36] Choi J. Development of partial liquefaction system for liquefied natural gas
carrier application using exergy analysis. International Journal of Naval Ar-
chitecture and Ocean Engineering 2018;10:609e16.
[37] Kim D, Hwang C, Gundersen T, Lim Y. Process design and economic optimi-
zation of boil-off-gas re-liquefaction systems for LNG carriers. Energy
2019;173:1119e29.
[38] Kochunni SK, Chowdhury K. Comparison between reverse Brayton and
Kapitza based LNG boil-off gas reliquefaction system using exergy analysis.
IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng 2017;171:012009.
[39] Kochunni SK, Chowdhury K. Use of dual pressure Claude liquefaction cycles
for complete and energy-efficient reliquefaction of boil-off gas in LNG carrier
ships. Energy 2020;198:117345.
[40] He TB, Karimi IA, Ju YL. Review on the design and optimization of natural gas
liquefaction processes for onshore and offshore applications. Chem Eng Res
Des 2018;132:89e114.