LNG STORAGE DESIGN FOR FUEL SYSTEM IN LNG FUELED

HARBOR TUG 2 X 2500 HP

Abstract –
1. Introduction

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been converted to liquid form. Natural gas
is cooled to about -260 F. In its liquefied state, natural gas takes up 1/600 of the space, meaning
natural gas shrinks 600 times, making it easier to store and use as fuel.
In Indonesia, there are not many ships that use LNG fuel, especially for the harbor tug type
ships. Therefore, one of the alternatives used to reduce operational costs is to use a dual fuel
engine. This diesel engine can run on gas and liquid fuels.
Because the fuel from this dual fuel engine designed for this harbor tug uses cryogenic LNG,
it requires special storage at very low temperatures to keep them in a liquid state. This storage area
is an LNG storage tank and has insulation which is commonly called cryogenic tank / pressure
vessels.

2. Design Criteria

To develop the LNG storage tank and to achieve the satisfying result, a proper criteria and
analysis are required. Several design criteria are determined in order to meet the requirements. The
design criteria is as below;

A. Tank Criteria

The LNG tank selection parameters in this project are design and placement of
tanks, tank components, and evaluation of tank materials. All tank criteria are
interrelated, for example a tank that has a high pressure design will require a strong
material so that it can withstand this pressure.

B. Choosing The Tank

The use of LNG as ship fuel has been widely applied, one of which is for
harbor tugs, Pertamina Trans Kontinental (PTK) has a double-fuel LNG harbor tug
for its fleet of ships. This ship is a first type of dual fuel ship operating in Indonesia,
besides being able to save operating costs between 10-15% due to fuel economy, this
ship is also environmentally friendly because it does not produce much emissions
(Nepos, 2019).

Because the fuel from this dual fuel engine designed for harbor tugs uses LNG
and is cryogenic in nature, the storage that is commonly used is cryogenic tanks or
pressure vessels. That is, a container used to store liquids or gases, be it under
pressurized or non-pressurized conditions at a temperature different from the ambient
temperature and is usually cylindrical or spherical (Syaefrudin,2010).

The standard storage system for transporting various liquid hydrocarbons at

low temperatures for decades according to IGC (International code for the
construction and equipment of ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk) one of which is
a C-type tank / pressure vessel. To determine the tank, there are many aspects that
must be compared, The determination process done for three type of the tank below :
 Pressure Vessels Pressure Vessels Double
Indicators ISO Tank
Single Walled Walled
Capacity
600 -2500 m3 30 - 1000 m3 20 - 40 m3
Range
Pressure 6 - 15 Bar
4 – 6 Bar
Range 7 – 9 Bar Austenitic stainless
Austenitic stainless
Material Austenitic stainless steel or 9% steel or 9% Ni steel
steel, 9% Ni steel and
Ni steel and Alumunium alloy and Alumunium
Alumunium alloy
alloy
Flexibility of - All pipe connections - Class acceptance of bottom - ISO containerized LNG
operation, above maximum liquid pipe connection. tank, specifically designed for
security also level. - Layer Insulation (MLI) / marine applications.
safety - Polyurethane Vacuum. - Every container is docked in
insulation. - Outer tank: function of a dedicated “docking station”,
- Tank Connection secondary barrier, creating a designed for multiple,
Space separated from double containment system. horizontal and vertical
Tank. stacked container
- Tank Saddles & Tank arrangements.
- Dome on top of Tank Connection Space directly
for all tank pipe attached to the outer tank - Each ISO LNG container is
connections. equipped with its own process
and safety equipment,
meeting classification
requirements.

The application of the most commonly used LNG fuel tank in LNG-fueled harbor
tugs is the ISO tank because this tank can be moved by intermodal transportation, by
road, rail and sea, low boil-off-rate (BOR), 0.15% up to 0. 30% per day, Holding time
(55-81 days) and Adjustable valve cabinets and instruments. However, this tank has
disadvantages, one of which has a limited volume, so it must be reconsidered in using
the tank.
In determining the type-C LNG tank to be used. Should take into account the
requirements for the fuel used and an estimate of the appropriate placement location.
Therefore because the use of the LNG tank which will be applied to the harbor tug 2 x
2500 HP has a fuel requirement that exceeds the capacity of the LNG ISO tank &
must also consider the placement of the tank, so for the selection of the LNG tank to
be used on the harbor tug 2 x 2500 The HP is a double walled custom LNG type C
tank.
3. Design Volume

The capacity or volume required by the LNG type C (Pressure Vessels) tank is first
assumed to be a cylinder with the diameter and length of the tank shown in the following
equation (Yao et al, 2015)
1
Volume= x π x D 2 x L (1)
4
Volume = LNG Needs (m3)
π = Phi (3.14)
D = Tank Diameter (m)
L = Length of Tank (m)
 Because the LNG tank capacity is not allowed to be fully filled due to changes in
LNG temperature which results in volume changes:
ρR
Loading Limit=Filling Limit x ( ) (2)
ρL
Loading Limit = the maximum volume of liquid allowed relative to the volume of
the tank in which the tank can be filled.
Filling Limit = the maximum volume of liquid in the fuel tank relative to the total
volume of the tank when the liquid fuel has reached the reference temperature.
ρR = Density of LNG reference temperature. (396 kg / m3)
ρL = Density of LNG loading temperature. (456 kg / m3)
Then the volume of the LNG tank required is:
1
V =Volume X ( )
Loading Limit
V = Tank Volume (M3)
Volume = LNG Requirement (M3)
Loading Limit = the maximum volume of liquid allowed relative to the volume of the tank
in which the tank can be filled.
4. Internal Pressure

4.1 Design Vapor Pressure

According to the IGC Code rules, design vapour pressure is determined by the
formula :

Po=0.2 x 0.1 x A x C x ¿ Bar (3)

❑m 2
A=0.0185 x ( ) (4)
❑A

Where, P0 is the design steam pressure. C is the tank’s feature sizes which is the
maximum of the following values,h (Height of the tank),0.75b (0.75 times of the tank
width), 0.45L (0.45 times of the tank length); ρ is the density of the cargo at design
temperature, Kg / m3; ❑m is the allowable stress of material, MPa; ❑ A is the
allowable dynamic stress of material.

4.2 Liquid Pressure

Liquid pressure is a result of combined effects of gravity and acceleration, excluding
sloshing due to fully filled tank. It is calculated by the formula

ρ
Pgd =aβ zβ (5)
1.02 x 105

Where
αβ = relative acceleration due to gravity, resulting from gravitational and
dynamical loads, in an arbitrary direction β,
zβ = largest liquid height [m] above the point where the pressure is to be
determined, measured from the tank shell in the β direction.
 To determine αβ it is necessary to calculate and draw acceleration ellipses for ship's
cross-sections and ship's longitudinal sections based on the ship acceleration
components ax, ay and az, as shown in Figure 4 in the former case.

Figure. 4. Acceleration ellipses in transverse plane, resulting

acceleration αβ in arbitrary direction β

In order to avoid ship motion analysis in rough sea, the guidance formulae for
acceleration components are given in the Rules. Values of ax, ay and az depend on
the ship particulars and coordinates of a chosen point. They are considered as acting
separately for calculation purpose. Accelerations ax and ay include the components
due to the static weight in the longitudinal and transverse directions as a result of
pitching and rolling respectively, while az does not include such a static component.

The determination of liquid height zβ is illustrated in Figure 5 for the three typical
pressure points in the tank cross-section and the longitudinal section.

Figure. 5. Determination of liquid height zβ in transverse and

longitudinal plane

In general, it is sufficient to determine liquid pressure Pgd according to (2) for the
planes y-z and x-z and use the maximum value thus obtained. Thus, the internal
pressure for the determination of the tank scantlings yields

Peq =Po +(P¿ ¿ gd )max ¿ (6)

5. Tank Location
 The location or placement of the tank in accordance with the regulations set out in the
IGF Code which aims to provide a safe location, space management and mechanical
protection of fuel system equipment. The main requirements for placing the tank and for
obtaining a suitable location as well as the fuel tank are to be protected from external damage
caused by a collision provided that:
1. Fuel tanks shall be located at a minimum distance of B / 5 or 11.5 m, whichever is
less, measured into the vessel from the side of the vessel at right angles to the center
line at the load line design level. Where: B is the largest cast width of the vessel at or
below the deepest draft (summer load line draft) (see SOLAS regulations II-1 / 2.8).

2. The limits of each fuel tank shall be taken as the longitudinal, transverse and vertical
outer extreme limits of the tank structure including the tank valve.

3. For independent tanks, protection must be protected to the tank casing (the main
barrier of the tank containment system)

4. The fuel tank limits shall not be located closer to the shell lining or the aft terminal of
the vessel as follows:
 For passenger ships: B / 10 but not less than 0.8 m. However, this distance
need not be greater than B / 15 or 2 m whichever is less where the shell lining
lies within B / 5 or 11.5 m, whichever is less.
 For cargo ships:
1. for Vc below or equal to 1,000 m3, 0.8 m;
2.for 1,000 m3 <Vc <5,000 m3, 0.75 + Vc x 0.2 / 4,000 m;
3.for 5,000 m3 ≤ Vc <30,000 m3, 0.8 + Vc / 25,000 m; and
4. for Vc ≥ 30,000 m3, 2 m
Vc corresponds to 100% of the gross design volume of individual fuel tanks
at 20 ° C, including domes and fittings.
5. The lower limit of the fuel tank shall be located above a minimum distance of B / 15
or 2.0 m, whichever is less, from the mold line of the lower shell lining in the center
line.

6. For multihull vessels, the value of B can be specially drawn.

7. The fuel tank must be behind the transverse plane at 0.08L measured from
perpendicular to the front according to SOLAS II-1 / 8.1 regulations for passenger
ships, and behind collision bulkheads for cargo ships. Where: L about is long light is
specified in international conventions (see SOLAS regulations II1 / 2.5).

6. Tank Material & Strength Criterial

Materials for fuel containment and piping systems must comply with the minimum
regulations given in the following table namely Plates, parts and forgings for fuel tanks,
secondary barriers and tanks for design temperatures below minus 55 ° C and down to
minus 165 ° C.
1. 9% Nickel Steel
9% nickel steel is a low-carbon nickel alloy steel with a nominal composition
of 9Ni, which is mainly used for cryogenic or low temperature pressure vessels for
LNG processing, transportation and storage up to -196 ° C [- 320 ° F]. These steels
have relatively higher strength and allowable stresses than austenitic stainless steels,
 aluminum and copper. 9% nickel steel exhibits excellent crack toughness even at
cryogenic temperatures. It also has a high melting point and strength retention at
high temperatures, which provides fire safe integrity for LNG pressure vessels.
Allowable Stress Of Material = 230 (Mpa)
Min. Tensile Strength = 690 (MPa)
Min. Yield Strength = 515 (MPa)

2. Austenitic Steel
Austenitic steel is a specific type of stainless steel alloy. Stainless steels may
be classified by their crystalline structure into four main types: austenitic, ferritic,
martensitic and duplex. Austenitic stainless steels possess austenite as their primary
crystalline structure (face-centered cubic). This austenite crystalline structure is
achieved by sufficient additions of the austenite stabilizing elements nickel,
manganese and nitrogen. Their crystalline structure prevents austenitic steels from
being hardenable by heat treatment and makes them essentially non-magnetic.
Allowable Stress Of Material = 177.4 (Mpa)
Min. Tensile Strength = 579 (MPa)
Min. Yield Strength = 290 (MPa)
3. Alumunium Alloy
Aluminum alloy with magnesium and traces of manganese and chromium. It
is highly resistant to attack by sea water and industrial chemicals. Alloy 5083
maintains excellent strength after welding. It has the highest strength of alloys that
cannot be treated by heating. Not recommended for use at temperatures exceeding
65 ° C.

Allowable Stress Of Material = 79.25 (Mpa)

Min. Tensile Strength = 317 (MPa)
Min. Yield Strength = 228 (MPa)

7. Tank Component & P&ID

Each instrument of this LNG tank container is manufactured according to IGF Code,
and specifications are respectively regulated by those related laws and rules, making
operational safety etc. a requirements. When using these facilities, please fully understand
the function of the apparatus for correct operations, in order to safely and efficiently use the
stored gas.
 Figure.1 P&ID LNG Storage Tank

References

Yao, Y., & Zhongyun, G. (2015). The structure design of type-C independent tank on LNG
ship. In The 2015 Word Congress on Advances in Structural Engineering and Mechanics,
Incheon, Korea.

Senjanović, I., Slapničar, V., Mravak, Z., Rudan, S., & Ljuština, A. M. (2005, January).
Structure design of cargo tanks in liquefied gas carriers. In International Congress of MArine
Research and Transportation-ICMRT 2005.

IMO: Draft International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or Lower Flashpoint Fuels
(IGF), CCC 1/WP.3, Annex 2

Yiqun, P., Sheng, L., & Wenhua, L. (2012). Structural design and research of type-C
independent tank on small scale LNG ship. Journal of ship design, 2, 28-34.