Hanwha Power develops first homegrown compressor for LNG gas carriers

Hanwha Power Systems Co., a South Korean energy equipment company, said on Friday it has completed joint development of a boil-off gas (BOG) compressor, a key component of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier tanks. This is the first time a local company has developed this key LNG ship part. 

The company has finished an ultra-low temperature test of four-stage low-duty compressors. Hanwha Power conducted the compressor’s design validation and verification test with local partners, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE), Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute (KOMERI) and Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO).

The completion of the national project pioneered the country’s BOG compressors manufacturing area as Korea has been fully dependent on the products from France, Germany, Japan and other countries.    

BOG is the gas phase of LNG that evaporates during the unloading and storage process. Through compressors, BOG can be reliquefied, used as a fuel in power generation or put into city gas pipelines.

The national project was aimed at developing high-quality BOG compressors although improvement of LNG cargo systems has reduced natural gas flow and evaporation, Hanwha Power said.

For the safety of offshore transportation, the project has standardized floor plans and technical documents considering the characteristics and control logistics of LNG carriers and won the approval from Korean Register, a ship classification body.

In partnerships with local small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), Hanwha Power will provide key equipment for LNG carriers to Korean shipbuilders, such as KSOE. Hanwha Power said it also has built networks of local marine equipment development and secured the domestic supply chain of ship parts.

Hanwha said this will improve Korea's trade balance in LNG carriers, which import 5 billion won worth of equipment per ship, and create relevant jobs as the country is increasingly awarding global LNG ship orders.

According to global market researcher Clarkson Research Service, a total of 63 LNG vessels had been ordered globally from January to end-November 2021. It means Korean shipbuilders won almost all LNG ship orders placed from around the world.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.