Ships

Abstract

To provide a ship which can secure safety in a fuel adjustment chamber even if a fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber.SOLUTION: A ship according to an embodiment includes: a propulsion engine which uses a liquefied gas as a fuel; a fuel adjustment chamber 4 which houses devices for adjusting a temperature and a pressure of the fuel at the upstream side of the propulsion engine; an intake passage 5 which takes outside air into the fuel adjustment chamber 4; and an exhaust passage 6 which exhausts air in the fuel adjustment chamber 4. The exhaust passage 6 is provided with a fan 63. For example, a fan 53 may be provided at the intake passage 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a ship including a propulsion engine using liquefied gas as fuel.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of reducing environmental impact, ships including propulsion engines using liquefied gases such as LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) as fuel have been actively developed. The liquefied gas may be supplied to the propulsion engine as a liquid, or may be made into a gas or supercritical fluid and supplied to the propulsion engine.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a ship in which two fuel tanks for storing liquefied gas, which is the fuel of the propulsion engine, are arranged on a deck constituting the upper surface of the hull. In this ship, an upper structure is provided at the stern part on the deck, and fuel tanks are arranged on both sides of the upper structure in the ship width direction.

[0004] Also, in the ship of Patent Document 1, a fuel conditioning chamber is arranged behind the upper structure and the fuel tanks. Patent Document 1 describes that "related equipment for supplying liquefied gas fuel to the main propulsion engine and the power generation engine is installed" in the fuel conditioning chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In a ship including a fuel conditioning chamber as in Patent Document 1, even if fuel leaks in the fuel conditioning chamber, it is desirable to ensure the safety in the fuel conditioning chamber.

[0007] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a vessel that can ensure the safety of the fuel adjustment chamber even if fuel leaks inside the fuel adjustment chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This disclosure provides a ship comprising a propulsion engine that uses liquefied gas as fuel, a fuel adjustment chamber that houses equipment for adjusting the temperature and pressure of the fuel upstream of the propulsion engine, an intake passage for taking in outside air into the fuel adjustment chamber, and an exhaust passage for discharging the air from the fuel adjustment chamber, wherein a fan is provided in the exhaust passage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, a vessel is provided that can ensure the safety of the fuel adjustment chamber even if fuel leaks inside the fuel adjustment chamber. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1A is a side view of a vessel according to one embodiment, and Figure 1B is a top view of the same vessel. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the piping system from the fuel tank to the main engine (propulsion engine) and the power generation engine. [Figure 3] Figure 3A is a plan view of the fuel adjustment chamber, and Figure 3B is a side cross-sectional view of the same fuel adjustment chamber. [Figure 4] Figure 4A is a side view of the modified vessel, and Figure 4B is a top view of the same vessel. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Figures 1A and 1B show a vessel 1 according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, vessel 1 is a liquid tanker that transports cargo that is a liquid, such as oil or liquefied gas. However, the use of vessel 1 is not limited to this and can be modified as appropriate.

[0012] Specifically, the vessel 1 includes a hull 11 having a deck 12. The deck 12 constitutes the upper surface of the hull 11. In this embodiment, the deck 12 is flat along the entire length of the hull 11, but the deck 12 may be configured such that one or both of the bow and stern portions are higher or lower than the middle portion.

[0013] The hull 11 contains multiple cargo tanks 13 arranged in the longitudinal direction, and these cargo tanks 13 store the cargo, which is liquid. An engine room 14 is located at the stern (i.e., behind the cargo tanks 13) within the hull 11. Furthermore, a superstructure 15 is provided at the stern of the deck 12. The superstructure 15 includes the bridge and living quarters.

[0014] The engine room 14 houses the propulsion engines that drive the propeller 16. In this embodiment, since the ship 1 is a mechanically propelled vessel, the propulsion engine is the main engine 91 (see Figure 2) that directly drives the propeller 16. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the engine room 14 also houses multiple power generation engines 92 for generating onboard electricity and an auxiliary boiler 93 for processing surplus fuel.

[0015] However, if the vessel 1 is an electric propulsion vessel, the main engine 91 is omitted and the power generation engine 92 drives the propeller 16 via a generator and motor, so the power generation engine 92 becomes the propulsion engine.

[0016] The main engine 91, which is the propulsion engine, and the power generation engine 92 use liquefied gas as fuel. In this embodiment, two fuel tanks 2 for storing the liquefied gas are arranged on the deck 12. However, the number of fuel tanks 2 may be one or three or more. The liquefied gas used as fuel is, for example, LNG, LPG, LH2, etc. If the cargo is liquefied gas, the fuel may be the same as the cargo or different.

[0017] In this embodiment, the main engine 91 and the power generation engine 92 are reciprocating engines of the Otto cycle with a fuel injection pressure of about 0.5 to 10 MPa. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the vaporized gas obtained by forcibly vaporizing liquefied gas and the BOG (Boil Off Gas) vaporized in the fuel tank 2 are supplied as fuel to the main engine 91 and the power generation engine 92. However, when the liquefied gas is LPG, the LPG may be supplied as fuel to the main engine 91 while remaining in a liquid state.

[0018] The main engine 91 may be a reciprocating engine of the diesel cycle with a fuel injection pressure of about 25 to 35 MPa. In this case, a supercritical fluid derived from liquefied gas may be supplied as fuel to the main engine 91. Alternatively, the main engine 91 may be a gas turbine engine or a combination of a boiler and a steam turbine.

[0019] The main engine 91 and the power generation engine 92 may be gas-only combustion engines that use only fuel gas, which is vaporized gas and BOG, as fuel. Alternatively, the main engine 91 and the power generation engine 92 may be dual-fuel engines capable of switching the fuel between one or both of fuel gas and fuel oil.

[0020] In this embodiment, the fuel tank 2 is in the shape of a long cylinder in the ship length direction and is arranged approximately at the center of the hull 11 in the ship length direction. However, the shape and position of the fuel tank 2 can be changed as appropriate.

[0021] The fuel tanks 2 are spaced apart from each other in the ship width direction and are located on the left side and the right side respectively. A fuel adjustment chamber 4 is arranged between the fuel tanks 2. The fuel adjustment chamber 4 houses equipment for adjusting the temperature and pressure of the fuel on the upstream side of the main engine 91 and the power generation engine 92.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, liquefied gas is introduced into each fuel tank 2 through a fuel receiving pipe 71. Liquefied gas is introduced from each fuel tank 2 into a fuel conditioning chamber 4 through a liquid pipe 72. The upstream end of the liquid pipe 72 is connected to a pump 21 disposed within the fuel tank 2. Also, BOG vaporized within each fuel tank 2 is introduced from the fuel tank 2 into the fuel conditioning chamber 4 through a BOG pipe 73. A return pipe 74 branches from the BOG pipe 73, and when liquefied gas is supplied into the fuel tank 2, a gas of an amount approximately equal to the supply amount is returned to the liquefied gas supply source through the return pipe 74.

[0023] Within the fuel conditioning chamber 4, the liquid pipe 72 is connected to a vaporizer 81. In the vaporizer 81, the liquefied gas is vaporized to generate vaporized gas, and the generated vaporized gas is introduced into a buffer container 83 through a pipe 82. The vaporizer 81 serves to adjust the temperature and pressure of the vaporized gas.

[0024] Also, within the fuel conditioning chamber 4, the BOG pipe 73 is connected to a heater 85. The BOG heated by the heater 85 is introduced into the buffer container 83 through a pipe 86. A compressor 87 is provided in the pipe 86. The heater 85 and the compressor 87 serve to adjust the temperature and pressure of the BOG.

[0025] Fuel, which is a mixture of vaporized gas and BOG, is temporarily stored in the buffer container 83. The fuel whose temperature and pressure have been adjusted in the fuel conditioning chamber 4, that is, the fuel temporarily stored in the buffer container 83, is introduced from the fuel conditioning chamber 4 into a main engine 91 through a first fuel supply pipe 9A, into a power generation engine 92 through a second fuel supply pipe 9B, and into an auxiliary boiler 93 through a third fuel supply pipe 9C.

[0026] The first fuel supply pipe 9A is provided with a valve unit 94 containing multiple valves. Similarly, the second fuel supply pipe 9B and the third fuel supply pipe 9C are each provided with a valve unit 94. In this embodiment, the valve unit 94 is located in the engine room 14, but the valve unit 94 may be located in the fuel adjustment chamber 4. Alternatively, if there is a room dedicated to the valve unit 94, the valve unit 94 may be placed there.

[0027] As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, in this embodiment, the ship 1 includes an intake passage 5 for taking in outside air into the fuel adjustment chamber 4 and an exhaust passage 6 for discharging air from the fuel adjustment chamber 4. In this embodiment, one intake passage 5 and one exhaust passage 6 are provided, but multiple intake passages 5 and multiple exhaust passages 6 may be provided.

[0028] The intake passage 5 includes a first ventilator 51 that forms an opening to the atmosphere and an intake duct 52 provided in the fuel adjustment chamber 4. In this embodiment, the intake duct 52 extends without branching from the upstream end connected to the first ventilator 51 to the downstream end, but multiple first ventilators 51 may be provided and the intake duct 52 may branch toward the upstream side. Alternatively, the intake duct 52 may branch toward the downstream side to have multiple intake ports 50, which will be described later.

[0029] Similarly, the exhaust passage 6 includes a second ventilator 61 that forms an opening to the atmosphere and an exhaust duct 62 provided in the fuel adjustment chamber 4. In this embodiment, the exhaust duct 62 extends without branching from the upstream end to the downstream end connected to the second ventilator 61, but multiple second ventilators 61 may be provided and the exhaust duct 62 may branch toward the downstream side. Alternatively, the exhaust duct 62 may branch toward the upstream side to have multiple exhaust ports 60, which will be described later.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first ventilator 51 and the second ventilator 61 are mushroom ventilators installed on the roof of the fuel adjustment chamber 4. However, various shapes of ventilators can be used for the first ventilator 51 and the second ventilator 61. For example, the first ventilator 51 and the second ventilator 61 may be hooded louver ventilators installed on the side walls of the fuel adjustment chamber 4.

[0031] In this embodiment, a fan 53 is provided in the intake passage 5, and a fan 63 is provided in the exhaust passage 6. However, it is not necessary for fans to be provided in both the intake passage 5 and the exhaust passage 6; they may be provided only in the exhaust passage 6.

[0032] In this embodiment, the fan 53 is provided in the first ventilator 51, but the fan 53 may also be provided in the intake duct 52. Similarly, in this embodiment, the fan 63 is provided in the second ventilator 61, but the fan 63 may also be provided in the exhaust duct 62. A filter may be provided upstream of the fan 53 in the intake passage 5, and a filter may be provided upstream of the fan 63 in the exhaust passage 6.

[0033] Normally, fans 53 and 63 are always driven. However, if multiple first ventilators 51 are provided and fans 53 are provided on those first ventilators 51, it is not necessary for all fans 53 to be driven, and some of the fans 53 may be stopped. Similarly, if multiple second ventilators 61 are provided and fans 63 are provided on those second ventilators 61, it is not necessary for all fans 63 to be driven, and some of the fans 63 may be stopped.

[0034] In this embodiment, the vaporized gas derived from the liquefied gas fuel is lighter than air. In other words, the density of the vaporized gas is less than the density of air. Examples of the liquefied gas from which this vaporized gas originates are LNG or LH2. Furthermore, the exhaust port 60, which is the opening of the exhaust duct 62 within the fuel adjustment chamber 4, is located above the intake port 50, which is the opening of the intake duct 52 within the fuel adjustment chamber 4.

[0035] In this embodiment, the pressure loss in the exhaust passage 6 is smaller than the pressure loss in the intake passage 5. In particular, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust passage 6 is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage 5. Therefore, a negative pressure can be created inside the fuel adjustment chamber 4. This allows the leaked fuel to be immediately discharged when fuel leaks inside the fuel adjustment chamber 4. However, the pressure loss in the exhaust passage 6 may be equal to the pressure loss in the intake passage 5.

[0036] Furthermore, in order to make the pressure loss in the exhaust passage 6 less than the pressure loss in the intake passage 5, the cross-sectional areas of the intake passage 5 and the exhaust passage 6 may be made the same, while the length of the exhaust passage 6 may be made shorter than the length of the intake passage 5. Also, in order to create negative pressure inside the fuel adjustment chamber 4, the diameter or rotational speed of the fan 63 may be made larger than the diameter or rotational speed of the fan 53.

[0037] As described above, in the vessel 1 of this embodiment, the fuel adjustment chamber 4 is ventilated by fans 63 and 53 provided in the exhaust passage 6 and intake passage 5. Therefore, even if fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber 4, safety within the fuel adjustment chamber 4 can be ensured.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the vaporized gas derived from the liquefied gas fuel is lighter than air, and the exhaust port 60 is located above the intake port 50, when fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber 4, the leaked fuel can be preferentially discharged.

[0039] (modified version) This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of this disclosure.

[0040] For example, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the fuel tank 2 may be located at the stern, and the fuel adjustment chamber 4 may be located in front of the fuel tank 2.

[0041] Furthermore, the vaporized gas derived from the liquefied fuel may be heavier than air. For example, LPG is a liquefied gas that serves as the source of such vaporized gas. In this case, it is desirable that the exhaust port 60 be located below the intake port 50. Even with this configuration, when fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber 4, the leaked fuel can be preferentially discharged.

[0042] Furthermore, the fuel tank 2 and the fuel adjustment chamber 4 do not necessarily have to be located on the deck 12; one or both of the fuel tank 2 and the fuel adjustment chamber 4 may be located within the hull 11. If the fuel adjustment chamber 4 is located within the hull 11, the first ventilator 51 and the second ventilator 61 may be provided on the deck 12. In this case, the intake duct 52 and the exhaust duct 62 may extend through the ceiling or side walls of the fuel adjustment chamber 4 to the deck 12.

[0043] (summary) In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a ship comprising a propulsion engine that uses liquefied gas as fuel, a fuel adjustment chamber that houses equipment for adjusting the temperature and pressure of the fuel upstream of the propulsion engine, an intake passage for taking outside air into the fuel adjustment chamber, and an exhaust passage for discharging the air from the fuel adjustment chamber, wherein a fan is provided in the exhaust passage.

[0044] With the above configuration, the fuel adjustment chamber is ventilated by a fan installed in the exhaust passage. Therefore, even if fuel leaks inside the fuel adjustment chamber, the safety of the chamber can be ensured.

[0045] In a second embodiment, in the first embodiment, for example, a fan may be provided in the intake passage.

[0046] In a third embodiment, in the first or second embodiment, for example, the intake passage may include a first ventilator forming an opening to the atmosphere and an intake duct provided in the fuel adjustment chamber, and the exhaust passage may include a second ventilator forming an opening to the atmosphere and an exhaust duct provided in the fuel adjustment chamber.

[0047] In a fourth embodiment, in the third embodiment, the vaporized gas derived from the liquefied gas is heavier than air, and the exhaust port, which is the opening of the exhaust duct in the fuel adjustment chamber, may be located lower than the intake port, which is the opening of the intake duct in the fuel adjustment chamber. With this configuration, when fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber, the leaked fuel can be preferentially discharged.

[0048] In a fifth embodiment, in the third embodiment, the vaporized gas derived from the liquefied gas is lighter than air, and the exhaust port, which is the opening of the exhaust duct in the fuel adjustment chamber, may be located above the intake port, which is the opening of the intake duct in the fuel adjustment chamber. With this configuration, when fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber, the leaked fuel can be preferentially discharged.

[0049] In a sixth embodiment, in any of the first to fifth embodiments, the pressure loss in the exhaust passage may be smaller than the pressure loss in the intake passage. This configuration allows the fuel adjustment chamber to be under negative pressure. This allows the leaked fuel to be immediately discharged when fuel leaks in the fuel adjustment chamber. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 1 ship 11 Hull 4 Fuel adjustment room 5. Intake passage 50 Intake port 51. First ventilator 52 Intake duct 53 Fans 6 Exhaust passage 60 Exhaust vents 61. Second ventilator 62 Exhaust duct 63 Fans 91 Main engine (propulsion engine)

Claims

1. A propulsion engine that uses liquefied gas as fuel, A fuel adjustment chamber is provided upstream of the propulsion engine for housing equipment that adjusts the temperature and pressure of the fuel. An intake passage for taking outside air into the fuel adjustment chamber, It comprises an exhaust passage for discharging air from the fuel adjustment chamber, A fan is provided in the aforementioned exhaust passage. The intake passage includes an intake duct provided in the fuel adjustment chamber. The exhaust passage includes an exhaust duct provided in the fuel adjustment chamber. A ship in which the exhaust duct has a larger cross-sectional area than the intake duct, and the pressure loss in the exhaust passage is smaller than the pressure loss in the intake passage, thereby maintaining a negative pressure in the fuel adjustment chamber.

2. The ship according to claim 1, wherein a fan is provided in the intake passage.

3. The intake passage includes a first ventilator that forms an opening to the atmosphere. The vessel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the exhaust passage includes a second ventilator that forms an opening to the atmosphere.

4. The vaporized gas derived from the aforementioned liquefied gas is heavier than air. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust port, which is the opening of the exhaust duct in the fuel adjustment chamber, is located below the intake port, which is the opening of the intake duct in the fuel adjustment chamber.

5. The vaporized gas derived from the aforementioned liquefied gas is lighter than air. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust port, which is the opening of the exhaust duct in the fuel adjustment chamber, is located above the intake port, which is the opening of the intake duct in the fuel adjustment chamber.

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