Liquefied gas transport vessel

Abstract

This liquefied gas transport vessel comprises: a hull that includes an engine room; a propulsion engine that is located in the engine room and propels the hull; a cargo tank that is located in a cargo area of the hull and stores liquefied gas to be transported; a vaporized gas fuel device that uses, as fuel, a vaporized gas which is obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas; and a separate compartment that is a compartment separate from the engine room and houses the vaporized gas fuel device.

Description

liquefied gas carrier

[0001] The present disclosure relates to liquefied gas carriers.

[0002] Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a liquefied gas carrier that transports liquefied gas.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-087278

[0004] Liquefied gas carriers may be equipped with a vaporized gas fuel system that uses vaporized liquefied gas as fuel, separate from the propulsion engine. Naturally, the safety of the vaporized gas fuel system is fully guaranteed, but the inventors considered the location of the vaporized gas fuel system in order to achieve even higher safety.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a liquefied gas carrier that is equipped with a vaporized gas fuel device separate from the propulsion engine, and that is therefore safer.

[0006] A liquefied gas carrier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a hull including an engine room, a propulsion engine located in the engine room and propelling the hull, a cargo tank located in the cargo area of ​​the hull and storing the liquefied gas to be transported, a vaporized gas fuel device that uses vaporized gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas as fuel, and an independent compartment that is separate from the engine room and houses the vaporized gas fuel device.

[0007] According to the above configuration, a liquefied gas carrier can be provided that is equipped with a vaporized gas fuel device in addition to the propulsion engine, and that has a higher level of safety.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a side view of a liquefied gas carrier, Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the stern area, and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the liquefied gas carrier.

[0009] An embodiment will now be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of a liquefied gas carrier 100. The liquefied gas carrier 100 is a ship that transports liquefied gas. The liquefied gas carrier 100 according to this embodiment uses a portion of the liquefied gas to be transported as fuel. In this embodiment, the liquefied gas transported by the liquefied gas carrier 100 is liquefied hydrogen. However, the liquefied gas is not limited to liquefied hydrogen, and may be, for example, liquefied natural gas, etc.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the liquefied gas carrier 100 includes a hull 10, a propulsion engine 20, a cargo tank 30, a vaporized gas fuel device 40, and an independent compartment 50. These components will be described below in order.

[0011] <Hull> The hull 10 is equipped with various devices and equipment. The hull 10 is divided into a cargo area 11 for storing the liquefied gas to be transported, a bow area 12 located forward of the cargo area 11, and a stern area 13 located aft of the cargo area 11. Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the vicinity of the stern area 13.

[0012] As shown in Figure 2, the stern area 13 of the hull 10 is provided with a cargo equipment room 14 and an accommodation area 15 in addition to an independent compartment 50. Of these, the cargo equipment room 14 is located above the exposed deck 16 at a certain distance in the vertical direction from the exposed deck 16. The cargo equipment room 14 is supplied with liquefied gas stored in cargo tanks 30 and boil-off gas that is generated when the liquefied gas naturally evaporates within the cargo tanks 30.

[0013] The cargo equipment room 14 houses a vaporizer, compressor, heater, etc. (not shown). The vaporizer is a device that forcibly vaporizes liquefied gas to obtain vaporized gas. The compressor is a device that pressurizes the vaporized gas obtained by the vaporizer and the boil-off gas supplied from the cargo tank 30 (hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to as "vaporized gas"). The heater is a device that heats the vaporized gas pressurized by the compressor.

[0014] On the other hand, the accommodation space 15 is a section including rooms where the crew members work. The accommodation space 15 is located forward of the cargo equipment room 14. As described above, the cargo equipment room 14 and the accommodation space 15 in this embodiment are located in the stern area 13. However, the cargo equipment room 14 and the accommodation space 15 may be located in an area other than the stern area 13. For example, the cargo equipment room 14 may be located in the cargo area 11, and the accommodation space 15 may be located in the bow area 12.

[0015] Furthermore, the hull 10 includes an engine room 17. The engine room 17 in this embodiment is located in the stern area 13 of the hull 10. Here, Figure 3 is a rear view of the liquefied gas carrier 100. The area surrounded by the dashed dotted line in Figure 3 corresponds to the engine room 17. As shown in Figure 3, the engine room 17 includes an upper engine room 18 located above the exposed deck 16, and a lower engine room 19 located below the exposed deck 16. The upper engine room 18 and the lower engine room 19 are connected to each other to form a single space.

[0016] <Propulsion Engine> The propulsion engine 20 is a device that propels the hull 10. As shown in FIG. 2 , the propulsion engine 20 is located in the engine room 17 of the hull 10. In this embodiment, the propulsion engine 20 includes a boiler 21 and a steam turbine 22, and uses vaporized gas as fuel. Vaporized gas is supplied to the boiler 21 from the cargo equipment room 14. The boiler 21 combusts the supplied vaporized gas and generates steam using the thermal energy obtained thereby. The steam turbine 22 is rotationally driven by the steam generated by the boiler 21. The steam turbine 22 is connected to a propeller 24 via a propeller shaft 23, and the propeller 24 rotates when the steam turbine 22 is rotationally driven. This generates thrust, allowing the hull 10 to propel.

[0017] As described above, the propulsion engine 20 of this embodiment includes the boiler 21 and the steam turbine 22. However, the propulsion engine 20 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the propulsion engine 20 may be a gas engine that burns vaporized gas in a cylinder to drive a piston. Alternatively, the propulsion engine 20 may be a diesel engine that uses heavy oil or the like as fuel. Note that if the propulsion engine 20 is a diesel engine, vaporized gas is not supplied from the cargo equipment room 14 to the propulsion engine 20.

[0018] In addition to the propulsion engine 20, various other devices are also located in the engine room 17. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , a utility facility 25 is located in the engine room 17. The utility facility 25 is facility that assists the operation of the propulsion engine 20 and the vaporized gas fuel system 40. The utility facility 25 includes, for example, a cooling water pump for supplying cooling water to the propulsion engine 20, a lubricating oil pump for supplying lubricating oil to the propulsion engine 20, a compressor for supplying control air to the propulsion engine 20, a switchboard for supplying electricity to the propulsion engine 20, a fuel oil pump for supplying fuel oil to the propulsion engine 20, and a chimney for discharging exhaust gas emitted from the propulsion engine 20 to the outside. Utilities such as cooling water, lubricating oil, control air, electricity, and fuel oil are supplied to the propulsion engine 20 from the utility facility 25.

[0019] <Cargo Tanks> The cargo tanks 30 are tanks that store the liquefied gas to be transported. As shown in FIG. 1 , the cargo tanks 30 are located in the cargo area 11 of the hull 10. The liquefied gas carrier 100 according to this embodiment has four cargo tanks 30, and each cargo tank 30 is spherical. However, the number and shape of the cargo tanks 30 provided on the liquefied gas carrier 100 are not limited.

[0020] As described above, while the liquefied gas carrier 100 is transporting liquefied gas, natural heat input to the cargo tanks 30 and other factors cause some of the liquefied gas to vaporize in the cargo tanks 30, generating boil-off gas. If the amount of boil-off gas generated becomes large, the pressure in the cargo tanks 30 will rise excessively, and therefore it is necessary to discharge the boil-off gas from the cargo tanks 30. If power or electricity can be generated using a device that uses this discharged boil-off gas as fuel, it can be used to propel the liquefied gas carrier 100 or for onboard electricity.

[0021] <Vaporized Gas Fuel Device> The vaporized gas fuel device 40 is a device that uses vaporized gas as fuel. The vaporized gas fuel device 40 of this embodiment is a dual-fuel engine that can use both vaporized gas, which is a gas fuel, and fuel oil such as heavy oil as fuel. However, the vaporized gas fuel device 40 is not limited to a dual-fuel engine and may be, for example, a dual-fuel boiler that uses both vaporized gas and fuel oil as fuel, a gas engine that uses only vaporized gas as fuel, or a fuel cell that uses vaporized gas as fuel.

[0022] The vaporized gas fuel system 40 of this embodiment is connected to a generator 41. The generator 41 is driven by the vaporized gas fuel system 40 to generate electricity. The generated electricity is used for operating the liquefied gas carrier 100. Like the propulsion engine 20, the vaporized gas fuel system 40 is supplied with vaporized gas from the cargo equipment room 14, and is also supplied with utilities such as cooling water, lubricating oil, control air, electricity, and fuel oil from the utility equipment 25. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the utility equipment 25 that assists the operation of the vaporized gas fuel system 40 is common to the utility equipment 25 that assists the operation of the propulsion engine 20.

[0023] <Independent Compartment> The independent compartment 50 is a room that forms a compartment independent from the engine room 17. In other words, gas in the independent compartment 50 does not flow into the engine room 17, and gas in the engine room 17 does not flow into the independent compartment 50. The independent compartment 50 also houses the vaporized gas fuel system 40. In other words, the vaporized gas fuel system 40 and the engine room 17 are located in separate, independent areas. Because the engine room 17 is where the propulsion engine 20, which handles fuel, is located, sufficient safety measures are in place. Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if vaporized gas leaks from the vaporized gas fuel system 40, the leaked vaporized gas will not flow into the engine room 17. Therefore, the liquefied gas carrier 100 according to this embodiment can reduce risks associated with vaporized gas leaks, thereby achieving even greater safety. Furthermore, by separating the space in which the vaporized gas fuel system 40 is located with the independent compartment 50, it is easier to design a ventilation system for that space.

[0024] The location of the independent compartment 50 is not limited. However, as shown in Fig. 3, the independent compartment 50 in this embodiment is located on the exposed deck 16 of the hull 10. This allows easy access to the vaporized gas fuel device 40 (see Fig. 2) inside the independent compartment 50 from the outside, facilitating replacement and maintenance of the vaporized gas fuel device 40.

[0025] 3, the independent compartment 50 of this embodiment is adjacent to the engine room 17 via the exposed deck 16, which is the ceiling of the lower engine room 19, and a side wall 51, which is the side of the upper engine room 18. In this way, by having the independent compartment 50 adjacent to the engine room 17, the distance between the independent compartment 50 and the equipment located in the engine room 17, such as the utility equipment 25, is shortened. As a result, for example, the piping and wiring connecting the utility equipment 25 and the vaporized gas fuel device 40 can be shortened, simplifying the structure of the liquefied gas carrier 100 and ultimately reducing the manufacturing costs of the liquefied gas carrier 100.

[0026] Furthermore, the independent compartment 50 is located in the stern area 13 together with the engine room 17. If the independent compartment 50 and the engine room 17 are located in the same area in this way, the independent compartment 50 will be closer to the equipment located in the engine room 17, as described above, which allows for a simplification of the structure of the liquefied gas carrier 100 and a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the liquefied gas carrier 100. Furthermore, since the engine room 17 is located in the stern area 13, the distance from the propulsion engine 20 in the engine room 17 to the propeller 24 is reduced. As a result, the structure of the liquefied gas carrier 100 can be further simplified, for example by shortening the propeller shaft 23, and the manufacturing cost of the liquefied gas carrier 100 can be further reduced.

[0027] (Summary) The first item disclosed in this specification is a liquefied gas carrier comprising a hull including an engine room, a propulsion engine located in the engine room and propelling the hull, a cargo tank located in the cargo area of ​​the hull and storing the liquefied gas to be transported, a vaporized gas fuel device that uses vaporized gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas as fuel, and an independent compartment that is separate from the engine room and houses the vaporized gas fuel device.

[0028] This configuration can reduce the risk caused by leakage of vaporized gas, further improving safety.

[0029] A second item disclosed in this specification is the liquefied gas carrier according to the first item, wherein the independent compartment is adjacent to the engine room.

[0030] This configuration simplifies the structure and reduces the manufacturing costs of the liquefied gas carrier.

[0031] A third item disclosed in this specification is a liquefied gas carrier according to the first or second item, wherein the independent compartment is located on an exposed deck of the hull.

[0032] This configuration makes it possible to easily replace and maintain the vaporized gas fuel device.

[0033] A fourth item disclosed in this specification is a liquefied gas carrier according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the independent compartment and the engine room are located in an aft area of ​​the hull that is located aft of the cargo area.

[0034] This configuration allows the structure to be further simplified, and the manufacturing costs of the liquefied gas carrier to be further reduced.

Claims

1. A liquefied gas carrier comprising: a hull including an engine room; a propulsion engine located in the engine room for propelling the hull; a cargo tank located in the cargo area of the hull for storing liquefied gas to be transported; a vapor gas fuel device using the vapor gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas as fuel; and an independent compartment separated from the engine room for housing the vapor gas fuel device.

2. The liquefied gas carrier according to claim 1, wherein the independent compartment is adjacent to the engine room.

3. The liquefied gas carrier according to claim 1, wherein the independent compartment is located on the exposed deck of the hull.

4. The liquefied gas carrier according to claim 1, wherein the independent compartment and the engine room are located in a stern area located rearward of the cargo area of the hull.

Images