Floating Gas Refueling Facility With Modular LNG Container Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a system to provide a steady supply of large volumes of natural gas to temporary or remote coastal locations, as pipelines are ill-suited for such locations due to installation challenges, regulatory issues, and ongoing maintenance requirements.
Innovation Solution
A gas supply marine vessel equipped with a buoyant hull, a gantry assembly, and articulating crane, along with floating and land-based refueling facilities, allows for the delivery and storage of natural gas in stackable fuel container assemblies fluidically coupled to gas interface modules, enabling efficient and flexible gas supply to remote locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pipeline is installed to supply natural gas, then a steady supply of large volumes of natural gas can be achieved, but the installation time and complexity increase significantly due to government regulations and right of way acquisition
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the natural gas supply into multiple modular fuel container assemblies (each containing 20-50% of total fuel volume) that can be independently handled, loaded, and transported. This segmentation allows the refueling facility to supply gas without requiring a single large-scale pipeline installation, thereby reducing installation time while maintaining steady supply through coordinated refueling of multiple containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The refueling facility acts as an intermediary between the natural gas source and the point of use, receiving bulk natural gas and distributing it to multiple fuel container assemblies. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for direct pipeline installation to the final destination, reducing installation complexity and time while ensuring reliable supply through the facility's storage and distribution capabilities.
2Quantity of substance
If a pipeline is installed to supply natural gas, then large volumes of natural gas can be delivered, but the device complexity and maintenance requirements increase due to pumping stations and monitoring infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The natural gas volume is distributed across multiple fuel container assemblies rather than requiring a single large pipeline infrastructure. Each container is a self-contained unit with its own fuel management system, eliminating the need for complex pipeline networks, pumping stations, and monitoring infrastructure while still delivering large total volumes of natural gas.
Solution Approach 2:
Each fuel container assembly operates as a self-service unit with integrated fuel management capabilities. The containers can be independently filled, monitored, and replaced at the refueling facility without requiring complex external infrastructure, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the ability to supply large volumes of natural gas.
3Duration of action of moving object
If a pipeline is installed to supply natural gas, then continuous gas supply can be achieved, but the adaptability to temporary or remote locations decreases due to terrain constraints and right of way requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static pipeline infrastructure to a dynamic refueling facility that can be relocated or reconfigured as needed. The fuel container assemblies can be moved between the refueling facility and various point-of-use locations, providing continuous gas supply while adapting to different terrains and temporary or remote locations without the constraints of fixed pipeline routes.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmentation of natural gas into multiple portable fuel container assemblies enables the system to adapt to various locations including temporary and remote sites. Each container can be independently transported to the required location, providing location flexibility while maintaining continuous supply through the refueling facility's ability to service multiple containers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system enables the efficient delivery and storage of large volumes of natural gas to remote coastal locations, overcoming the limitations of traditional pipeline infrastructure and providing a flexible and scalable solution for gas supply.
Implementation Method 1
a buoyant, elongated hull with a first hull side and an opposing second hull side
Implementation Method 2
each gas interface module having an elongated frame extending across the cargo cavity between the two hull sides; and a plurality of spaced apart fuel container assemblies fluidically coupled to the gas interface module
Data Source
AI summary
A gas supply marine vessel and a refueling facility are described. The gas supply marine vessel includes a hull with an upper deck having an elongated cargo cavity formed therein. Gas interface modules are disposed in the cavity and extend between hull sides, each module having a plurality of fuel vessel docking stations. A plurality of stacked fuel container assemblies are fluidically coupled to the docking stations. A gantry, is movable along the length of the cavity, straddles the cargo cavity between hull sides. An articulating crane is mounted on the gantry and it utilized to move fuel container assemblies to a fuel container depression formed in the deck of a floating refueling facility. The floating refueling facility includes a concave side to facilitate mooring adjacent a shoreline, the concave side forming angled extensions at corners of the deck with a linkspan extending from each of the angled extensions.