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Kobe Steel’s innovative DCHE heat exchangers used in BOG partial re-liquefaction systems on LNG carriers

November 10, 2015

Kobe Steel, Ltd.’s innovative heat exchangers have found application in boil-off gas (BOG) partial re-liquefaction systems for LNG carriers.

The partial re-liquefaction systems were developed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME), and Kobe Steel’s diffusion-bonded compact heat exchangers, known by the product name DCHE, are used in the systems as the main heat exchanger.

To date, Kobe Steel has received orders for seven of its DCHE units, through DongHwa Entec Co., Ltd., a Korean packager of partial re-liquefaction systems. DongHwa Entec includes the DCHE units in the BOG partial re-liquefaction systems, and delivers them to DSME’s shipyard for installation on LNG carriers.

Kobe Steel supplied the first two units to DSME’s shipyard in Geoje Island, South Korea last year. The delivery of the first unit marked the first application of a DCHE heat exchanger in a partial re-liquefaction system.

Kobe Steel delivered a third unit earlier this month, in September. Four more will be delivered later this year and in the first quarter of 2016 for the same application.

LNG tends to partially gasify due to outside heat. This gas, called boil-off gas (BOG), is used as fuel in gas engines on ships, while the excess BOG is generally discarded. By using a partial re-liquefaction system, the excess BOG that is not used for gas engine fuel can be reliquefied and returned to the storage tank as LNG. Thus, the excess BOG is not wasted.

Conventional heat exchangers require a certain amount of space and weigh up to several tons or more. But the number of marine projects that require efficient equipment with a smaller footprint and lighter weight is increasing.

Kobe Steel’s DCHE provides the same high performance with equipment far smaller in size and lighter in weight. For example, the DCHE can be approximately one-tenth the size and one-eighth the weight of conventional shell and tube exchangers in some applications, This makes it ideal for use on ships. Due to these features, Kobe Steel anticipates that demand for its DCHE units will grow in the future.

In addition to partial re-liquefaction systems on ships, DCHE heat exchangers are also applicable on floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels and other offshore structures. For onshore use, Kobe Steel has supplied numerous DCHE heat exchangers for use in hydrogen stations.