A pump-free boosting system and its application to liquefied natural gas supply for large ships

Abstract

This study proposes a new boosting system that is capable of increasing the pressure of a low-temperature liquid such as LNG (liquefied natural gas) and supplying it continuously to a ship engine without using cryogenic pumps. The system consists of two boosters, each of which is equipped with a mini-vaporizer and regulating valves. The two boosters operate alternately to ensure a continuous supply of the low-temperature pressurized liquid. The operating philosophy is that the mini-vaporizer of the first booster increases the internal pressure and supplies the pressurized liquid to the engine while the other booster is filled with the low-pressure fresh liquid, waiting for its turn to supply the liquid to the engine. This boosting system is applied to an LNG fuel gas supply system. Dynamic process simulation is conducted to demonstrate its operational feasibility. Assessment of operation availability and life-cycle cost analysis are also conducted to show that the proposed system offers better reliability and cost-effectiveness than the conventional pump system. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved