Speaker               : Prof. Daejun CHANG, Ph.D. -- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Date and Venue   : 31 March 2015, BKI Head Office 6th Fl. Meeting Hall

Abstract :

We are watching the era of natural gas approaching. This mega-trend in energy industries are propelled by both competitive price and environmentally friendliness of natural gas. One drawback by natural gas is that it needs a more complex and expensive supply chain than oil from source to consumer. Two main supply chain alternatives have been employed so far: pipeline-based and LNG-based supply chain. The latter has some advantages over the former thanks to its shorter lead time, fewer stakeholders, lower capital expenditure, and longer distance coverage.

This seminar introduces several innovative concepts and their development status that will improve the efficiency and economics of the LNG-based supply chain: lattice pressure vessels, pump-free boosters, BOG spray re-condensers, and pile-guided floaters. The lattice pressure vessel has a prismatic pressure vessels with an internal lattice structure for load bearing exerted by pressurized fluid. The pump-free boosters do not rely on any turbo-machines to increase the pressure of LNG that can be supplied to engines or power plants. The BOG spray re-condenser is capable of handling a huge amount of BOG that can occur during LNG loading/offloading operations. The pile-guide floater provides a sea-keeping solution to a large-scale floaters that can contain LNG.

All these innovations have been developed to the degree that they are commercially available. Each core technology or combination of them may provide efficient solutions for Indonesia that consists of distributed LNG sources and consumers. For example, the lattice pressure vessel technology can be used for large-scale cargo tanks for short-voyage pressurized LNG carriers. It can be also used for the land-based storage tanks for localized power plants. Combination of lattice pressure vessel, pile-guided floater, and BOG spray re-condenser can be a cost-effective and safe solution to the LNG terminal in the tropical region.