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French engineering company GTT is pushing ahead with storage

and bunker products for the »LNG industry«. Cornerstones of the

strategy are membrane containment systems
Besides the portfolio for »swimming« systems of LNG transportation or bunkering, GTT is as well working on onshore solutions. They[ds_preview] cover capacities from 2,000m3 to 300,000m3. »Each solution is dedicated to meet specific client needs. Every harbour/infrastructure/client has a particular demand and we have to provide the most suitable design depending on the specifications,« says Project Manager Jé­rôme Pellé. For example, bunkering facilities could be placed in quayside with transfer arms, in pit quayside (water removed) or near shore onto the sea floor. These would have a capacity of up to 30.000m3.

His company is convinced that gas-driven technologies will become much more popular in the shipping industry, even if the current oil price is dampening the trend. A lot of investments in green shipping technologies like LNG are currently on hold or have indeed been cancelled. In addition, ship owners still struggle against the market crisis with sometimes very little potential for costly projects like these. Therefore Pellé, like the whole industry, is not able to predict when LNG might see the expected major breakthrough: »The development of the LNG bunkering infrastructure for the shipping industry should be led by the price of gas, in comparison to traditional fuels.«

Some of the GTT solutions are storage facilities, some can be used as well for bunkering operations. A central role plays the membrane technology, which is both safe and flexible at the same time, according to the company. Because of this, it would be no problem to combine storage and bunker systems, says Pellé. »There are no specific requirements to use a storage facility and a bunker facility, as membrane technology is flexible enough to adapt to any shape or storage capacity.«

GTT originally developed its membrane technologies to cut the cost of shipping LNG and loading it in bulk into the vessel’s holds – coated with a totally impermeable cryogenic lining that can withstand the load while also limiting cargo loss through evaporation. Since then, the technology has been adapted for onshore tanks as well. According to the company, the systems use thin and light material, providing thermal insulation, perfect tightness and structural resistance. »It is fully compliant with international standards and the modular design allows a flexible assembly in tanks of different sizes,« Pellé explains. But one of the main advantages would be that the membrane technology eliminates the BLEVE risk (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion), unlike stations equipped with pressurized bullet tanks,« he says.

This is also an answer to the concerns of people in some regions regarding the use of LNG onshore because of safety matters. They associate gas e.g. with the risk of explosions. Nonetheless, GTT sees »a great potential« for membrane solutions working at atmospheric pressure in general. »Even if natural gas raises some concerns, it is worth remembering that national networks ordinarily distributes natural gas to cities, industries, households …,« he adds.


Michael Meyer