Alfa Laval bags new orders amid increased interest in LPG as fuel

Due to increased demand for solutions related to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel, Swedish company Alfa Laval has secured new orders for FCM LPG, a low-flashpoint fuel supply system (LFSS) that can work with LPG cargo handling systems.

Namely, TGE Marine Gas Engineering, a liquified gas cargo handling system supplier, ordered the FCM LPG for three LPG carriers – one of 40,000 m3 and two of 93,000 m3 – to be built in China in 2022.

Additionally, Alfa Laval received an FCM LPG order from a Japanese customer, to be integrated with the cargo handling system of newly designed 87,000 m3 very large gas carriers (VLGCs) under construction in Japan.

“As we develop for methanol and prepare for carbon-free ammonia, we are also supporting today’s lower-carbon alternatives, which include LPG on the vessels that carry it”, says Viktor Friberg, Alfa Laval’s head of Marine Separation & Fuel Supply systems.

“We see a positive response to our LFSS technology from partners. Our FCM LPG deliveries can be tuned for any type of project, which allows them to meet each stakeholder’s requirements”.

According to the company, LPG is a logical step in decarbonising the vessels that transport it because of the lower CO2 footprint.

Last week, Korea Maritime and Ocean University researchers identified LPG as a low-cost and eco-friendly alternative to marine propulsion fuels. The study showed that using LPG could reduce air pollution, is low-cost, and is applicable regardless of ship size.

According to the study’s theoretical estimates, switching to liquefied petroleum gas reduced:

• the annual fuel consumption by 7.5–10.4 per cent;
• fuel cost by 8.8–25.9 per cent
• carbon dioxide emissions by 10–14 per cent;
• nitrogen oxide emissions by 14–16 per cent;
• sulfur oxide/particulate matter emissions by 98–99 per cent.

The FCM LPG is seen as a key enabler in moving to LPG as a fuel since the system’s LFSS core is surrounded by an adaptable network, allowing it to be integrated with the cargo handling system.

However, the FCM LPG is not the company’s only engine-related solution for LPG as fuel, the company said. Specifically, Alfa Laval, in cooperation with MAN Energy Solution, developed PureNOx LS to provide effective cleaning of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) bleed-off water.

Moreover, the company’s solutions include semi-welded heat exchangers, which are a critical component in the FCM LPG but also a frequent choice for LPG cargo handling systems, due to their resistance to vibrations and pressure cycles, Alfa Laval stated.

Finally, the solutions for LPG as fuel encompass the Alfa Laval Smit LPG system, an inert gas system that ensures cargo safety and efficient operations.