EMEA News
Danish LNG Bunker Test Centre Expanding, Focus on Environmental Challenges
Alfa Laval Wednesday announced that its liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker test and training centre in Aalborg, Denmark will soon be expanded to five times its current size.
"LNG and other fuel alternatives will play a key role in meeting the marine industry's environmental and energy challenges. Through the expansion of the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre, we will support this shift with cutting-edge technology development," said Peter Leifland, head of Alfa Laval's Marine & Diesel Division.
Alfa Laval said the centre, at nearly two years old, is already a massive facility, boasting a 250 m2 testing space where a 2 MW diesel engine and equipment from all of Alfa Laval's marine product groups create the closest possible simulation of a full-sized commercial vessel.
The centre will be expanded with an additional 1100 m2 and will be dedicated to environmental and combustion technology systems for vessels using LNG and other alternative marine fuels.
The expansion represents a bid on the part of the company to keep up with trends among ship owners, with Alfa Laval saying that in just 15 years it is expected that 7,000 vessels will be sailing with LNG, compared with a mere 500 today.
"This is a remarkable change, driven in part by the successive tightening of NOx and SOx regulations by IMO," says Bodil Nielsen, Test & Training Centre Manager.
Attractive Solution
While Nielson noted LNG's reduced emissions made it an attractive solution, advanced technology was said to be a prerequisite for making the switch.
"There are key processes that become significantly more complex when LNG is involved, which means the technologies on board must be even more advanced," says Lars Skytte Jørgensen V.P. Product Centre Boilers at Alfa Laval.
Jørgensen went on to say the centre will focus on the challenges around the combustion of evaporated greenhouse gases from LNG.
"While the gases have to be burned to minimize environmental impact, we will develop the best technology for doing it safely," said Jørgensen.
"By looking not only at the environment, but also at energy efficiency and economy, the [centre] will ensure that Alfa Laval is the clear choice for customers who make the transition to gas-powered ships."
The expanded operation is expected to begin at the turn of the year 2016-2017.
In April 2015 Ship & Bunker reported that Alfa Laval had patented a new technology with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering concerning fuel conditioning in systems that use LNG.