ABB, Solar Turbines, OMT Join LNG-Fuelled ULCS Project

ABB, Solar Turbines, and OMT have join PERFECt II.

ABB Friday announced that it, along with OMT and Solar Turbines, has joined Gaztransport & Technigaz S.A. (GTT), CMA CGM S.A. (CMA CGM), CMA Ships, and DNV GL for phase two of the PERFECt project, which is set to examine the technical concept and the commercial feasibility of using a combined gas and steam turbine system (COGAS) to power an ultra large container vessel (ULCS).

As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, the overall project aims to develop a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled concept vessel powered by a combined gas and steam turbine, and electrically driven.

"We are glad to be part of the second phase of the PERFECt project, which aims at ensuring the best efficiency of this innovative vessel design," says Ludovic Gérard, Executive Vice President CMA Ships.

"The COGAS system with electrical propulsion gives us a great deal of freedom in the general arrangement and in tailoring the installed power to the real operational requirements we are facing. New partners will bring their expertise to go further than the initial concept."

PERFECt's second phase will build on the results of the first study, which was launched in 2015, and will be aimed at further optimising the overall vessel design for increased efficiency and cargo capacity.

Focus areas for phase two are said to cover process technology optimisation of the COGAS system including the steam turbine, and use of the available cooling capacity of the LNG.

"This MOU brings a new set of expert capabilities to a project that has already delivered very promising results. Our object with phase two is to work towards a design concept with a sufficient level of technical depth for a purchasing decision," said Gerd Würsig, Business Director of LNG Fuelled Ships at DNV GL – Maritime.

Last year, DNV GL said the vessel has the potential to be a more efficient, more flexible, and greener ULCS design than those of current vessels.