New Korean intiative to work on safe tank design for green ships

New South Korean Initiative Aims to Improve Tank Design for Green Ships

South Korea’s Korean Register (KR) and shipbuilding companies HD Hyundai Mipo and HD KSOE have collaborated on a project to enhance the safety and sustainability of tank design for environmentally friendly ships. They have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to utilize Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) techniques in designing Type-C cargo tanks for liquefied gas carriers, ensuring their structural integrity.

Type-C tanks are widely used in small to mid-sized gas carriers and bunkering vessels due to their ability to store high-pressure cargo independently. To ensure safety during the transportation of alternative fuels like LNG, ammonia, and hydrogen, precise structural analysis is crucial. By implementing ECA, a fracture mechanics-based method, from the early design stages, the partners aim to tackle these technical challenges effectively.

ECA involves simulating potential crack propagation in metal structures to evaluate their ability to withstand real-world operational conditions, making it ideal for high-pressure, low-temperature environments such as liquefied gas storage. HD Hyundai Mipo will conduct structural strength and fatigue assessments, while HD KSOE will lead tank design and perform ECA-based evaluations. KR will oversee the safety and compliance of the design, aiming to grant an approval in principle (AIP) in line with its classification rules and the IGC Code.

Lee Dong-Ju, Senior Vice President of HD KSOE, emphasized the significance of the project in enhancing structural safety and design efficiency for fuel tanks of green ships. He expressed the commitment to advancing technologies for eco-friendly vessel design and manufacturing.