Simulating safe shipping of LNG

摘要

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that by 2030 there will be a sixfold increase in the number of LNG tanker ships in operation world-wide. With these new commissions is an increasing emphasis on safety, particularly around the sloshing of LNG in heavy seas, which can cause serious damage to the tank walls and affect the vessel's stability; at worst, when resonance effects occur this can even result in capsizing. This is leading to the use of innovative technologies in the design and optimisation of LNG tankers. One such technology is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and this article reviews how Germanischer Lloyd, Daewoo Shipbuilding, and CD-adapco are using CFD to simulate sloshing in LNG tanks and tankers to optimise their performance, stability, and structural integrity.