GTT, DSME to Advance LNG Membrane Technology
A GTT LNG containment tank. Photo credit: Chevron
The world’s leading designer of membrane containment systems has linked up one of the world’s biggest shipbuilders to advance the commercial availability of a new, more efficient type of LNG membrane.
France’s GTT announced Monday that it has signed a cooperation agreement with South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering calling for the industrialisation of GTT’s new NO96 Max technology and the commercialisation of the system in 2016.
The agreement says that DSME will build a mock-up the help validate the assembly and the cryogenic performance of the new membrane containment system, and includes a study on the industrial adoption of the system to optimise manufacturing costs.
The NO96 Max technology is an optimised version of the GTT NO96 system, used in more than 120 vessels to date, but offers significant mechanical and thermal improvements for a lower boil-off rate. This technology has already received approval in principal by two major classification societies, DNV-GL and Bureau Veritas.
Philippe Berterottière, Chairman and CEO of GTT, commented, “The development of NO96 Max illustrates the continuous innovation efforts made by GTT in support of a more efficient LNG industry. The agreement shows once again that the partnership we have with DSME is strong and that this shipyard trusts our technologies.”