BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION : Field of the Invention: [0002] The invention relates to a method and apparatus for shipboard regasification of liquefied natural gas on liquefied natural gas ("LNG") carriers, not fitted with steam propulsion plants. In particular, this invention relates to using the thermal energy of a propulsion system for a LNG carrier, such as a diesel engine or gas turbine propulsion plant which ordinarily drives the propeller shaft and propeller of a ship, to serve an additional function of providing heat to a shipboard regasification system.

Description of the Related Art: [0003] Conventional steam propulsion plants of sea-going vessels often have two main boilers providing high pressure superheated steam to cross compound steam turbines driving a single shaft line and propeller through double reduction gears. Many of these vessels are liquefied natural gas carriers. Steam has been a popular choice for propulsion plants for liquefied natural gas carriers, primarily due to the ease of burning the boil-off gas from the LNG cargo containment system. When the conventional steam propelled LNG carrier is fitted with regasification equipment, the main steam boilers of the conventional steam propulsion plant served to provide both high-pressure superheated steam to drive a propeller and propeller shaft of the liquefied natural gas carrier vessels as well as a natural source of heat for regasification of liquid natural gas. Heat from the vessel's steam propulsion plant acts as a primary heat source, with an upgrade in the output of the boilers to match the desired regasified liquid natural gas sendout rate.

[0004] Although the steam propulsion plant provides a natural source of heat for shipboard regasification and a simple method for burning of boil-off gas, it is very inefficient thermal cycle for propelling a ship, as compared to modern diesel engines or advanced gas turbine cycles. By contrast, the diesel or gas turbine engines do not provide a comparable amount of available thermal energy to satisfy shipboard regasification, which requires significant heat to gasify the liquefied natural gas prior to its discharge to the shore.

[0005] Because of the inefficiency of steam turbine propulsion plants and the current trend to alternate propulsion plants for LNG carriers, the present invention has been developed to use a more efficient propulsion plant such as a diesel engine or gas turbine. The more efficient diesel engine and gas turbine propulsion plants will either provide direct mechanical drive of the propeller and propeller shaft or will be fitted with an integrated electric power plant. However, this alternative propulsion arrangement eliminates the vessel's main steam boilers, which also served as the natural heat source for shipboard regasification. Therefore, there is a need to overcome the lack of a readily available heat source for shipboard regasification in diesel engine and gas turbine propulsion plants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: [0006] The present invention provides a method and apparatus for shipboard regasification that uses propulsion plants other than steam. These alternative propulsion plants include diesel engine and gas turbine propulsion systems that propel a liquefied natural gas carrier by either direct mechanical drive or an integrated electric drive system. The diesel engine (s) and gas turbine engine (s) act as prime movers for the LNG vessel propulsion plant. Since the diesel engines and gas turbines do not provide a readily available natural or sufficient quantity source of heat for shipboard regasification in vessels fitted with an integrated electric power plant, an alternative heating arrangement has been developed. The electric heating arrangement will enable a shipboard regasification system to be fitted to liquid natural gas carriers that have diesel engine or gas turbine propulsion plants, while still obtaining the economic benefits of the diesel engine or gas turbine propulsion plant.

[0007] The present invention provides a shipboard regasification system, including hot water heated shell and tube vaporizing unit (s) for vaporizing liquefied gas onboard the LNG vessel. A specially arranged heat-generating propulsion and auxiliary plant on the ship provides a source of heat to the vaporizing unit. The heat input sources for hot water heating system include electric water heaters using the excess electric generating capacity of the LNG's propulsion plant when in a regasification mode and connected to the receiving terminal, exhaust gas heat exchangers fitted to the combustion exhausts of the diesel engines and gas turbines, and natural gas fired hot water or thermal oil heaters. The heat necessary for the shipboard regasification process is generated from the above mentioned heat sources, transferred through heat exchangers into the heating water loop, circulated through a hot water circulating loop to the vaporizers, and provides the necessary heat to a heat exchanger or a gas vaporizer for regasifying liquefied natural gas. The liquefied natural gas is transported and stored on the ship in the conventional LNG cargo tanks and fitted with proven cargo containment systems. An onboard piping and high pressure system can convey the liquefied natural gas from the cargo tanks to the vaporizer (s) or heat exchanger (s). The liquefied natural gas can then be regasified in the vaporizer (s) or heat exchanger (s) by the hot water heating system. In its gasified state, the natural gas can be piped through an undersea piping arrangement from the ship to a remote or on shore plant where it can be subsequently processed or distributed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS : [0008] For desired understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0009] Figure 1 illustrates a liquefied natural gas carrier according to the present invention; [0010] Figure 2 illustrates a shipboard regasification system according to the present invention ; [0011] Figure 3 illustrates a shipboard regasification system hot water heating system according to the present invention; [0012] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of the supplemental heater interface with the hot water heating system according to the present invention; and [0013] Figure 5 illustrates the propulsion system interface with the hot water heating system according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION : [0014] The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for creating the thermal heat for shipboard regasification. Referring to Figure 1, liquefied natural gas carrier or ship 2 has a propulsion system for motive power, and a shipboard regasification system 6. The regasification system 6 uses heat to regasify liquefied natural gas on board the ship. Natural gas in its gaseous state is voluminous, but in a liquefied state occupies considerably less space. Natural gas is typically stored at about-255 to-265°F in order to be held in the liquid state. Regasification occurs as the liquefied natural gas is reheated.

[0015] Generally, shipboard regasification can be performed when the ship is anchored to a mooring buoy 26 or other terminal, at which time the propulsion system is not in use for the movement of the ship. The propulsion system can still be used to provide electricity to other ship components and systems. Therefore, surplus heat or energy generated by a propulsion plant 4, with the addition of heating water systems defined by this invention, can be used to supply the necessary heat to the regasification system 6. For example, when the vessel is anchored to a mooring buoy or other terminal, and not providing motive power, the available thermal energy of the propulsion plant can be captured and converted as heat energy for regasification of the liquefied natural gas. Once regasified, the natural gas can be transmitted from the ship by a conduit 20 to an undersea piping system 22 and to an onshore plant 24 for subsequent processing or distribution. Piping system 22 can be submerged where practical. Conduit 20 can be connected to ship 2 through buoy 26.

[0016] A gas turbine or diesel engine propulsion plant forms propulsion plant 4 and can provide direct mechanical drive to the propeller shaft 40 and propeller 30 of the ship. Alternatively, propulsion plant 4 can be fitted with an integrated electric power plant 32, as illustrated in Figure 5, using an electric motor or motors to drive the propeller shaft 40 and propeller 30.

When the integrated electric power plant 32 powers the ship, the heat or energy generated may not be sufficient to achieve a desired regasification rate, so supplemental energy from other sources may be necessary. This supplemental energy may be obtained, for example, with an electric heating arrangement 36 as shown in Figure 2. The electric heating arrangement 36 can be added to the ship to provide a readily available heat source for shipboard regasification. Thus, the heat or energy generated by the integrated electric power plant 32 can be supplemented by the electric heating arrangement 36 in order to achieve a desired regasification rate. In one embodiment of the present invention, the shipboard regasification plant can have a desired regasification rate or nominal sendout capacity of 450 million cubic feet per day (450-mmscf/d), which necessitates a heat input of approximately 260 million British Thermal Units per hour. This heat quantity can be achieved in the gas turbine or diesel engine propulsion plant by the electric heating arrangement.

[0017] Referring to Figure 3, the electric heating arrangement 36 can be a hot water heating system having a heat input source. The heat input source includes, for example, a combination of exhaust gas heat exchangers 34, electric water heaters 10, and supplemental heaters 14. Each of the exhaust gas heat exchangers 34, electric water heaters 10, and supplemental heaters 14 can directly heat the hot water circulating loop 12 of the hot water heating system 38. The hot water circulating loop 12 in turn, provides heat to a vaporizer or heat exchanger 8 to regasify the liquefied natural gas. As a result, the hot water heating system 38 becomes the primary source of heat for regasification of the liquefied natural gas. When the liquefied natural gas enters the vaporizer or heat exchanger 8 it comes into contact with the hot water circulating loop 12, and the heat from the circulating loop regasifies the liquefied natural gas. The combination of the exhaust gas heat exchangers 34, the electric water heaters 10 and the supplemental heaters 14 in the hot water heating system can be sized to provide the desired heat input for a shipboard regasification plant.

[0018] The exhaust gas, or waste heat exchangers 34 are mounted in the exhaust gas uptake from either the main diesel engines or gas turbines.

Generally, the recovered heat from the exhaust gas heat exchanger 34 can be used to provide heat for various shipboard services such as fuel oil heating, accommodation heating, and cargo tank heating. For example, in a liquefied natural gas carrier with a 35,000 horsepower propulsion system plus shipboard electrical power demands, it is expected that approximately 80 million BTU/hr will be derived from the exhaust gas heat exchangers, with at least one heat exchanger fitted in the exhaust gas uptake of each diesel engine or gas turbine.

[0019] The electric water heaters 10 can be powered from the integrated electric power plant 32 and configured to directly heat the hot water circulating loop 12 in the hot water heating system 38. Submerged electric heating elements in storage hot water tanks heat the water in the electric water heaters. The hot water from the electric water heaters 10 can then be channeled to the circulating loop 12 by connecting line 28. For liquefied natural gas carrier with a 35,000 horsepower propulsion system plus shipboard electrical power demands, it is expected that approximately 100 million BTU/hr will be derived from electric water heaters.

[0020] The supplemental heaters 14 can be natural gas fired hot water heaters 42 that provide the hot water heating system 38 with a supplemental heat input in order for the shipboard regasification system to achieve a desired nominal sendout rate. Thermal oil heaters 44, shown in Figure 4 can also be used to supplement the heat input necessary to achieve a desired nominal sendout rate for shipboard regasification. If a thermal oil heater 44 is used as a supplemental heater, however, an additional thermal oil to hot water heat exchanger 46 or other transitional member must be mounted in the system to transfer heat from the thermal oil to the hot water heating system 38. A sendout rate of regasification of 450-mmscf/d, for example, will generally necessitate that the natural gas fired hot water heater be sized to provide approximately 80 million BTU/hr heat input. Natural gas fired hot water heaters and thermal oil heaters are commercially available products with ratings of approximately 20 million BTU/hr per unit. Therefore, in order to provide approximately 80 million Btu/hr of heat input to the circulating loop of the hot water heating system, four (4) supplemental heaters would be installed.

[0021] During regasification, the ship or vessel which functions as the liquefied natural gas carrier is typically anchored or moored to a buoy 26 offshore, at which time, the propulsion plant 4 is not operating to propel the ship 2, but to generate heat or electrical power. As a result, the propulsion plant 4 also exhausts waste heat. The waste heat passes through the exhaust gas heat exchangers 34 mounted in the exhaust gas uptake from either the main diesel engine or gas turbines, into a connecting line 28, in order to heat the hot water circulating loop 12 in the hot water heating system 38. The hot water heating system 38 also directly receives heat input from the electric water heater 10 through another connecting line 28. The natural gas fired hot water or thermal oil heaters 14 provide additional heat input to the circulating loop 12 of the hot water heating system 38 in order to achieve the desired nominal sendout rate for shipboard regasification. The circulating loop 12 in the hot water heating system carries water as the heated working fluid. The water in the hot water heating system can be heated to a temperature of about 100 to 150°F by the combination of the exhaust gas heat exchangers 34, electric water heaters 10 and natural gas fired hot water or thermal oil heaters 14. Liquefied natural gas, which can be stored in a shipboard tank, can be brought into contact with the circulating loop 12, which causes the liquefied natural gas to gasify and to reach required minimum delivery temperature of approximately 40 F. Once the regasification process is performed, the gasified natural gas can be piped from the ship 2 through, for example, a submerged or undersea piping system 22 to an onshore plant 24 for subsequent distribution. Any acceptable piping system could be used. The gasified natural gas can be delivered into the piping system at a temperature of about 45-50° F.

[0022] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the invention as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.