Samsung Heavy Industries' LCO2 carrier gets KR approval

Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has received approval in principle from classification society Korean Register (KR) for a liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier.

PHOTO: SHI’s vice president Ahn Youngkyu and KR’s plan approval centre head Yeon Kyujin at the approval ceremony (left to right). Korean Register

The cargo tank and hull structure of the 40,000-cbm LCO2 carrier has been designed by SHI, while it has been approved by KR after “reviewing classification rules and related regulations.”

KR expects LCO2 carriers “to play an important role” in transporting carbon captured from “fuel combustion or industrial processes,” so that it can be utilised as a resource or stored underground securely.

Since CO2 is a gas at normal atmospheric pressure and temperatures, it needs to be compressed or cooled to transport it over long distances without taking up too much space on vessels.

LCO2 is usually stored at extremely low temperatures of around -30°C to remain in a liquid state. At ambient temperatures, LCO2 can expand rapidly back to a gaseous state, causing containers to explode from pressure. So, “special attention is required to prevent phase change of CO2 during operation of the vessels,” KR explains.

The vessel, thus, is constructed with materials that are specifically engineered to withstand low temperatures.

The approval is “an important foundation for the commercialization of large LCO2 carrier technology,” KR’s plan approval centre head Yeon Kyujin says.

By Tuhin Roy

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