Japan's IHI Corporation Unveils Faster Construction Process for LNG Tanks

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Last month, IHI Corporation (TYO:7013) (Tokyo) (IHI), formerly known as Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Limited, unveiled a new construction process for liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks. The new process is said to be able to cut construction time for LNG storage tanks with capacities of 180,000 cubic meters, roughly 6.3 million cubic feet, and above by roughly 14 months. A new LNG import terminal typically takes about 3.5 years to construct from start to finish with the majority of it, about 2.5 years, taken up by storage tank construction alone.

IHI's new method, known as the Jack Climbing Method, or JCM, unlike the traditional Air-Raising Method (ARM), does not require the construction team to wait on the external pre-stressed concrete (PC) shell to be completed before working on the internal tank lining and welding operations. In ARM, the PC shell base and floating roof of the tank are constructed first. Then, after the PC shell is built up to the specified height, the floating roof of the tank is raised in place through the use of compressed air. The roof is then locked in place while the construction team enters the shell to complete the internal structure, lining and welding operations.

In the JCM, the roof is raised using large jacks while the PC walls are being built. This allows the internal structure work, lining and welding to be carried out at the same time the PC walls are being built, eliminating the need to wait for the external wall to be completed before internal work can begin.

According to Industrial Info data, the LNG industry alone represents more than $63 billion in investment worldwide in more than 130 projects. Asia represents more than half of this investment with more than $37 billion being spent on more than 60 projects, followed by Europe with more than $20 billion being invested on more than 45 projects. IHI already secured a tank construction contract for the new Kochi LNG Regasification terminal, owned and operated by a subsidiary of GAIL India Limited (BSE:GAIL) (New Delhi), which is slated for completion at the end of this year.

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