South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has ordered two seawater/propane based regasification modules from Wärtsilä. The systems are to be installed on floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) vessels owned by Höegh LNG, the Norway based owner and operator of floating energy solutions, and by Russian energy company Gazprom.

The contracts, which were signed in July, also include an option for a further contract from HHI for another Höegh vessel that is valid until December of this year.

Both regasification systems are modularized for easy installation and will be supplied with seawater filter and steam/seawater heating modules, Wärtsilä said. The system to be supplied for Gazprom will be winterized so as to be capable of operating in ambient temperatures as low as minus 30°C. The use of Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers and Plate Heat Exchangers enables the systems to be far more compact and lighter than alternative solutions. By utilizing seawater for heating, CO2 emissions are far less than solutions using steam heating.

Regasification is a process of converting liquefied natural gas (LNG) at -162 °C (-260 °F) temperature back to natural gas at atmospheric temperature. LNG regasification plants can be located on land as well as on floating barges. Floating barge mounted plants can be towed to new offshore locations for usage in response to changes in the business environment.

Timo Koponen, Vice President, Flow and Gas Solutions, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, said, "The global demand for LNG is rapidly increasing, and Wärtsilä's experience and expertise throughout the entire LNG value chain is a key factor in the marine sector's adoption of gas based technologies."

Wärtsilä noted it has delivered and commissioned numerous floating LNG regasification plants based on either closed loop regasification technology, using steam with water/glycol as the intermediate heating medium, or open loop regasification technology using seawater with propane as the intermediate heating medium. The company has also delivered modularized regasification plants for jetty installations, facilitating a shorter construction time compared to conventional land based LNG regasification terminal projects.