Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; www.kobelco.co.jp) announces that its intermediate fluid LNG vaporizers (IFVs) will be used in the regasification facility for the Delimara LNG Regasification Terminal under construction in Malta. Kobe Steel will supply two IFVs. Each unit will have a regasification capacity of 58 metric tons per hour (m.t./h). Kobe Steel plans to ship the IFVs in October 2015.
Electrogas Malta Ltd. will operate the large-scale LNG receiving terminal upon completion. J&P-AVAX S.A., one of Greece’s largest construction groups, is undertaking the engineering and construction of the receiving terminal. A floating storage unit (FSU), to be moored offshore, will supply the LNG to the land-based receiving terminal, where the regasification facility will vaporize the LNG into natural gas. The natural gas will be supplied to the adjacent Delimara Power Station, Malta’s largest power generation facility, and the new combined cycle power plant to be build. Kobe Steel’s IFVs will be the main equipment installed at the regasification facility.
To increase the power generation capacity of the new combined cycle power plant cold energy derived from LNG regasification of Kobe Steel’s IFVs will be used in order to cool the air to the gas turbines.
At –160°C, LNG becomes an extremely low-temperature fluid. During regasification, an enormous amount of cold energy is given off. In the past, this energy was merely discarded together with the exchange medium, such as seawater, after regasification. However in recent years, attention is focusing on the effective use of cold energy.
Kobe Steel’s IFVs are highly suitable to effectively make use of cold energy. The Japanese company’s cooperation with J&P-AVAX’s during the early stage of design also contributed to winning the order for the IFVs.