New Material for LPG Carriers
Hyundai Heavy Industries announced on March 22 that it developed the world’s first highly flame-retardant insulation material for use in LPG carrier cargo tanks in cooperation with global leading insulation material manufacturers.
The cargo tanks of LPG carriers should be maintained at a temperature of 50°C below zero or lower so that the liquefied gas can be protected from evaporation. At present, polyurethane-based insulating materials with low levels of heat conductivity are used in this context. However, these materials are vulnerable to fire and are easily burned by welding flames in shipbuilding processes.
The new material developed at this time has improved flame-retardant characteristics based on a change in the chemical structure of polyurethane. The fire on it does not spread at all and naturally disappears within four minutes. Its insulation performance is comparable to that of polyurethane, too.
Hyundai Heavy Industries is planning to apply the new material to its LPG carriers that begin to be built in the first half of this year. “This material is expected to better protect workers and LPG carriers from fire while making our LPG carriers even more attractive and popular with our clients around the world,” the company explained.