Germany: Nordic Yards Invests in R&D Field

On January 3, 2012, a new test track was inaugurated at the Warnemünde location of Nordic Yards. The cooling zone is being used to test three models, so-called mock-ups, developed as part of the POLAR Alliance. These models, all of which are Nordic Yards’ own designs on a scale of 1:1, represent an LNG cargo handling system, but are being tested independently of one another for reasons of precision.

The shipyard group is part of the expert alliance POLAR (Production, Operation and Living in Arctic Regions), developing and manufacturing innovative maritime products for the Arctic shipbuilding and offshore market. To test the models under real conditions and to confirm the research results, Nordic Yards has now opened a new cooling line. The three units, a double barrier tank (Aluminium Double Barrier Tank, ADBT), an LNG deck line with deicing system and a double-walled bunker line will now alternately be tested at up to -163 °C for three months. Proving the manufacturability and usability of the system solutions, Nordic Yards can soon offer products which are not yet available on the market.

The test models include a double barrier tank (Aluminium Double Barrier Tank, ADBT), an LNG deck line with deicing system and a double-walled bunker line.

“The aim of our tests is to confirm our research results in practice. We intend to prove the manufacturability and usability of the system solutions that we have developed together with our POLAR research partners such as the Fraunhofer Application Centre for Large Structures in Production Engineering and R&M Ship Technologies,” explained Burghard Zimmermann, Director of Design Department at Nordic Yards, during the opening of the line.

“The POLAR project has enabled us to develop innovative solutions for the use of ships and offshore structures in Arctic conditions which are not yet available on the market in this form. This means not only an advantage in terms of knowledge, but also a competitive advantage for Nordic Yards,” Zimmermann went on.

The models are now being tested for three months alternately on the 15 metre-long test track at cryogenic temperatures. For this they will be cooled down several times in classified procedures from approximately +10°C to -163°C and then thawed again. The aspects being analysed include the innovative insulating materials as well as the material and stress behaviour of the structure under Arctic conditions.

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Nordic Yards, January 9, 2013