LNG

Swiss company Burckhardt Compression, a specialist provider of LNG sector equipment and energy industry technology, reported a 44 percent higher order intake of 976.6 million Swiss francs ($1 billion) in the past fiscal year as global LNG and industrial energy activities increased.

Burckhardt Compression, the Swiss-based LNG equipment maker for LNG shipping, said its oil-free, high-pressure compressor had highlighted its operational effectiveness on an LNG carrier. 

The Winterthur-based company said its Laby GI Compressor type LP250, the world’s first oil-free reciprocating high-pressure fuel-gas compressor in service, reached 10,000 hours of uninterrupted operations.

The compressor system is installed on an LNG carrier with capacity of 174,000 cubic metres.

Burckhardt notes that it is the only manufacturer able to compress gas to 300 bar in a large, ring-sealed compressor system without cylinder lubrication.

In addition to its Swiss operations, Burckhardt has expanded in recent years to run compressor and service businesses in the US, Japan and China.

Burckhardt said its Laby GI fuel-gas compressor system plays an important role on LNG carriers to help maximise fuel efficiency.

“As the liquified natural gas warms up during storage and transportation, the evaporated boil-off gas must be economically managed by either using it as fuel or re-liquefying it,” the company explained.

“Both, dual-fuel engines as well as re-liquefaction plants, require a certain operation pressure, ranging up to 300 bar,” it added.

“Therefore, Burckhardt’s LNG solutions have been specifically designed to handle gases at low temperature and high pressure while meeting the requirements for operation at sea,” noted the company.

Burckhardt's five-stage fuel gas compressor system is designed to manage the vessel’s boil-off gas with a flow of up to 4’700 kg/h.

The company pointed out that dry-running sealing technology saved significant expenditure for cylinder lubrication and filter maintenance.

“The performance of the high-pressure re-liquefaction system is improved due to the absence of fouling caused by small traces of residual oil carried within the gas,” it said.

The oil-free gas compression completely removes the need for oil separation and gas filtration technology and guarantees the cleanliness of the heat exchanger in the high-pressure re-liquefaction system.

In addition, maintenance intervals for the oil-free, high-pressure sealing technology are confirmed to reach 8,000 operating hours.

At the start of 2021, Burckhardt signed a final contract agreeing to acquire the 40 percent of Chinese company Shenyang Yuanda Compressor it didn’t already own.

The contract meant the Swiss firm owned all of the Shenyang Yuanda Compressor company based in Shenyang in the northeast Liaoning Province of China.

The company had owned 60 percent of Shenyang Yuanda Compressor since May 2016.

Burckhardt had previously taken a stake in US firm Arkos Field Services and the business was fully acquired in November 2019.

It additionally completed a deal in April 2020 to acquire the global compressor business of Japan Steel Works Ltd.

Burckhardt Compression, the Swiss manufacturer of compressor systems and a service provider for LNG and other markets, has closed its fiscal year with higher sales and profits as it forecast a brighter 2021.

Burckhardt Compression, the Swiss manufacturer of compressor systems and a service provider for LNG and other markets, has continued its global expansion by signing a final contract agreeing to acquire the 40 percent of Chinese company Shenyang Yuanda Compressor it didn’t already own.

The contract to own all of Shenyang Yuanda Compressor, based in Shenyang in the northeast Liaoning Province of China, was signed on January 25, 2021 and closing was expected in early February.

Burckhardt had announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding on buying the remaining shares back in September 2020 .

The company, based in Winterthur, central Switzerland, had owned 60 percent of Shenyang Yuanda Compressor since May 2016.

Burckhardt has been expanding in. the sector and had previously taken over US and Japanese companies. US subsidiary Arkos Field Services was fully acquired in November 2019.

Burckhardt also in April 2020 completed a deal to acquire the global compressor business of Japan Steel Works Ltd.

Shenyang Yuanda employs around 650 employees in China and generated sales of about 100 million Swiss francs ($112.6M) in 2019.

“Since the initial interest in Shenyang Yuanda Compressor, the company has expanded into more segments of the market, the product portfolio has been broadened to address a wider range of market needs, and Burckhardt has gained direct access to a well-established local supply chain,” said the company.

“Compressors manufactured by Shenyang Yuanda have been available in selected export markets through the international distribution and sales channels of Burckhardt since 2019,” it added.

Burckhardt offers a variety of compressor solutions for fuel gas compression that have been specifically designed for marine applications.

Its M-Type Electronically Controlled-Gas Injection (ME-GI) compressor systems are designed for boil-off gas management on LNG carriers equipped with MAN Energy Solutions ME-GI two-stroke engines.

Burckhardt also provides its Laby brand compressors for LNG carriers with X-DF propulsion systems and other marine compressors for vessels such as bunkering ships.

Swiss LNG equipment-maker Burckhardt Compression said its fiscal first-half closed with higher sales, increased operating income and a substantial year-on-year rise in net profits as the company acquired or agreed to buy three new units over the past year.

Burckhardt Compression, the Swiss manufacturer of compressor systems and a service provider for LNG and other markets, has continued its global expansion by agreeing to acquire the 40 percent of Chinese company Shenyang Yuanda Compressor it didn’t already own.