Optimising semi-trailers

As a specialist in LNG equipment and solutions, MAKEEN Cryo was an easy and obvious choice when Q8 was on the lookout for 2 semi-trailers to transport LNG across 3 countries and +800 km. Q8's biggest concern regarded the volume of the semi-trailers. Simply, they should be able to transport as much fuel as possible to make the trips back and forth as few as possible.

A light design and a lot of LNG

To create space for the highest amount of LNG, the engineers at MAKEEN Cryo simplified the design of the semi-trailers. More specifically, they cut it to the bone.

Consequently, the semi-trailers themselves only included the features absolutely necessary. All other functionalities were placed at the port in Hou. And by leaving out, for example, an on-board pump as well as a pressure system, Q8 is now able to fill the semi-trailers with more LNG.

A gramme saved is a gramme earned

You might wonder – why remove functionalities to increase volume when you could just make the whole thing bigger? The answer is actually quite simple. On their journey, the semi-trailers pass through Germany, and here the weight limit for vehicles is 40 tonnes. So with less equipment adding weight, there is room for more LNG.

Moreover, the engineers also paid great attention to the materials they chose for the semi-trailers. To make sure that the construction stayed below the weight maximum of 40 tonnes, they chose to use aluminium – a super light material that does not add unnecessary grammes.

As LNG is a cold liquid, the semi-trailers needed to be insulated. Again, this was a great opportunity to save some grammes. By using perlite for insulation, both the LNG temperature and the semi-trailer weight were kept down.

At the end of the day, the optimised design saves quite a lot of kilometres on the road. By removing superfluous equipment and making room for extra LNG inside the semi-trailers, they cut away every 10th trip.