The Developmentof Software to Automate the Laser Welding of a Liquefied Natural Gas Cargo Tank Using a Mobile Manipulator

Abstract

The demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships is increasing for various reasons. Despite their enormous size, cargo holds inside freighters transporting LNG have traditionally been constructed by welding to high-quality standards for safety. This process traditionally relies on manual labor or semi-automatic moving devices. In this study, a methodology was designed for robot-based automated laser welding inside large LNG cargo holds. The developed approach offers a practical solution to challenging issues such as the corrugation of the membrane that forms the inner walls of LNG cargo holds and the inter-floor movement of robots. This study analyzes and restructures the work for laser welding using mobile robots inside LNG cargo holds composed of membranes. For realistic constraints, such as inter-floor movement of robots and high-quality welding of membrane corrugations, methods integrated with manual work have been proposed. Additionally, for the overall membrane laser welding of the LNG cargo hold space, an automated method using robots was suggested. The developed methodology has been realized as operational software for the movement of robots for laser welding in LNG cargo holds.