Next-Generation LNG Vaporizer
Consortium: IKM Flux, Jiskoot Solutions, Valland, Intertec, ToffeeX, EOS | Case Study
How generative design and metal AM enable a greater than 50% reduction in measurement variability
To overcome these limitations, a cross-industry consortium including IKM Flux, Intertec, Jiskoot Solutions, ToffeeX, Valland and EOS developed a next-generation LNG vaporizer.
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IKM Flux: Oversaw the design and testing of the sampling system
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Intertec: Provided and certified the integrated heater
- Jiskoot Solutions: Concept development and design leadership
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ToffeeX: Delivered the generative design software
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Valland: Manufactured the component using an EOS M 290 system with AlSi10Mg aluminium alloy.
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EOS: Supplied the AM technology and Design for AM expertise, enabling the physics‑driven generative design to become a certified, field‑ready component.
The result is a monolithic, additively manufactured aluminium component integrating optimized spiral flow channels, controlled turbulence structures, vacuum insulation cavities. During field deployment at Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG terminal in March 2025, the new vaporizer reduced GHV measurement variability by over 50%, demonstrating the performance impact of digitally engineered thermo-fluid systems manufactured with metal AM.
Challenge
LNG vaporization is a thermodynamically sensitive process. LNG enters the vaporizer at approximately -160 °C and must be completely vaporized and superheated to ensure representative sampling. Traditional vaporizer designs - typically based on coaxial heater concepts and conventionally machined components - offer limited control over heat flux distribution, temperature gradients, and phase behavior along the flow path.
As a result, uneven vaporization can occur, leading to unstable quality and distort GHV and Wobbe Index measurements. Pressure drop introduces additional complexity: insufficient pressure loss reduces turbulence and heat transfer efficiency, while excessive pressure drop negatively affects flow conditioning. Environmental heat losses – particularly in arctic or offshore installations - further destabilize vaporizer performance.
Conventional manufacturing restricts channel geometry, integration of insulation, and functional feature density. Achieving consistent, high-accuracy LNG sampling therefore required a redesigned vaporizer capable of optimizing heat transfer, pressure stability, flow homogeneity, and thermal containment within a compact, field-ready system – while remaining fully manufacturable and retrofit-compatible.
Solution
A Generatively Designed, Metal AM–Enabled LNG Vaporizer
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Physics-Driven Generative Design
The consortium defined several coupled performance objectives: maximize heat transfer near the heater interface, ensure early and complete vaporization, maintain defined pressure-drop limits, minimize environmental heat loss, and ensure manufacturability via metal AM.
Using the ToffeeX generative design platform, these objectives were solved through multiphysics simulations covering convection, conduction, pressure field distribution, and AM constraints.
The resulting double-spiral internal flow geometry increases LNG residence time in heated regions while inducing controlled turbulence essential for uniform phase transition. Flow conditioning and mixing features emerged directly from the physics-driven optimization process rather than being manually introduced by engineers. This approach minimized stagnant regions and uncontrolled flow phenomena, resulting in stable vapor quality across the full operating range. -
Integrated Insulation and AM-First Design
A defining feature of the new design is the integration of vacuum insulation cavities directly into the load-bearing structure of the vaporizer. This significantly reduces heat loss to the environment - critical for stable LNG sampling under harsh ambient conditions - and is only feasible through additive manufacturing.
The component was developed according to strict Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) guidelines. EOS Additive Minds supported the creation of a fully self-supporting internal architecture requiring no internal support structures during metal AM. This ensures reliable powder removal, reduces material usage, and improves long-term operational robustness.
The topology-optimized geometry was reconstructed using Rhino/Grasshopper, while internal lattice regions were generated via implicit modelling in nTop and processed natively within EOS build workflow. -
Manufacturing on EOS Systems
The vaporizer was produced in AlSi10Mg using EOS metal laser powder bed fusion technology. While early development builds were carried out on an EOS M 290, the final components were manufactured on an EOS M 400-4. A 40 µm layer thickness parameter set combined with a skip-layer strategy enabled high surface quality while accelerating build time by printing core regions at an effective 80 µm layer height.
Despite the component’s height of 279 mm and its complex internal geometry, optimized process parameters ensured excellent dimensional accuracy, stable print quality, and reliable thermal performance. Powder evacuation ports were integrated directly into the design, enabling complete removal of residual powder from spiral flow channels and insulation cavities.
The final vaporizer is a single, monolithic aluminium component - no welds, no joints, and no internal supports – proof tested to 150 bar(g) to meet stringent ATEX classification requirements and ready for demanding industrial operation.
Additively Manufactured LNG Vaporizer
In AlSi10Mg, shown sectioned to reveal the generatively designed double-spiral flow channels and integrated vacuum insulation cavities.
Results
During field testing in March 2025 at Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG terminal, the additively manufactured vaporizer was evaluated against a legacy unit under identical operating conditions.
At flow rates up to 1400 SL/hr, the standard deviation of Gross Heating Value (GHV) measurements was reduced by over 50%, indicating significantly improved vaporization stability and sampling repeatability. The integrated 500 W ceramic heater reliably increased the LNG temperature from -160 °C to approximately +60 °C, while the optimized spiral geometry ensured early and complete vaporization. Operators reported near-elimination of measurement drift and markedly more predictable Wobbe Index behavior across extended sampling cycles. The vaporizer integrated seamlessly into the existing measurement infrastructure, confirming its suitability as a drop-in retrofit solution.
These results demonstrate that metal additive manufacturing and physics-driven generative design can deliver performance improvements previously unattainable with conventional vaporizer technologies.
Outcome & Industry Impact
The next-generation vaporizer establishes a new benchmark for accuracy and reliability in LNG custody transfer. Its compact, modular design enables both probe-mounted and standalone flow-through configurations, supporting new installations as retrofits in existing systems.
By embedding thermal management, structural behavior, mixing performance, and insulation into a single digitally engineered geometry, the solution delivers:
- improved measurement accuracy for LNG custody transfer
- stronger regulatory compliance
- higher confidence in energy content determination
- reduced operational variability
- long-term reliability through monolithic AM design
The successful field deployment confirms that metal additive manufacturing is ready for regulated, safety-critical LNG and energy-sector applications, unlocking new design freedom and measurable performance gains for next-generation thermal and flow-control components. The project demonstrates how EOS enables the transition from simulation-driven engineering to fully certified industrial hardware in the global energy sector.
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