KOGAS Holds Best Innovation Contest 2023 to Achieve Innovation Outcomes

President Choi Yeon-Hye of Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS). (Photos: KOGAS)

Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) hosted Korea Best Innovation Contest 2023 (KOGAS BIC 2023) at the company’s headquarters in Daegu on Nov. 9.

KOGAS BIC is an annual event designed to evaluate and share innovative activities KOGAS has implemented, as well as to spread consensus.

KOGAS explored 71 innovation tasks people and consumers can sense in three categories - expanding collaboration among private, government and public sectors; reinventing work process; and improving public services. Out of the 71 practices, 9 cases were designed as outstanding examples.

Among the nine outstanding examples were reducing project costs through improving of designs and preventing of duplicated investments; smart safety management designed to ease blind spots; and the introducing of a city gas cashback system designed to ease public burden.

The top award went to Korea’s homegrown super-low temperature bearing, designated as shared growth innovation model example through win-win collaboration between the private and the public sectors.

Winners of Korea Best Innovation Contest 2023 pose for a photo while attending BIC 2023 at the company’s headquarters in Daegu on Nov. 9.

KOGAS succeeded in localizing a super-low temperature bearing in cooperation with an SME. KOGAS has so far fully depended on foreign bearing imports.

Localizing the technology leads to a reduction in costs, compared to foreign imports, thus contributing to lowering city gas charges.

With the localizing of the value-added core technology, the SME is expected to see job creation rise 10 percent and reap 13 billion won in sales annually until 2027.

KOGAS BIC 2023 inaugurated the Innovation Challenge Segment, a step designed to continue to reap innovation outcomes, not ending up in a one-time event by awarding cases of expanding the conventional innovation practices.

A KOGAS official said, “KOGAS will redouble efforts to reap innovation outcomes to the extent everyone can sense by reflecting people’s demands beyond public expectations in the future.”

Researchers with Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) conduct a project to verify a super-low temperature bearing for LNG pumps, localized by KOGAS in cooperation with Hanil Hitech and Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials.

KOGAS Succeeds in Localizing Super-Low Temperature Bearing for LNG Pumps

Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) said on Nov. 9 the corporation succeeded in localizing a super-low temperature bearing for LNG pumps, a core part of natural gas production.

KOGAS has depended on imports for a super-low temperature bearing for LNG pumps for the past 40 years.

The bearing is a core part to buttress axial load - spin of about 3,600rpm and high pressure of 7MPa in a super-low temperature of 163 Centigrade degrees below zero.

In 2022, KOGAS struck an agreement to verify a project to localize a homegrown super-low temperature bearing in cooperation with Hanil Hitech and Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials.

The project is part of the “K-testbed” initiative. Under the deal, a 1.5 year study led to localizing of the technology.