HD Hyundai Heavy unveils world's first high-pressure ammonia dual-fuel engine

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HD Hyundai Heavy unveils world's first high-pressure ammonia dual-fuel engine

Published: 10 Oct. 2024, 16:10

LEE JAE-LIM
lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr

An eco-friendly ammonia dual-fuel engine developed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries [HD Hyundai Heavy Industries]

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) developed an environmentally friendly ammonia dual-fuel engine that is the world’s first to use a high-pressure direct injection system, the shipmaker said Thursday.

Dubbed a Himsen ammonia dual-fuel engine, the new product completed testing at HD HHI’s Ulsan headquarters, receiving approval from seven maritime classification societies: American Bureau of Shipping, Det Norske Veritas of Norway, Lloyd’s Register of Britain, Bureau Veritas of France, Registro Italiano Navale of Italy, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai of Japan and the Korean Register.

It is set for commercialization soon, although a specific timeline has not been mapped out by the company. The engine is suitable not only for ammonia carriers, but also for marine power generation and propulsion purposes, as well as the land-based power generation market.

Prior to the latest development, ammonia engines were based on the low-pressure premixed combustion method, which burns a mixture of ammonia and air that is sourced to the engine combustion chamber through compression. The newly developed high-pressure direct injection method, on the other hand, compresses air in the chamber and then burns it by injecting ammonia with high pressure.

Despite the latter’s high fuel efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gases such as nitrogen dioxide, the industry has faced difficulties developing the engine due to its technological complexity.

The shipmaker also minimized nitrogen oxides and unburned ammonia in the exhaustion gas using a Selective Catalytic Reduction system. Moreover, it applied an integrated ammonia scrubber, developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, to drastically reduce ammonia emissions.

“The development of this ammonia engine has great meaning as it will be an opportunity for us to lead the market while providing an expanded environmentally friendly dual-fuel engine lineup,” said an HD HHI spokesperson in a statement. “We aim to enhance our advanced technology and take the lead in the future environmentally friendly ship market.”

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]