HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the largest shipbuilding company in South Korea, has developed an ammonia dual-fuel engine that promises high efficiency with low emissions.
According to the company, the so-called “HiMSEN” will be the world’s first model to use high-pressure direct injection. The test phase of the new engine with the model number H22CDF-LA has now been completed. Representatives from seven classification societies took part in the final approval test: DNV (Norway / Germany), the American Bureau of Shipping (USA), Lloyd’s Register (UK), Bureau Veritas (France), Rina (Italy), ClassNK (Japan) and Korean Register.
HD Hyundai engine uses advanced process
“The development of this ammonia engine is significant as it gives us the opportunity to lead the market while offering an enhanced environmentally friendly duel engine lineup,” said a representative from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
According to HD Hyundai, the air in the engine’s combustion chamber is compressed by a newly developed high-pressure direct injection process and then ignited by injecting ammonia under high pressure. Despite major advantages in terms of energy generation, efficiency and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide (N2O, laughing gas), companies around the world have had difficulties developing this method because it is “technologically very complex”. Until now, ammonia engines have instead been based on a technology in which a mixture of ammonia and air is injected into the combustion chamber and compressed.
Furthermore, the dual-fuel engine will use a “selective catalytic reduction system” to minimise the amount of NOx and unburned NH3 emitted. In addition, an integrated scrubber developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will be used. It is designed to “drastically” reduce the NH3 concentration.
