HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Develops Eco-Friendly Ammonia Duel-fuel Engine

• World's first high-pressure ammonia direct injection engine receives model-based class approval from seven major classification societies
• Suitable for marine power generation and propulsion, and land-based power generation, ready to be soonly commercialized for the market
• "We aim to enhance our advanced technology and take the lead in shipbuilding market"

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HD Hyundai Heavy Industries aims to lead the eco-friendly shipbuilding market with the development of a zero-carbon ammonia dual-fuel (DF) engine. This is the first ammonia engine in the world, applied with a high-pressure ammonia direct injection method.

On October 7, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced that it had completed the model-based class approval testing for the "HiMSEN Ammonia Dual-Fuel Engine," (model: H22CDF-LA) at its Engine Technology Center in the Ulsan Headquarters. The testing was attended by representatives from seven classification societies including ABS (USA), DNV (Norway), LR (UK), BV (France), RINA (Italy), NK (Japan), and KR (Korea).

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shared that it will soon start commercialization of the HiMSEN ammonia engine as the detailed examination and compliance review has been finalized with the model-based class approval.

The ammonia engine developed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is suitable not only for ammonia carriers, but also for marine power generation and propulsion purposes. The company also plans to supply the engine to land-based power generation markets.

Until now, ammonia engines were based on a "low-pressure premixed combustion method" which burns a mixture of ammonia and air, which has been provided to the engine combustion chamber, through compression. The newly developed "high-pressure direct injection method" compresses air in the engine combustion chamber and then burns it by injecting ammonia with high pressure.

Despite its benefits of having great output and fuel efficiency, along with the mitigation of greenhouse gases such as nitrogen dioxide (N2O), engine companies around the world had difficulty developing this method due to its high technological complexity.

While setting up an optimized fuel spraying time and period to maximize burning rate, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries also utilized the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to minimize the amount of nitrogen oxide and unburned ammonia. In addition, the Integrated Scrubber developed independently by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, has been widely applied resulting in a drastic reduction of ammonia concentrations.

"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 eco-friendly duel-duel engine lineup," said an official of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. "We aim to enhance our advanced technology and take the lead in the future eco-friendly ship market."