The MW-class marine engine combustion technology that uses ammonia, a future renewable energy source, as fuel is being applied for the first time in Korea, and is expected to spur competitiveness in the global eco-friendly marine engine market.

The research team led by Park Cheol-woong, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Ryu Seok-hyeon) under the Ministry of Science and ICT, is successfully conducting a demonstration of LNG-ammonia co-fueled engine combustion technology for ships using ammonia as fuel at the Korea Register of Shipping’s Green Ship Equipment Testing and Certification Center in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, through joint research with the Korea Register of Shipping, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, and Kunsan National University.

This study was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' 'Development of a 2,100-horsepower LNG-Ammonia Hybrid Engine' project.

The research team injected ammonia at high pressure into the combustion chamber of a ship engine and maintained stable combustion to achieve high output and thermal efficiency.

Ammonia is a promising carbon-neutral fuel, but it is difficult to manage as a material in fuel supply systems due to concerns about corrosiveness and toxicity.

In addition, since high ignition energy is required, ignition is difficult, and the slow combustion speed increases incomplete combustion, which causes problems such as a decrease in engine output and efficiency.

&lsqu in the process of verificationo; The MW-class LNG-ammonia hybrid engine for ships has been verified for its performance, including preventing corrosion and external ammonia leakage by changing the O-ring material in the fuel supply device, enabling high-efficiency combustion, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50%.

The research team optimized the ammonia fuel injection timing according to the combustion speed and satisfied the ignition conditions requiring high energy.

In addition, by directly injecting high-pressure ammonia fuel into the combustion chamber and increasing the air mixing ratio to achieve lean combustion, the thermal efficiency was maximized, output performance was improved, and emissions were simultaneously reduced, solving the problem of incomplete combustion.

Park Cheol-woong, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, said, “The MW-class LNG-ammonia mixed-fuel engine combustion technology for ships is an independent technology that can satisfy regulations on greenhouse gases emitted from ship engines and secure leadership in the future shipbuilding market.” He added, “We will strive to expand its application to not only ship engines but also other power sources such as automobiles and generators that require reduced carbon emissions.”