Hyundai showcases LNG-hydrogen engine, sets sights on fully hydrogen-powered engine in 2025

Technology

December 26, 2022, by Jasmina Ovcina Mandra

One of the world’s largest shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries Group has validated the performance of a 1.5MW class LNG/hydrogen hybrid engine (HiMSEN) developed by proprietary technology.

Hyundai Heavy Industries LNGY/hydrogen engine — Courtesy of HHI

The company marked a major milestone last week with the completion of the performance verification of the hybrid engine, describing the achievement as the first step toward the development of the fully hydrogen-fueled engine.

The LNG/hydrogen engine selectively uses diesel fuel and an LNG/hydrogen mixture, resulting in significantly lower emissions of various harmful exhaust gases such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and fine dust, HHI said.

According to Hyundai, during the performance test, the engine met IMO Tier III regulations on nitrogen oxides and was effective in reducing carbon dioxide and methane slip.

The application of the hybrid engine to a liquefied hydrogen carrier is expected to maximize the ship’s operation because the hydrogen boil-off gas (BOG) generated during the transportation process can be reused as fuel to compensate for the hydrogen lost during the voyage, the shipbuilder explained

Hyundai Heavy Industries received approval from the DNV classification society for the hydrogen carrier system using a HiMSEN engine at Gastech last September.

The company said that the scope of application of the LNG/hydrogen hybrid engine was not limited to ships. Namely, the hybrid engine is expected to be used in land-based small-scale power generation as it has a longer lifespan than hydrogen fuel cells used for this purpose, and has an excellent load-following performance that adjusts power generation output according to changes in electrical load.

Hyundai added that it plans to continue R&D on LNG/hydrogen hybrid engines. A specific focus is being put on the completion of the development of a hybrid engine with a higher proportion of hydrogen by 2023, and the development of a fully hydrogen-powered engine in 2025.