- Kobe Steel, Ltd. will conduct joint research with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. on a binary cycle power generation system currently under development.
- The binary cycle power generation system has been installed on a bulk carrier owned by Shunzan Kaiun Co., Ltd.
- The two companies will conduct joint research on the ship over the next 3 years to verify the durability and performance of the equipment under real operating conditions.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., in their press release, announced the launch of a binary cycle power generation system for ships.
The project which was jointly researched by MOL and Kobe Steel, Ltd. has been installed on a newbuilding very large ore carrier owned by Shunzan Kaiun Co., Ltd. and chartered by MOL.
Binary cycle power generation system
The project marks the first application of a binary cycle power generation system on a VLOC. The test will confirm the system’s performance and durability under actual operating conditions at sea.
The system relies on waste heat when cooling scavenging air for the vessel’s main engine, an approach that has rarely been used in the past. It can generate up to about 100kW of power by heating and evaporating the working medium, which has a lower boiling point than water, and using the resulting steam to drive a turbine and generate electricity.
Effective use of the electricity generated by the system as an auxiliary power source for the ship’s engine contributes to reduced CO2 emissions lower fuel consumption by the power generator engine, according to MOL.
Next-MOL smart ship project
MOL has used various waste heat collection systems as the underlying technology of ISHIN-III.
The project is examining new ways to collect waste heat from ship engines by proactively adopting the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), which can generate power even at medium and low temperatures.
The project is said to be a key element of “NEXT -MOL SMART SHIP PROJECT,“ and knowledge and expertise gained through the development process will be fed back to various ship types, seizing opportunities presented by efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the global shipping industry.
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Source: MOL
