Biz Chosun reports that HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, and PANASIA have taken a significant step toward advancing shipboard energy-efficiency technologies with the signing of a new demonstration agreement for an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) waste-heat recovery power system. The signing ceremony took place at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Pangyo R&D Center on the 17th, with senior representatives from all three companies in attendance.
The article explains that a waste-heat recovery power system generates electricity by capturing thermal energy produced by a ship’s engine. While traditional steam-based systems depend on high-temperature waste heat, the ORC system uses an organic working fluid with a lower boiling point. This allows it to convert medium- and low-temperature waste heat into usable electrical power — a key shift for improving energy performance onboard.
By generating electricity from waste heat, ships can reduce generator use, which results in lower fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions. The article also notes that vessels powered by eco-friendly fuels such as LNG and methanol may experience additional operational cost savings, given the higher unit price of these fuels.
Under the newly signed agreement, the three companies will form a joint working group and move ahead with plans to install a 250 kW-class ORC system, developed by Samsung Heavy Industries, on a 16,000-TEU container vessel operated by HMM. Through this sea trial, the partners will evaluate the system’s performance, assess both technical and economic feasibility, and compile operational data.
According to details shared during the announcement, expectations for the system’s impact are substantial. The ORC installation is projected to reduce 230 tons of fuel consumption and 700 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions per year when expressed in carbon-dioxide equivalent.
The ceremony brought together around 20 representatives from the participating companies. During the event, HMM highlighted its strategic direction, noting that in line with global shifts toward carbon-neutral operations by 2050, the company has set an earlier target of achieving Net Zero by 2045. With this goal in mind, the firm is expanding its focus not only on vessels powered by alternative fuels but also on the development and adoption of advanced energy-saving technologies.
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Source: Biz Chosun
