43% More Efficient Than a Combustion Engine
Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), a shipbuilding arm of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, announced on Nov. 24 that it has recently obtained approval in principle (AIP) for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power generation system for vessels from DNV GL, an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Oslo, Norway.
The power generation system is designed to replace part of a 3-megawatt (MW) power engine for Aframax oil carriers with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). When the newly developed SOFC generation system fully replaces the current internal combustion engine, it can boost power generation efficiency by 43 percent.
In particular, the fuel cell power generation system can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40 percent and cut the discharge of pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
In addition, KSOE has increased space utilization by about 12 percent by through an integrated design and on-board layout of the fuel cell power generation system.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires vessels to reduce 2050 greenhouse gas emissions to less than 50 percent compared to 2008.