Hanwha Ocean, one of South Korea’s largest shipyards, has partnered with America’s Baker Hughes to develop what it describes as a carbon-free ship propulsion system. The joint development aims to create an ammonia gas turbine capable of 100% ammonia combustion, with the flexibility to mix ammonia with natural gas as needed with the first ships set to have this technology installed by 2028.
Alessandro Bresciani, vice president of Baker Hughes, commented, “Carbon reduction in the transportation sector is one of today’s most urgent and high-potential opportunities. Ammonia will play a key role in significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Last October, a local rival of Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, unveiled its own zero-carbon ammonia dual-fuel engine which it claims will be the first engine in the world to use a high-pressure ammonia direct injection method.
Last week, MAN Energy Solutions reported that its liquid gas injection ammonia engine, currently undergoing testing at its research centre in Copenhagen, has run at 100% engine load for the first time.