FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
Komatsu, Hitachi, and Denyo announced the commercialization of a gen-set that uses a mixture of hydrogen and light oil as fuel. It is possible to mix up to 50% hydrogen, which does not emit CO2 when burned, and CO2 emissions can be reduced by 50%.
The first unit will be installed at Komatsu’s Oyama Plant, with full operation scheduled for the end of September. Hitachi will serve as the point of contact for the system, which will be marketed to a wide range of external customers.
The system can mix up to 50% hydrogen with diesel engines that use diesel oil. The power output is 250 kW. Komatsu and Hitachi provided the fuel injection control technology and the function to safely stop the engine in case of abnormal combustion, respectively, and Denyo assembled them into the generator.
Hitachi and Denyo have been developing this technology since 2018, while the three companies, including Komatsu, have been working on it since 2021.
Source: The Nikkei
PSR Analysis: Hydrogen burns very quickly. It also has high-temperature properties, and its high temperature makes it difficult to co-fire with diesel oil due to higher NOx emissions compared to diesel.
This generator was exhibited at the Construction Machinery Exhibition held in Osaka in June, but at that time it was not allowed to be photographed or featured in articles because it had not yet been publicly announced.
In the field of generators, there are also demands for CO2 reduction and improved environmental resistance, but the biggest challenge is cost.
At present, both initial and operating costs are well below those of existing diesel generators. In the case of hydrogen, there are still no environmental arrangements for refueling, and trials are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Funding in this area is limited to companies that have the capital strength to withstand the large investment and the time it will take to recoup the investment, which is likely to be several decades. PSR
Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, for Power Systems Research
