The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Yanmar Power Solutions, and Japan Engine Corporation have announced the installation of new liquefied hydrogen fuel supply equipment for demonstration purposes, as well as the start of land-based operation of marine hydrogen engines.
This is part of a project commissioned by NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund/Next-Generation Ship Development Project. Three purely domestic engine manufacturers have formed a consortium: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Yanmar Power Solutions, and Japan Engine.
As part of the consortium’s research and development (R&D) structure, the three companies will each develop marine hydrogen engines for ships with different cruising ranges. Kawasaki Heavy Industries will develop the Marine Hydrogen Fuel System (MHFS), which consists of a marine hydrogen fuel tank and fuel supply system, to supply hydrogen fuel to the marine hydrogen engines.
Furthermore, HyEng, which is jointly funded by the three companies, is conducting joint research on common challenges in marine hydrogen engine development and manages shared facilities. Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) is cooperating on ship classification approval, and Iwatani Corporation is assisting with the supply of liquefied hydrogen.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries marine hydrogen engine targets small to large domestic vessels. Its single-unit output ranges from 2 to 8 MW, and up to 30 MW with multiple units installed. Development goals include achieving an average effective pressure of at least 1,600 kPa and an onshore test shaft-end output of at least 2,600 kW. The hydrogen blend ratio is 99.9% by volume and 95% or higher by heat content. A key feature of the development engine is its three EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) systems, which handle the steep combustion characteristics inherent to hydrogen engines.
Yanmar Power Solutions is developing two models based on marine diesel engine technology: an 800 kW medium-speed hydrogen engine that supports dual-fuel operation (hydrogen/diesel) and a 1,400 kW high-speed hydrogen engine designed for pure hydrogen combustion.
While Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Yanmar Power Solutions’ marine hydrogen engines are four-stroke, Japan Engine’s engine targets a high output exceeding 5,000 kW per unit and is a low-speed, two-stroke engine that utilizes high-pressure direct injection.
For the three companies’ actual ship demonstrations of their marine hydrogen engines, it is also necessary to develop MHFS units scaled to the size of the vessels. The MHFS currently used in land-based demonstration tests is a medium-sized unit for Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ marine hydrogen engine. Going forward, development will proceed on a small MHFS for Yanmar Power Solutions and a larger MHFS for Japan Engine.
Source: NEDO
PSR Analysis: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Yanmar Power Technology, and J-ENG have made a significant demonstration by integrating liquefied hydrogen supply equipment and marine hydrogen engines with the support of the GI (Green Innovation) Fund.
Previous discussions about hydrogen fuel ships focused solely on the engine or individual technologies. However, this project established a continuous system that covers everything from liquefied hydrogen supply to engine fuel supply and operation.
This demonstrates progress beyond merely proving the technical feasibility of hydrogen-fueled ships, reaching the level of operational viability. Liquefied hydrogen is notoriously difficult to handle, and integrating the fuel supply equipment with the engine was considered the greatest barrier. The fact that this bottleneck was overcome as a complete system is likely to be highly regarded internationally. Although the testing was conducted on land, operating the engine under conditions that simulate actual operation is a crucial milestone toward future installation on real ships. PSR
Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, at Power Systems Research
