On December 30, COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry completed the construction of 5500HP ammonia-powered port operation vessel, which is a demonstration project of ammonia-powered research project. China Classification Society (CCS) Dalian Branch issued the first domestic ammonia-fueled ship certificate for the vessel.
The 5500HP ammonia-powered port operation vessel is designed and developed by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Dalian) in cooperation with Dalian University of Technology. The vessel is equipped with the ammonia dual-fuel engine, ammonia fuel supply system, ammonia fuel storage tank, exhaust gas treatment device and other core equipments independently developed by the project. The vessel has an overall length of 38 meters, a width of 11 meters, a depth of 4.8 meters, a design draft of 3.7 meters, a gross tonnage of 496, and an installed power of 5,500HP.
At the same time, two fully-pressurized ammonia fuel tanks are arranged on both sides of the main deck to provide ammonia fuel for the main engine. The main engine drives the full-rotation propeller with the help of the shaft system, and the free end of the single-side main engine drives the external fire pump. Its design towing force is 60 tons and the design speed is up to 12.5 knots.The ship flies five-star red flag, is classed by CCS, and has obtained the class notation “Ammonia Fuel Tug”.
It is understood that the “Joint Laboratory of Green and Intelligent Ship Power System” jointly established by the School of Shipbuilding of Shanghai Jiaotong University and COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry undertakes the research on the combustion technology of ammonia-fueled medium-speed internal combustion engine, builds up a test platform of 95DF small four-cylinder engine and 175DF single-cylinder engine, and successfully completes the ammonia-fuel combustion test and 1D and 3D computer simulation of 12V240H engine.
Utilizing the results of this combustion technology, Dalian CRRC Diesel Engine has developed ammonia fuel based on its own intellectual property rights model 12V240H diesel engine, and after several design reviews and bench tests, the maximum ammonia substitution ratio has reached 91%, and the exhaust emission meets the requirements of the second stage of the national standard after post-treatment.
Ammonia, as a zero-carbon fuel, has great potential for application. In the shipping industry, ammonia fuel can not only significantly reduce carbon emissions, but also help optimize the global energy structure and contribute to global sustainable development. The successful delivery of the ammonia-powered port operation vessel project of Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry not only demonstrates the company’s leading position in the field of green shipping technology, but also provides useful references and lessons for the green and low-carbon development of the global shipping industry.