South Korean shipbuilder pursues ship fuel cells in new deal 

Under the MoU, KSOE will work with Fraunhofer IKTS and Elcogen to design and test a prototype for large-capacity SOFC systems that are used in ships and power generation. KSOE and Fraunhofer IKTS have been collaborating since February 2022 for the basic design of SOFC systems.

SOFC produce electrical energy by inducing a chemical reaction between oxygen and a variety of fuels such as hydrogen, natural gas, ammonia, methanol and biofuel. They are suitable for ship engines and cogeneration as they are highly energy efficient and they can use waste heat generated from high-temperature operation (600~1,000℃). SOFC are considered the most advanced among all fuel cells developed to date.

Through its work with Fraunhofer ITS and Elcogen, KSOE plans to produce the key components of fuel cells and to acquire technologies for producing eco-friendly hydrogen.

This is not KSOE’s first foray into fuel cells. Back in October 2022, it formed a consortium with Shell and Doosan Fuel Cell to validate fuel cells for ships, and a test bed for the validation is currently under operation.

MoU on autonomous technology

The shipbuilder also chose CES 2023 to ink an MoU with ABS regarding co-operation on four autonomous technology projects that use artificial intelligence: autonomous machinery health management function, autonomous safety management function, autonomous LNG fuel gas supply system and smart LNG boil-off gas management system.

Under a previous agreement between the two organisations signed at CES 2022, HD Hyundai subsidiaries Avikus and KSOE demonstrated technology enabling 180,000-m³ LNG carrier Prism Courage to sail in autonomous mode, under direct supervision, for roughly half of its voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

Riviera Maritime Media is holding the Marine Propulsion Webinar Week beginning 14 February 2023, use this link to access more information and register for these free webinars