MOL and Kobe Steel Start Long-term Application Test of 'Binary Cycle Power Generation System for Ships'
- Reducing Vessel GHG Emissions with More Effective Use of Energy -

December 17, 2020

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Junichiro Ikeda) today announced that a binary cycle power generation system for ships, jointly researched by MOL and Kobe Steel, Ltd. (President, CEO and Representative Director: Mitsugu Yamaguchi; Headquarters: Kobe-shi, Hyogo Prefecture), has been installed on a newbuilding very large ore carrier (VLOC; launched on October 28) owned by Shunzan Kaiun Co., Ltd. (President: Takahiro Imaoka; Headquarters: Imabari-shi, Ehime Prefecture) and chartered by MOL.

The project marks the first application of a binary cycle power generation system on a VLOC. The test will confirm the system's performance and durability under actual operating conditions at sea.

The system relies on waste heat when cooling of scavenging air for the vessel's main engine, an approach that has rarely been used in the past. It can generate up to about 100kW of power by heating and evaporating the working medium, which has a lower boiling point than water, and using the resulting steam to drive a turbine and generate electricity. Effective use of the electricity generated by the system as an auxiliary power source for the ship's engine contributes to reduced CO2 emissions lower fuel consumption by the power generator engine.

MOL has used various waste heat collection systems as an underlying technology of ISHIN-III (Note 1). The project is examining new ways to collect waste heat from ship engines by proactively adopting the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) (Note 2), which can generate power even at medium and low temperatures.

The project is a key element of "NEXT -MOL SMART SHIP PROJECT-" (Note 3), and knowledge and expertise gained through the development process will be fed back to various ship types, seizing opportunities presented by efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the global shipping industry.

System Diagram

(Note 1) The concept of collecting waste heat energy from the main engine and provide maximum assist in propulsion force.
https://www.mol.co.jp/en/sustainability/technology/history/ishin/index.html

(Note 2) The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is the system that rotates a turbine using a low-boiling point medium and can collect heat to generate electric power even with small temperature differences.

(Note 3) MOL's research and development project. Please refer to the November 24, 2016 press release:
https://www.mol.co.jp/en/pr/2016/16070.html