Top Page > Sustainability > Innovation (Innovation for development in marine technology) > MOL Senpaku ISHIN > Part 3 : The Marine Engine Story "The Drive to Conserve Energy and Realize Ever-larger Ships"

Part 3 : The Marine Engine Story "The Drive to Conserve Energy and Realize Ever-larger Ships"


On the Horizon

Released in January 2011

We will introduce our future large vessels and engines, which will be technically practical in the next five years, by building on and refining technologies we have already developed and adopted.

Main features

(1) Waste heat energy recovery to assist propulsion
(2) Reduction of CO2 emissions even at low speeds

By introducing (1) and (2) and adopting a combination of new technologies, CO2 emissions will be reduced by 30%.

CO2 reduction Effect

The following seven elements from 1 to 7 will enable a 30% reduction of CO2 emissions.

Optimization of engine system Use of fuel additive Reduction of friction drag Optimization of voyage support system Optimization of propulsion efficiency Optimization of hull design Use of renewable energy Wind Challenger Project Transforming Exhaust Energy into Propulsion Power
Transforming Exhaust Energy into Propulsion Power
Transforming Exhaust Energy into Propulsion Power
❶Main diesel engine
Main Engine Starts
Output from the main engine will become propulsion power for the vessel via the propeller rotating on its shaft
❷No.1 exhaust gas heat recovery boiler
Boiler No.1 Energy Recovery
High-temperature, high-pressure steam is generated in exhaust gas heat recovery boilers No.1, by high energy exhaust gas just emitted from the diesel main engine.
❸Exhaust gas turbine
Exhaust Gas Turbine Energy Recovery
Exhaust gas is transmitted to the exhaust gas turbine, which turns a electric generator.
❹NO.2 exhaust gas heat recovery boiler
Boiler No.2 Energy Recovery
Additional heat energy can be recovered before the exhaust gas is released into the air, so steam is generated in exhaust gas heat recovery boiler No.2 to further increase energy recovery efficiency.
❺Steam turbine
Steam Turbine Energy Recovery
The steam turbine, driven by steam generated in exhaust gas heat recovery boilers No.1 and No.2, turns the electric generator.
❻Power generator
Converting Energy to Electricity
The power generated in the exhaust gas turbine and steam turbine is efficiently converted to electricity.
❼Shaft motor
Converting Electricity to Propulsion Power
The motor mounted on the propeller shaft is rotated by electricity generated by exhaust energy as additional propulsion power.

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ISHIN-Ⅲ

ISHIN stands for "Innovations in Sustainability backed by Historically proven INtegrated Technologies." It expresses MOL's tradition of technological innovations aimed at ensuring sustainable corporate growth of the company and protecting the environment, regardless of the economic climate.

Based on the key phrase "History holds the key to the future," we will continue our quest for breakthrough technologies.

Voyage illustrations
Optimization of engine system → Reduce CO2 emissions by 10%
Transforming Exhaust Energy into Propulsion Power

1. Waste heat energy recovery:Assist propulsion

MOL has continued to develop technology to improve the efficiency of waste heat energy recovery to assist propulsion. A large amount of heat energy can be recovered from the large main engine's exhaust gas, converted to electricity, and utilized to provide additional propulsion, significantly reducing the vessel's environmental burden.

Main equipment comprising this system includes an exhaust gas turbine (P/T), a steam turbine (S/T), and two waste heat recovery boilers (*1) which are divided into low pressure and high pressure.
The P/T is turned directly by the engine's exhaust gas, and the S/T is powered by steam generated in the waste heat recovery boiler.
The system transmits this rotational power to a generator that efficiently produces electricity.

(*1) No.1 waste heat recovery boiler (low pressure)
Nearly the same as the waste heat recovery boilers on existing vessels, this generates low-pressure steam mainly to drive the steam turbine and heating fuel oil.
No.2 waste heat recovery boiler (high pressure)
This boiler is installed on the upstream side of the power turbine. The flow of high-temperature exhaust gas helps converts heat energy to high-pressure steam with greater efficiency.

2. Reduction of CO2 emissions even at low speeds

The combination of the turbocharger (*2) that can operate at high efficiency even at low rpm and an electronically-controlled main engine reduces CO2 emissions even during a low-speed voyage.

(*2) The system can generate the optimum charging pressure by changing the area of the opening on the turbocharger side according to the main engine output. It is particularly effective in case of a deterioration in turbocharger performance or when navigating in tropical regions.

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Use of fuel additive → Reduce CO2 emissions by 1.5%
fuel additive

The TAICRUSH HD fuel additive jointly developed by MOL Technology Research Center and Taihokohzai Co., Ltd. ensures more effective ignition and combustion of fuel oil.

(1) TAICRUCH HD improves the ignition performance and sludge (*) dispersion in heavy fuel oils. It reduces ignition delay and afterburning time by more than 30%.
Compared to conventional fuel oil additives for large-scale vessels, TAICRUSH HD promotes improved combustion and reduced fuel consumption.
(*) Hard-to-melt carbon compounds and sediment.

(2) The environmental burden can be reduced by improving vessel fuel efficiency of vessel and reducing CO2 emissions.

[Characteristics of TAICRUCH HD additive]

  • This fuel oil additive improves both combustion and sludge dispersion, enhancing the performance of difficult-to-ignite fuels.
  • Packaging is smaller than current liquid additives (contained in drums) since it is in granular form.
  • It can be conveniently loaded, transported, and stored.

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Reduction of friction drag → Reduce CO2 emissions by 10%

When paint is applied to the steel surface of the hull, micro patterned indentations, invisible to the naked eye, are formed on the dried paint film. By smoothing such indentations with water stabilized in each concave, friction drag can be reduced (this is called a water trapping mechanism). New self-polishing antifouling paint (ship bottom paint) with this feature has been adopted for use on the hulls of our ships. The self-polishing surface of the vessel hull becomes even smoother thanks to the effect of the water trapping mechanism.
This ultra-low friction coating has been tested on actual ships and a significant effect on fuel efficiency has been verified. We will continue practical studies of ultra-low friction coatings applied to other vessels.

ultra-low friction coating

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Optimization of voyage support system → Reduce CO2 emissions by 5%

This system allows a search for the fastest and most fuel-efficient route by using the latest marine and terrestrial weather data, while monitoring the ship's operational status and considering vessel performance characteristics that differs by ship type.

Route map

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Optimization of propulsion efficiency → Reduce CO2 emissions by 5%

A move to boost fuel efficiency is installation of the new generation PBCF (*), an updated energy-saving device developed by MOL and adopted on many vessels all over the world, and a high-efficiency propeller which is optimized for the hull form.

(*) PBCF
Propeller Boss Cap Fins.
The PBCF reduces the energy of the hub vortex that forms behind the rotating propeller. Tests have confirmed that the PBCF increases fuel efficiency by 5%, and its energy-saving performance was recognized by the Eco Ship project of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2000.

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Optimization of hull design → Reduce CO2 emissions by 2%

We seek optimization of hull design to further improve fuel efficiency, paying particular attention to reassessing the shape below the water surface.

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Use of renewable energy → Reduce CO2 emissions by 0.1%
Solar panels

Solar panels
Solar power panels covering an area of 900m2 are installed on the bridge and aft of the crew quarters, producing up to 150kW of electricity.

Rechargeable batteries
Assemble a rechargeable lithium ion battery system with a total output of 10,000kWh.

The electricity produced by solar panels will be stored in the rechargeable batteries to meet onboard needs for electricity and to provide additional propulsion energy.
If a shore power system is available while the ship is in berth, it can be combined with power from the batteries to reduce vessel.

Rechargeable batteries

Heat insulating paint
Tests on MOL Group-operated ships confirmed the performance of the heat-insulating paint used on the crew quarters. It limits the increase in temperature inside the living area of the ship and cuts electricity consumption by the air conditioning system.

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Wind Challenger Project → Reduce CO2 emissions by over 50%

When the business model for a wind-driven vessel is established.

(*) Wind Challenger Project
The project is development of a wind-driven vessel, led by Tokyo University, MOL, shipbuilder, material maker, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, and other shipping companies.

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