Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Engine’s (MHI-MME) newly developed waste heat recovery system, Hydrocurrent Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Module 125EJW, has started operating on-board Maersk Line’s vessel, christened Arnold Maersk.
The ORC system, developed in collaboration with Calnetix Technologies, uses extremely low temperature heat sources to generate electrical power, such as the waste heat of the main engine jacket cooling water, which is converted to produce electricity for shipboard consumption.
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It is said to relax the load on the ship’s main generator, reduce the carbon dioxide emission, and subsequently enhance the efficiency of the vessel’s power resource.
The system is fitted with a radial turbine newly developed by MHI-MME which is mounted in Calnetix’s standard system for waste heat recovery, which has secured the class approval of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK) and Lloyd’s Register (LRS).
During the heat recovery process of this system, an organic heat medium with a low boiling point is utilised as the working fluid and thermal energy is converted into mechanical power.
The system is said to be instrumental in the wake of a demand for the vessels to operate with reduced fuel consumption and emissions, where it utilises energy from other heat sources in the ship to generate power such as main-engine exhaust gas and air coolers, which was otherwise unavailable while engaging the conventional steam turbines.
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By GlobalDataApproved by ClassNK and Lloyd’s Register of Shipping last year, the ORC system generates a power output of 125kw and is installed into the vessel, Arnold Maersk. Before this, it had concluded its performance testing at the factory of Calnetix Technologies.
Image: MHI-MME and Calnetix Technologies developed Hydrocurrent Organic Rankine Cycle. Photo: courtesy of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Engine Co., Ltd.
