Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment (MHI-MME) and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, both part of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, have jointly obtained approval in principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for the basic design of a methane oxidation catalyst system for marine LNG-fuelled engines, jointly developed with Daihatsu Infinearth.
The methane oxidation catalyst system subject to the AiP oxidises methane slip (unburned methane) contained in the exhaust gas of marine engines. Methane, as a GHG, has a high global warming potential and therefore the ability to suppress its emissions is a significant advantage of this system. The system was developed with MHI-MME’s catalyst design and manufacturing technology at its core, combined with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s shipboard installation technology, and Daihatsu Infinearth’s engine optimisation technology.
Verification testing of the catalyst system is currently being conducted in cooperation with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), with a full-scale demonstrator mounted on the KEYS Azalea, an LNG bunkering vessel owned and operated by KEYS Bunkering West Japan. Initial measurements during the verification testing confirmed the expected performance of the exhaust gas treatment equipment, achieving a methane oxidation rate of more than 90% for the system alone.
Following the acquisition of AiP and the confirmation of the expected performance through verification on an actual ship (initial measurements), the partner companies plan to further accelerate development toward commercialisation of the system.
MHI Group is making strategic efforts to strengthen its energy transition business. As part of this strategy, MHI-MME and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will continue their efforts to reduce GHG emissions from marine vessels amid the growing global urgency for decarbonisation, thereby contributing to the improvement of the environmental performance of ships on a global scale.
Image: Methane oxidation catalyst system (credit: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment)
