KIMM Develops 2-Liter Ammonia Engine... "Core Technology for Ships, Aviation, and More"

A 2-liter class engine that uses ammonia as fuel has been developed in South Korea. This technology is expected to serve as a fundamental technology in the future for power sources in vehicles, ships, and aviation mobility, as well as for industrial generators.

Senior Researcher Cheolwoong Park is inspecting an ammonia engine. Provided by Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (hereafter referred to as KIMM) announced on January 23 that a research team led by Senior Researcher Cheolwoong Park at the Eco-friendly Mobility Laboratory, in collaboration with the Electrification Design Center of Hyundai Motor and Kia, has jointly developed an engine that directly injects ammonia at high pressure into the combustion chamber.

The most notable feature of the developed engine is that ammonia, which serves as a hydrogen carrier, can be used directly as fuel without a separate decomposition process.

This method improves upon conventional gas fuel systems, which are prone to unstable output and generate a high amount of harmful emissions, by injecting the liquid fuel at high pressure. It enables the stable supply of large quantities of ammonia fuel.

In particular, the engine achieves world-class specific output using only pure ammonia, making it possible to operate without any additional combustion enhancement devices or additives.

The joint research team enhanced performance by improving the ignition system, optimizing the timing of fuel injection, and adjusting the opening timing of intake and exhaust valves. At the same time, they minimized emissions of nitrogen oxides and unburned ammonia by employing an ammonia-specific aftertreatment system. As a result, the team explained, they were able to increase thermal efficiency and output while significantly reducing harmful emissions.

Senior Researcher Cheolwoong Park stated, "The technology developed by the joint research team is a groundbreaking innovation that dramatically improves the performance of conventional ammonia engines. It will transform the paradigm of power sources for mobility and industrial generators, including clean hydrogen power generation."

This research was conducted as part of the 'Evaluation of Ammonia Direct Injection Engines' project commissioned by Hyundai Motor and Kia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.