Samsung Heavy Industries announced on the 9th that it has succeeded in developing a liquid hydrogen fuel cell ship propulsion system and obtained Approval In Principle from DNV, a Norwegian classification society.
The key to this certified technology is to use the power generated through liquid hydrogen and a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) as a ship’s propulsion energy source. Samsung Heavy Industries acquired system development and classification certification through joint research with domestic hydrogen-related companies.
PEMFC : A fuel cell using a polymer membrane as an electrolyte, which operates at a relatively low temperature and is composed of a compact system. It is evaluated that it is suitable for application in the mobility field because it can start quickly and has good durability even in repeated start/stop.
Bumhan Fuel Cell and Jungwoo E&E participated in the development of the hydrogen fuel cell and liquid hydrogen storage tank for ships, respectively, and S&Sys was in charge of the hybrid power management system that controls the hydrogen fuel cell and battery.
Previously, to commercialize the hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system, Samsung Heavy Industries had established a cooperative system from hydrogen technology R&D to production and certification with Pusan ​​National University’s Hydrogen Ship Technology Center, DNV Classification, and domestic companies.
Fuel cell  tech is attracting attention as a future eco-friendly energy source because it does not emit any greenhouse gas during the electricity production process, and is a field that is focusing on securing technology worldwide.
Samsung Heavy Industries is the first in the shipbuilding industry to develop fuel cell technology for ships and has been accumulating core technologies.
In 2019, the industry first developed a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) powered A-MAX class crude oil carrier using LNG fuel and obtained classification certification.
Kim Jin-mo, head of Samsung Heavy Industries’ Global New Business Team, said, “Samsung Heavy Industries is taking the lead in opening up the possibility of hydrogen power generation systems for ships using various fuel cells such as SOFC and PEMFC.” “We will continue to lead the hydrogen mobility technology in the shipbuilding and shipping industry. We plan to further strengthen the industry-academy-class-class cooperation system so that the
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