HD Hyundai, ABS partner to establish international standards for ships with electric propulsion

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, on Friday (3 May) said they partnered with classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) to develop a transmission and distribution system for ships with electric propulsion and establish related international standards.

HD Hyundai announced the development of a medium voltage direct current transmission and distribution system (MVDC) for ships. MVDC refers to a technology that transmits high-voltage electricity between 1.5kV and 100kV as direct current. It has the advantage of lower energy loss compared to AC transmission, attracting attention as a next-generation power supply method. 

In particular, when MVDC is applied to large electric propulsion ships, electrical energy integration efficiency can be improved by up to 20% compared to the existing AC power system.

However, although marine MVDC has the advantage of high energy efficiency, it is difficult to commercialise it as international standards have not been established. This has led to HD KSOE and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signing an agreement with ABS to address these issues. 

Previously, HD KSOE built Korea’s first DC-based hybrid electric propulsion ship Ulsan Taehwa by applying a low-voltage direct current (LVDC) transmission and distribution system. The Ulsan Taehwa is a medium-sized ship weighing 2,800 tonnes. 

“MVDC technology is not an option but a necessity for carbon-free large ships and next-generation electric propulsion ships,” said Kwon Byeong-hoon, head of HD KSOE’s Electrification Centre. 

“We plan to lead the large ship electric propulsion market by developing MVDC for ships and establishing international standards.” He said.

Photo credit: HD Hyundai
Published: 9 May 2024