KR-20260062806-A - FUEL TREATMENT SYSTEM AND SHIP HAVING THE SAME

KR20260062806AKR 20260062806 AKR20260062806 AKR 20260062806AKR-20260062806-A

Abstract

A fuel processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention and a vessel including the same comprises: a fuel supply unit that supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank to a demand source; a fuel discharge unit that drains the fuel remaining in the fuel supply unit or purges the fuel supply unit to discharge fuel together with purging gas; a fuel neutralization unit that neutralizes fuel delivered from at least one of the fuel supply unit and the fuel discharge unit by mixing a fire prevention substance; and a fuel reduction unit that processes a fluid delivered from the fuel neutralization unit to lower the concentration of fuel contained in the fluid.

Inventors

신정훈
추성한

Assignees

에이치디한국조선해양 주식회사
에이치디현대중공업 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250630
Priority Date: 20241025

Claims (10)

A fuel supply unit that supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank to a demand center; A fuel discharge unit that drains the fuel remaining in the fuel supply unit or purges the fuel supply unit to discharge fuel together with purging gas; A fuel neutralization unit that neutralizes fuel delivered from at least one of the fuel supply unit and the fuel discharge unit by mixing a fire prevention substance; and A fuel treatment system comprising: a fuel reduction unit that processes a fluid delivered from the fuel neutralization unit to lower the concentration of fuel contained in the fluid.
In paragraph 1, The above fluid is, It is a fluid containing fuel and fire protection materials, and The above fuel reduction unit is, A fuel processing system that supplies the above fluid with reduced fuel concentration to the above fuel neutralization unit or discharges it into the sea.
In paragraph 2, The above fuel reduction unit is, A fuel processing system comprising at least one of a membrane separation membrane and a reverse osmosis separation membrane, and lowering the concentration of fuel contained in the fluid by separating fuel from the fluid or reducing the amount of fuel through the membrane separation membrane or the reverse osmosis separation membrane.
In paragraph 3, The above fuel reduction unit is, A fuel processing system that supplies fuel separated by the above membrane separation membrane to the above fuel neutralization unit or the above fuel supply unit.
In paragraph 3, The above fuel reduction unit is, The fluid, with its fuel concentration lowered by the reverse osmosis membrane, is supplied upstream of the fuel neutralization unit or the fuel reduction unit, and The above fuel neutralization unit is, A fuel treatment system that uses the fluid with reduced fuel concentration for fuel neutralization, or mixes the fluid with reduced fuel concentration with a fire prevention substance for fuel neutralization.
In paragraph 1, The above fuel neutralization unit is, A scrubber that dissolves fuel by spraying a fire prevention substance; An absorption tank provided at the bottom of the above scrubber and dissolving fuel through a fire prevention substance stored inside; A wastewater tank for storing the fuel-dissolved wastewater discharged from at least one of the scrubber and the absorption tank; and It includes a fire protection material supply line that supplies the fire protection material to the scrubber and the absorption tank; The above fuel reduction unit is, A wastewater supply line connected to the above wastewater tank; and A fuel treatment system comprising: a discharge line that discharges the wastewater supplied from the wastewater supply line into the sea by separating the fuel from the wastewater or reducing the amount of fuel, thereby lowering the concentration of fuel contained in the wastewater.
In paragraph 6, The above fuel reduction unit is, A re-neutralization line that supplies fuel separated from the above wastewater to the scrubber and the absorption tank; and A fuel treatment system further comprising a resupply line that supplies fuel separated from the wastewater to the fuel supply unit.
In paragraph 6, The above fuel reduction unit is, It further includes a delivery line connected to the above-mentioned disaster prevention material supply line, and The above disaster prevention material supply line is, A fuel processing system that supplies the fluid with a reduced fuel concentration supplied through the above delivery line to the scrubber and the absorption tank, or mixes the fluid with a reduced fuel amount with a fire prevention substance and supplies it to the scrubber and the absorption tank.
In paragraph 6, The above fuel reduction unit is, It further includes a recirculation line that branches off from the discharge line and is connected to the wastewater supply line; and The above recirculation line is, A fuel treatment system that, when the concentration of the fluid with reduced fuel concentration is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, causes the fluid with reduced fuel concentration to be recirculated to the fuel reduction unit through the wastewater supply line.
A vessel comprising the fuel processing system of any one of paragraphs 1 through 9.

Description

Fuel Treatment System and Ship Having the Same The present invention relates to a fuel processing system and a ship including the same. Air pollution is becoming severe worldwide and is causing climate change. Because pollutants emitted from ships have a significant impact on air quality, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the European Union, and the United States are strengthening regulations on pollutants emitted from vessels to reduce air pollution. As regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from ships are gradually strengthened at key milestones by 2050, it is expected that it will be difficult to comply with pollution regulations using only existing engines and fuels. Therefore, with the application of strengthened regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from ships, the use of existing fossil fuels is expected to become difficult, making it urgent to identify alternative fuels capable of meeting future stricter regulations. As alternatives, non-fossil fuels such as ammonia (NH3), biofuels, solar energy, and wind energy are currently being considered. Among them, ammonia is a chemical that can be produced, stored, transported, and supplied, and ammonia-fueled ships are being developed. Conventional ammonia vessels store ammonia fuel in liquid form. Since ammonia has a boiling point lower than room temperature (at atmospheric pressure, -33°C), ammonia storage tanks must meet specific specifications to store it in liquid form. Additionally, because the inside of the tank must be kept at a low temperature to maintain the ammonia in a liquid state, the storage tank must be cooled, and a significant amount of energy is consumed during this cooling process. Furthermore, liquid ammonia storage tanks may generate evaporative gases, which can cause the internal pressure to rise and pose a risk of explosion. Additionally, if liquid ammonia leaks out of the tank, an explosion may occur, and there is a risk of casualties due to the toxicity of the ammonia. As such, existing ammonia vessels face issues regarding the storage of liquid ammonia fuel, engine supply of ammonia fuel, and the discharge of waste ammonia, including the need to improve equipment and operating costs, and in particular, the issue of ensuring absolute safety. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel neutralization unit in a fuel processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel processing system according to the 2-1 embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel processing system according to the second-2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel processing system according to the second-third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side view of a ship according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a ship according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view of the engine room portion of a ship according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing in this specification, identical components are assigned the same number whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. In the present invention, the (gas) fuel may be a substance having a boiling point lower than room temperature at atmospheric pressure and capable of being converted into energy. For example, the fuel may include, but is not limited to, toxic ammonia, liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, ethane, etc. However, for convenience, the fuel will be described below as being limited to ammonia. In the drawings of the present invention, straight lines represent flow paths through which various fluids, such as fuel, refrigerant, heat transfer fluid, or purging gas, move, and can be interpreted as pipelines. Furthermore, in the present invention, pressure sensors (PT), temperature sensors (TT), flow sensors (FT), etc., may be installed at appropriate locations without limitation, and the measured values from each sensor may be used in various ways without limitation for the operation of the components described below. In addition, the present invention includes a vessel equipped with a fuel p