KR-20260063846-A - Methanol fuel supply system

Abstract

A methanol fuel supply system is provided that synthesizes methanol using waste heat from exhaust gas and can also control the amount of waste heat used. The methanol fuel supply system comprises: a combustion engine that generates power by burning methanol; an exhaust pipe that discharges exhaust gas generated from the combustion engine; a carbon dioxide capture unit installed in the exhaust pipe to capture carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas; a hydrogen tank for storing hydrogen; a reaction chamber formed in a ring shape surrounding the exhaust pipe with the exhaust pipe penetrating through the center and having its interior divided into multiple compartments, wherein the methanol generation unit produces methanol by reacting carbon dioxide and hydrogen supplied to the reaction chamber with the waste heat from the exhaust gas; a fuel tank for storing the methanol produced in the methanol generation unit and supplying it to the combustion engine; and a compartment control valve that controls the heat exchange area between the reaction chamber and the exhaust pipe by opening and closing the compartments to selectively supply carbon dioxide and hydrogen to at least one of the multiple compartments.

Inventors

• 박성종
• 김성우

Assignees

• 삼성중공업 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241031

Claims (7)

1. A combustion engine that generates power by burning methanol; An exhaust pipe for discharging exhaust gas generated from the above combustion engine; A carbon dioxide capture unit installed in the exhaust pipe to capture carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas; Hydrogen tank for storing hydrogen; A methanol generating unit comprising a reaction chamber formed in a ring shape surrounding the exhaust pipe, with the exhaust pipe penetrating and connected through the center and the interior divided into a plurality of compartments, wherein carbon dioxide and hydrogen supplied to the reaction chamber are reacted with the waste heat of the exhaust gas to produce methanol; A fuel tank that stores methanol generated in the methanol generating unit and supplies it to the combustion engine; and A methanol fuel supply system comprising a compartment control valve that controls the heat exchange area between the reaction chamber and the exhaust pipe by opening and closing the compartment to selectively supply carbon dioxide and hydrogen to at least one of the plurality of compartments.
2. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned compartment control valve is, A methanol fuel supply system comprising a first control valve connected to a carbon dioxide supply pipe for injecting carbon dioxide into the compartment, a second control valve connected to a hydrogen supply pipe for injecting hydrogen into the compartment, and a third control valve connected to a methanol supply pipe for discharging methanol generated within the compartment to the outside, wherein methanol is produced individually from each of the compartments.
3. In paragraph 1, A methanol fuel supply system further comprising a reaction control unit that changes the number of compartments producing methanol by adjusting the compartment control valve.
4. In paragraph 1, A methanol fuel supply system in which a plurality of the above-mentioned compartments divide the reaction chamber in a rotationally symmetrical manner around the exhaust pipe, each surrounding the exhaust pipe in an arc shape.
5. In paragraph 4, A methanol fuel supply system further comprising a ring-shaped fluid distribution pipe simultaneously connected to a plurality of the above-mentioned compartments.
6. In paragraph 5, A methanol fuel supply system comprising a first fluid distribution pipe formed at the end of a carbon dioxide supply pipe that supplies carbon dioxide to the reaction chamber, and a second fluid distribution pipe formed at the end of a hydrogen supply pipe that supplies hydrogen to the reaction chamber.
7. In paragraph 1, A methanol fuel supply system further comprising a silencer disposed downstream of the exhaust pipe, wherein the heat exchange area between the exhaust pipe and the reaction chamber is adjusted according to the operating characteristics of the silencer.

Description

Methanol fuel supply system The present invention relates to a methanol fuel supply system, and more specifically, to a methanol fuel supply system that enables environmentally friendly operation of a ship by reacting carbon dioxide captured from exhaust gas generated during operation with hydrogen to directly produce methanol and using the produced methanol as fuel. Generally, various engines installed on ships generate power by burning fuel, and the exhaust gases produced during this combustion process contain nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide, and the like. As air pollution increases, regulations on various hazardous substances are becoming stricter; furthermore, not only nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides but also carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is subject to emission regulations by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency. In fact, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels, and to achieve this goal, the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), a mandatory carbon dioxide reduction regulation, is applied to newly constructed ships. Furthermore, the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) approved meeting the Energy Efficiency eXisting Ship Index (EEXI), a technical measure for greenhouse gas reduction for international vessels with a gross tonnage (GT) of 400 tons or more. As regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from ships are tightened, it is projected that the construction and operation of vessels that use only LNG or LPG as fuel or do not incorporate pollutant reduction technologies will be restricted in the future. Consequently, a fuel supply system capable of enabling environmentally friendly operation of ships became necessary. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a methanol fuel supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the methanol-generating section of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a decomposition diagram of the methanol-producing section of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the methanol production section of Figure 2 along A-A' and B-B'. Figure 5 is a drawing illustrating the carbon dioxide capture unit of Figure 1 in more detail. Figure 6 is an operational diagram illustrating the operation of the methanol fuel supply system of Figure 1. FIG. 7 is an operational diagram illustrating the operation of the methanol generating unit when the methanol fuel supply system of FIG. 6 is operated. The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components. Hereinafter, a methanol fuel supply system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a methanol fuel supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the methanol generation unit of FIG. 1. The methanol fuel supply system of the present invention is a system that generates and supplies methanol to provide driving force and can be installed on a ship. Referring to FIG. 1, the methanol fuel supply system (1) uses methanol produced by capturing carbon dioxide from exhaust gas generated during the operation of the ship and reacting it directly with hydrogen inside the ship as fuel. Therefore, it is possible to operate in an eco-friendly manner while satisfying carbon dioxide emission regulations by not emitting carbon dioxide overboard. In addition, since the methanol generation unit (30) is formed to surround the outer side of the exhaust pipe (20) and receives heat required for the methanol generation reaction from the exhaust gas, the energy required for the reaction can be reduced, the utilization of space inside the ship can be increased, and the temperature of the exhaust gas supplied to the carbon dioxide capture unit (60) can be lowered so that carbon dioxide can be easily absorbed by the absorbent. Referring to FIG. 2, the methanol production unit (30) of the present invention includes a reaction chamber (30a) partitioned into a plurality of compartments (300). The compartments (300) forming the reaction chamber are independent of each other, so that each can independently produce methanol. Therefore, by adjusting the number of compartments partici