ABS greenlights HD KSOE’s nuclear-electric vessel concept

Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has approved in principle a nuclear-electric vessel concept designed by South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE).

PHOTO: Generic concept of a nuclear-powered vessel developed by ABS last year as part of its research into nuclear propulsion in commercial vessels. ABS

The 15,000-TEU vessel concept features a small molten salt reactor (SMR) for nuclear-based propulsion.

“Fourth-generation SMRs, currently in the demonstration phase, offer a groundbreaking improvement in safety compared to conventional reactors. When applied to large container ships, they could potentially have less risk than some of the other alternative fuel systems,” Sangmin Park, senior VP at HD KSOE explained.

In addition, the vessel will also be equipped with a “supercritical carbon dioxide system” for additional power generation.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) explains that CO2 naturally exists as a gas but turns into dry ice when frozen. It reaches a supercritical state when heated and pressurized beyond its critical point of 31°C and 83.8 bar. In this state, CO2 exhibits properties of both a liquid and a gas.

Energy technology firm GTI Energy adds that a supercritical CO2(SCO2) system operates similarly to conventional turbines but uses this SCO2 as a propulsion fluid. This power generation technology offers “high efficiencies”, “reduced emissions from lower fuel usage” and has the potential to produce electricity at a lower cost.

By Konica Bhatt

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