2023 | 099
The latest technological developmentof the J-ENG UE engine for zero
emission and digital transformation
New Engine Developments - Diesel

Katsumi IMANAKA, JAPAN ENGINE CORPORATION
Yoshihiko KINOSHITA, JAPAN ENGINE CORPORATION
Koji EDO, JAPAN ENGINE CORPORATIONThis paper has been presented and published at the 30th CIMAC World Congress 2023 in Busan,
Korea. The CIMAC Congress is held every three years, each time in a different member country. The
Congress program centres around the presentation of Technical Papers on engine research anddevelopment, application engineering on the original equipment side and engine operation andmaintenance on the end-user side. The themes of the 2023 event included Digitalization &Connectivity for different applications, System Integration & Hybridization, Electrification & Fuel Cells
Development, Emission Reduction Technologies, Conventional and New Fuels, Dual Fuel Engines,
Lubricants, Product Development of Gas and Diesel Engines, Components & Tribology,
Turbochargers, Controls & Automation, Engine Thermondynamis, Simulation Technologies as well as
Basic Research & Advanced Engineering. The copyright of this paper is with CIMAC. For further
information please visit https://www.cimac.com.

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ABSTRACT
Under the global emission challenges, Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) is trying to achieve Zero
Emission as a licensor of two stroke diesel engine. UE engine has been featuring high economic
efficiency, high reliability, and environmental-friendliness for more than half a century. Now J-ENG is
specially focusing on the development of NOx, SOx and GHG emission reduction technology including
CO2 reduction as EEDI/EEXI.
The latest UEC-LSH series engines are lined up with bore diameter from 33 to 50cm, which canachieve higher output and lower fuel consumption, and thus can contribute to CO2 emission reduction.
UEC-LSH series engines can be also equipped with NOx reduction technology to comply with IMONOx Tier3 regulation. Low pressure EGR (LP-EGR) system and low pressure SCR (LP-SCR) systemhave been developed and can be equipped with these engines. Both systems have been alreadytested and verified in service vessels.
As the IMO-SOx regulation came into the force globally in 2020, limiting sulphur content of fuel to
0.5% m/m, the ship owners, shipyards, engine maker, etc. have to adopt a solution either SOx
scrubbers or use of low sulphur FO or LNG with consideration of the cost impact. In order toaccommodate this circumstance, the new concept UEC-LSJ series engine was developed. As UECLSJ engine uses MGO (Marine Gas Oil) as mono-fuel, the engine can comply with threeenvironmental regulations, not only SOx regulation, but also NOx and EEDI regulations
simultaneously. The advantages of using MGO are no necessity of SOx scrubber, no necessity of (orsmaller) exhaust gas economizer and prolong maintenance intervals. Although MGO cost is relatively
higher than the other marine fuel in current market situation, the excessively high efficiency (low fueloil consumption) and low initial cost makes the impact smaller. The first developed UEC-LSJ seriesengine was UEC50LSJ, and now 35LSJ, 42LSJ and 60LSJ are lined up.
In addition to the compliance with above regulations, J-ENG is also developing the technology for
GHG emission reduction. Using carbon free (Hydrogen, Ammonia) / low carbon (Bio fuel, etc) fuels as
the alternatives of existing fuels are now under development.
J-ENG is also promoting activities for Digital Transformation (DX) especially in the field of engine
monitoring and effective data processing. For the advanced support technology, J-ENG is focusing on
CBM (Condition Based Maintenance) and Digital Twin by using IoT and AI.

1

INTRODUCTION

2021. And as a bridge solution to the use of thesecarbon-free fuels, J-ENG has also started
studying for application of alternative fuels such as
LPG, methanol, biofuels etc. which are expected
to contribute to GHG reduction.

Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) wasestablished in April 2017 by merging the marine
diesel engine business division of Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries Marine Machineries & Engine
Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME) and Kobe Diesel Co., Ltd.

In addition, J-ENG is also promoting activities for
Digital Transformation (DX) especially in the fieldof engine monitoring and effective dataprocessing. For the advanced support technology,
J-ENG is focusing on Condition Based
Maintenance (CBM) and Digital Twin by using IoT
and AI.

Both MHI-MME and Kobe Diesel have a long term
partnership by complementing each other as
licensor and licensee relationship. J-ENG
enhances this relationship by integrating therespective business from the upstream as thelicensor to the down-stream as a licensee.

In this paper, initiatives for CO2, NOx, SOx, GHG
reduction (future alternative fuels) and Digital
Transformation on UE engine are summarized
and introduced. Here, CO2 emissions arecalculated using EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design
Index). It is CO2 emissions per ton and mile, which
varies according to ship type and size. EEDI islegislated by IMO to reduce greenhouse gases
emitted from ships.

Figure 1 shows the development history of UE
engine. First UE engine was manufactured in
1955, and after that, various engine models havebeen launched until now. LSH series is the latest
generation and LSJ series which is equipped withstratified water injection system has been added
to the lineup, and now Ammonia fueled engine
LSJA and Hydrogen fueled engine LSGH are now
being developed.
H2 (UEC-LSGH)
NH3 (UEC-LSJA)
UEC42LSJ
UEC35LSJ
UEC50LSJ
UEC33LSH
UEC42LSH-Eco
UEC50LSH-E
UEC33LSE
UEC80LSE-Eco
UEC35LSE/LSE-ECo
UEC45LSE/LSE-Eco
UEC50LSE/LSE-Eco
UEC60LSE/LSE-Eco
UEC68LSE
UEC52LSE/LSE-Eco
UEC-LSII/LSII-ECo
UEC-L/LA/LS
UEC-H/HA
Eco, LSJ : Electronically controlled engine
UEC-A/B/C/D/E
1955
1960 1980 2000 2005
2010
2015
2020
2025

UEC-LSH series engine
with Extremely Low SFOC

GHG

SOx

NOx

UEC-LSJ series engine
with stratified water
injection system

DX

LP-EGR
LP-SCR, HP-SCR

Digitalization

Figure 2. Technical strategy of UE engine

2

INITIATIVE FOR EEDI IMPROVEMENT

2.1

History of EEDI Improvement on UE
engines

The UE Engine meets the regulations set by theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO), suchas those for nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur oxide(SOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2) by applying JENG’s own unique technologies as shown in
Figure 2.
Furthermore, aiming for carbon neutrality in 2050,
J-ENG has started developing ammonia fueledand hydrogen fueled engines in parallel since

CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanCO2(EEDI)

Figure 1. Development history of UE engine
The strength of the UE engine is that it achieves
the industry’s highest level of fuel efficiency thatfar surpasses competitors with its cutting-edge
technology. For approx. 70 years since the firstengine was manufactured in 1955, we have been
striving to further improve the fuel efficiency
through various efforts such as reducing
mechanical loss, reducing heat loss, andoptimizing the fuel injection system.

Ammonia, Hydrogen,
Alternative green fuels

Paper No. 99

SFOC of UE engines has been gradually
improved by each series engines of LSE, LSH and
LSJ, starting since 2000, 2013 and 2018,
respectively. According to the reduction of SFOC,
the EEDI of UEC-LSJ series engines have been
improved by 3 - 7% comparing with LSE series
through lower fuel consumption.
2.2

UEC-LSH series engines

The UEC-LSH series is engines that uses
conventional fuels or compliant fuel oils, hascomplied with the environmental regulations for
SOx and NOx, and has achieved further reduction
in fuel consumption compared to the conventionalmodels. The first UEC50LSH engine wasPage 3

completed in March 2015. Having been received
favorably, the number of orders has been steadily
increasing. Additionally, the first UEC42LSH
engine was completed in March 2021 and thelatest model, UEC33LSH, was completed in
September 2022 respectively.
The world's first 6UEC33LSH-C2 type engine wascompleted by Zhejiang Yungpu Diesel Engine Co.,
Ltd. (YDE) located in Ningbo, China as shown in
Figure 3.

chemical tankers, cement carrier, and LPG carrier,and so on.
UEC42LSH type engine shown in Figure 5 wascompleted in April 2021 and went into service inMarch 2022. This engine was developed for
middle/small size chemical tankers and handysize bulk carriers, and is strongly expanding its
production thanks to strong market demand of
handy-size bulk carrieirs’ booming. This engine isalso increasing its market share in Chinese costal
vessels. By its rapid expansion of orders for theengines in domestic and world market, its further
expansion is expected for the shipyards applying
the engines as their standard selection.

Figure 3. The first UEC33LSH engine in YDE
Figure 4 shows the main particular and rating mapof UEC33LSH-C2 type engine.

Figure 5. 6UEC42LSH engine
2.3

New SFOC version of LSH seriesengines

For LSH series engines, new version, named
version 4, which has lower specific fuel oil
consumption is under development by upgrading
the fuel injection system. By individually changing
the fuel injection pattern from multiple fuelinjection valves, the shape of heat release rate in
the cylinder is improved and the trade-off between
NOx and SFOC can be improved.
Figure 4. Main particular and rating map of
UEC33LSH-C2 type engine
UEC33LSH-C2 type engine was developed as a
strategic core engine for UE licensing business tostrengthen the lineup of the LSH series whichhave received abundant records of orders. It ischaracterizedbyanultra-wide
rating(approximately 34% larger than the original rating)that covers a wide range from low to high engine
speed so that it can be perfectly fitted for various
type of vessels such as small bulk carriers,

CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanPaper No. 99

The UEC50LSH-Eco-C4 and UEC42LSH-Eco-D4
engines equipped with the above fuel injection
system have been added to the UE engine lineup.
2.4

UEC-LSJ series engines

The LSJ series is a model that integrates the LSH
series with the UE engine’s independentlydeveloped technologies of complete combustionand stratified water injection in order to meet the
SOx global cap for using Marine Gas Oil (MGO) or
Maine Diesel Oil (MDO) only in or after 2020. It
achieves a significantly lower fuel consumption(improving fuel efficiency by approx. 5%

Page 4

compared to the previous models) while
complying with NOx regulations. Integrated with JENG’s own technology, which is low-pressure
EGR or low-pressure SCR system, it is possible tomeet the Tier III regulations [1].

Water Injection pump

The first UEC50LSJ-EGR engine shown in Figure
6
wascompletedinDecember
2018.
Subsequently the UEC35LSJ have beendeveloped and completed in July 2022

Water Tank
Fuel Injection
Pump

Fuel Injection
Valve

Water

Fuel

Figure 7. Schematic of the stratified fuel injection
systemFigure 6. The first UEC35LSJ engine

3

Using MGO as the mono-fuel, fuel oil supply
system can be simpler than heavy fuel usage byomitting the fuel heating system. Fuel oil changeover procedure from heavy fuel to MGO whenentering port is not required. MGO is said to havestable properties and it is expected thatmaintenance interval of combustion chambercomponents can be extended through increase of
reliability and reduction of crew’s burden.
The stratified injection system is a technology to
inject two different liquids from a single injector as
shown in Figure 7. On the LSJ series engines,
MGO and water are injected to realize lower fuelconsumption and NOx reduction simultaneously.
In addition, in the shop test running of the first
UEC35LSJ engine, 100% bio fuel with stratified
water injection operation, namely carbon neutral
operation, was demonstrated and verified for the
first time on a commercial engine.
MGO-mono-fueled/water stratified injection engine
is appreciated as the main middle/small size
vessel by ship owners and shipyards, because
effective solution to reduce initial investment andto save installation space for fuel tank(s).

INITIATIVES FOR NOX (IMO TIER III)REGULATIONSFor IMO NOx Tier III regulation, low pressure
EGR, low pressure and high pressure SCR
systems are lined up. These are all uniquelydeveloped systems that have a simple
configuration, simple operational control, excellent
fuel economy and NOx trade-off, high reliability,
and reduced CAPEX and OPEX. And thesesystems are applied to all UE engine types.
3.1

Low Pressure EGR system

The LP-EGR system is available for medium orlarge bore size engines (over 40cm bore).
LP-EGR system handles low pressure exhaustgas discharged from the turbocharger. Therefore,
this method is generally called LP (Low-Pressure).
Figure 8 shows the outline of the LP-EGR system.
A part of the exhaust gas is branched from themain flow downstream of a turbocharger turbine.
After branched, those gases are washed andcleaned by a scrubber, then led to the intake ofthe turbocharger, mixing evenly with fresh air.

Figure 8. Outline of LP-EGR
CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanPaper No. 99

Page 5

Figure 9 shows the overview of the integrated LPEGR unit on 6UEC50LSH-Eco-C2-EGR. The Low
Pressure EGR components are located off theturbocharger. The first vessel which applied thesystem went into service in March 2021. The lowpressure EGR system has already applied toseveral engine types and has been building up
stable service results.
3.2

Low Pressure SCR system

The LP-SCR system is recommended for smallbore size engines and mechanically controlled
engines (camshaft driven). The components of the
LP-SCR system are installed after turbocharger(s)on low pressure exhaust side. The LP-SCR
system is separated from engine configurationand control. Therefore, the arrangement andcontrol of the LP-SCR system can be simple.

Kaisha (NYK Line), J-ENG, IHI Power Systems
Co., Ltd., and Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd.
And this project is financially supported by
Japanese Government, Namely, Green Innovation
Fund of New Energy and Industrial Technology
Development Organization (NEDO).
The engine under development is 50 cm bore size
named UEC50LSJA.
In this project, J-ENG is planning to complete theengine in 2025. And this engine will be installed in
the Ammonia Fueled Ammonia Gas carrier(AFAGC) which will be built by Nihon Shipyard
and will be owned by NYK Line.
The vessel is planned to go into service in 2026.
Along this project, J-ENG is starting from thestudy of the Ammonia combustion technology,
and will carry out single cylinder engine test. After
that, Full-scale commercial engines will be
designed, manufactured and tested in J-ENG’s
factory.
4.1.2

Technical issues and countermeasuresof ammonia fueled engines

Main physical characteristics of ammonia areshown in Figure 10 and the main technical issues
caused by them are described below;
Figure 9. Overview of the integrated EGR unit on
UE engine.
3.3

High Pressure SCR system

The HP-SCR are available for specified engines inmedium or large bore-size engines. As thecomponents of the HP-SCR system are installed
before turbocharger(s) on high pressure exhaustside, the system is integrated in engine
configuration and it works with engine control. The
reactor for HP-SCR is designed to be smaller thanthat of LP-SCR, due to its higher density of theexhaust gas.

4

INITIATIVES FOR GHG REDUCTION
AND ALTERNATIVE FUELS IN THE
FUTURE

4.1
4.1.1

Development of Ammonia fueled
engines
Framework of the project

J-ENG is developing an ammonia fueled engine
named UEC-LSJA, as a member of the
exclusively organized domestic consortium. The
consortium consist of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki

CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanPaper No. 99

Figure 10. Physical characteristics of ammonia
fuel•

Flame retardant: Ammonia has a slow
burning rate (1/5 that of methane) and a highspontaneous ignition temperature of 651°C.
During incomplete combustion, there areconcerns that nitrous oxide (N2O), which has
a global warming potential approximately 300
times that of CO2, are generated. Therefore,

Page 6

a certain amount of pilot fuel will be needed
and it is important that ammonia is effectively
burned with smaller amount of pilot fuel oil.
•••

Toxicity: Ammonia is highly irritating tomucous membranes and can cause severe
damage to the respiratory tract and lungs in ashort period of time. It is necessary to apply
safety measures such as double piping,purge equipment, and separation andrecovery equipment. Purge equipment is thedevice which sends an inert gas into thespace to remove the ammonia gas that has
been accumulated in the space.
Corrosive: Ammonia is corrosive to copper/nickel alloys and plastics. Since it has theproperty of causing stress corrosion cracking,which is a phenomenon in which corrosion
occurs on a metal surface and cracks occur
when tensile stress is applied, it is necessary
to select a material and take measures toprevent the cracking.
Storability: The lower calorific value ofammonia is as low as 18.8MJ/kg, and theamount of fuel supplied to the engine
increases to 2.3 times (=1/0.44) that of heavy
fuel oil, so it is necessary to develop an
appropriate control system and safetymechanism.

In
order
to
achievezero
emissions,countermeasures for effective combustion are
required to control and minimize N2O emissions
contained in engine exhaust gas while increasing
the usage ratio of flame-retardant ammonia fuel.
At the same time, a design to prevent leakage of
toxic ammonia and adequate safety measures inthe event of leakage are needed. Safetymeasures based on risk assessments arenecessary to ensure the same level of safety as
conventional vessels.
The Consortium conducted a HAZID risk
assessment for the safety of using ammonia as
marine fuel in anticipation of obtaining approval ofan alternative design, which is indispensable forrealizing a demonstration operation in FY 2026.
Here, the approval of an alternative design refers
to the process of obtaining approval from thecompetent authorities for the design of a vessel
for which no international regulations have yet
been established by proving that the design isequivalent to the safety requirements of theexisting international regulations. The use ofammonia as marine fuel in ammonia carriers
currently deviates from the provisions of the
SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety ofLife at Sea). On the other hand, if the design isequivalent to the safety requirements of the
CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanPaper No. 99

relevant chapters of the IGC Code (International
Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships
Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk) based on the
SOLAS, it is possible to design a vessel to use
ammonia as a marine fuel. Now that the four
companies have obtained the AiP for the AFAGC,
the parties will work on a more detailed design
and aim to obtain approval of an alternative
design before the vessel's construction begins.
On September 2022, the Consortium received an
AiP from Japanese class society ClassNK after
concluding that safety can be ensured. This is thefirst time that a risk assessment has been
conducted and an AiP obtained not only for aconcept but also an alternative design.
4.1.3

Combustion method of ammonia fuelIn J-ENG’s ammonia fueled engines, the diffusion
combustion method is adopted because it ispossible to secure time for the liquid ammonia to
be injected and evaporated in the cylinder due to
its lower rotating speed. The diffusion combustion
method is that in which high-pressure fuel isinjected into compressed air that has been
compressed to a high temperature, and theevaporated fuel is ignited by itself. The advantageof the diffusion combustion method is that it ispossible to aim for ammonia calorific ratio in spiteof its flame-retardant characteristic and to reduce
the slip of unburned ammonia. On the other hand,the disadvantage is that it is necessary to installequipment according to the supply pressure forliquid ammonia state.
In order to overcome technical issues of ammonia
fueled engines described above, “Stratified
injection system” which is J-ENG’s unique
technology will be applied to ammonia fueled
engines.
Figure 11 shows the outline of stratified injection
system. In this system, flammable pilot fuel, flame
retardant ammonia and flammable post fuel are
injected in turn from one injector.
Figure 12 shows the example of the CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis result.
First sprayed red colored pilot fuel envelops
yellow colored Ammonia spray, during sprayformation process. This process ensure good
Ammonia ignition and maintain a stable flame.
And last sprayed blue colored post fuel pushes
out Ammonia spray toward the outside Ammonia
flame, then activates Ammonia combustion to thelast. With this stratified fuel spraying andcombustion process, it is certain that goodammonia combustion and less N2O emission withmoderate amount of pilot / post fuel can beeffectively realized.

Page 7

This technology had originally been developed by
J-ENG for the stratified water injection system toreduce Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emission of theconventional diesel engine for complying with
IMO-NOx regulation and applied to UEC-LSJ typeengines [1].

The first hydrogen-fueled engine, UEC35LSGH
with a bore of 35cm, is expected to complete in2026.
A demonstration operation is planned with an inservice vessel equipped with hydrogen-fueled
engine which will be operated by TOKYO—Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and MOL Drybulk, Ltd.,aiming to commercialize net zero hydrogenpowered vessels and promote their wide adoption
in the ocean shipping industry.
4.2.2

Ammonia
Injection pump

Fuel
Injection
pump
Fuel injection valve

Ammonia

Technical issues and countermeasuresof hydrogen fueled engines

Main physical characteristics of hydrogen are
shown in Figure 13 and the main technical issues
caused by them are described below;•

Flammability: Hydrogen has a low selfignition temperature and a very highcombustion speed, so even a very small
amount of ignition source can ignite it,
preventing abnormal combustion and stably
controlling fuel is a key factor in thetechnological development.

•

Hydrogen embrittlement: Engine parts havethe risk of not being able to secure theexpected reliability due to hydrogen
embrittlement, so it is necessary to use
appropriate materials that are not affected byhydrogen embrittlement.

•

Easy to leak: Since hydrogen has thesmallest molecular weight among all
substances, it has the characteristic ofleaking easily. Therefore, it is necessary toconstruct appropriate sealing technology andtake measures to prevent leakage.

Post fuelPilot fuelFigure 11. Outline of stratified injection system

Figure 12. CFD analysis result of stratified
injection
4.2
4.2.1

Development of Hydrogen fueledEngines
Framework of the project

J-ENG is developing hydrogen fueled engines
which will be the world’s first main engine for large
ocean-going or coastal vessels, by forming a
consortium with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
and Yanmar Power Technology Co., Ltd. andestablished a joint development company HyENG
Corporation with them in 2021.
The engine development was selected for agovernment-subsidized project by NEDO, part ofGreen Innovation Funding Program.

CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanPaper No. 99

Figure 13. Physical characteristics of hydrogen
fuelPage 8

4.2.3

Combustion method of hydrogen fuelFigure 14 shows representative gas injection
methods applied on 2 stroke engines, which are“High pressure gas injection” and ”Premixing”
In case of the premixing method, unburnedhydrogen is exposed to high temperature and highpressure in the combustion chamber in one cycle
since the low-speed 2-stroke diesel engines havea rotation speed of approximately 1/10 of that of
the medium- and high-speed 4-stroke engines. As
the duration exposed to such environment isapproximately 10 times longer, the risk ofabnormal combustion such as ignition of hydrogenat an unexpectedly early timing is extremely high.
One of the solutions to this problem is to limit theengine output in order to alleviate the hightemperature and high pressure conditions in the
combustion chamber. On the other hand, theengine size must be increased to obtain the same
power output. That solution is not preferable.
In order to avoid the disadvantage of premixing
method, high pressure injection method is applied
to J-ENG’s hydrogen fueled engines. By thismethod, stable combustion can be achieved sincehydrogen is directly injected into the combustion
chamber at the timing, when the combustion
chamber reaches high temperature and highpressure.
High Pressure Gas Injection
Pilot fuelHydrogenHP injectedhydrogenPremixing
Pilot fuelPilot fuelPre-mixedhydrogen

Figure 14. Hydrogen gas injection methods
4.3

Transition to carbon neutrality

Figure 15 shows GHG reduction strategy with lowcarbon and carbon-free fuel.
In order to promote substitution from conventional
fossil fuels to low-carbon/carbon free fuels,
several low-carbon fuels such as LNG, LPG and

CIMAC Congress 2023, BusanPaper No. 99

methanol have already been used asalternative to the conventional fuelsinternational shipping industry.

anin

As GHG reduction rates by these alternative fuels
are expected around 20% or less, it is assumed
that synthetic fuels such as ammonia andhydrogen from renewable energies are needed toreach the carbon neutrality. However, these lowcarbon fuels are promising as a bridge solution to
the goal.
:Reduction of effect due to pilot fuel100%

100% (spark ign.)
95～97%

N2O removalwith catalyst

N2O emission

Carbon neutral
Bridge solutions

24%

8%
Methanol

Reduction of

14% Methane slip
LPG

Methane slip

LNG

Low carbon fuel (from fossil fuels)

Ammonia Hydrogen
Carbon free fuelAmmonia, Hydrogen

Figure 15 GHG reduction strategy with low-carbon
and carbon-free fuelJ-ENG has a technical strategy and a studying of
the engines that can use these alternative fuels
has been started as shown in Figure 16.
For gas fueled engines, dual-fuel combustion
technology had already been developed for LNG
fueled engines and the validation with test engine
had been completed. This technology is applied tothe hydrogen fueled engines and will be also
applied to synthetic methane fueled engines in the
future.
For liquid fueled engines, J-ENG’s uniquestratified injection system can be applied. As
described in Section 2, this technology hadoriginally been developed for the stratified water
injection system for complying with IMO-NOx
regulation and applied to UEC-LSJ type engines.
Ammonia fueled engines are being developed byapplying this technology, which water is replaced
to ammonia. Although ammonia is difficult to burn,the stratified injection with pilot fuel and post fuel(ammonia) in multiple layers can realize an utmost
combustion control and optimize a highsuppression of N2O emission. In the same way,
this technology is also being studied for
application to liquid fuels such as LPG, methanol,
biofuels etc. which are expected to contribute as abridge solution.

Page 9Liquid fuel engine Gas fuel engine
Petroleum LSH Series
fuel
Low carbon
fuel

LSJ Series

LNG fuel
Engine testcompleted

LPG,
Methanol

LNG

Ammonia“LSJA”

水素
Hydrogen“LSGH”

Synthetic
methanol

Synthetic
methanol

LPG
メタノール

Bio Fuel

Decarbonized
fuelFigure 16. J-ENG’s technical strategy for using
alternative fuels

5

INITIATIVES FOR DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION ON UE ENGINES

J-ENG is also engaged in research anddevelopment of advanced support technology
utilizing IoT and AI technology in order to provide
optimal after-sales service for the customers. And
the areas that particularly focused on are CBM
and the digital twin.
Figure 17 shows the development history of digitaltechnology on UE engines.
In 2017, the first vessel which applied 4th
generation (4G) Eco control system went into
service. In 2019, joint research agreement for
CBM based on the monitoring was contracted.
And the development started. In 2020, a joint
research on next generation engine control
system which will be 5th generation Eco control
system (5G) was started. In April 2022, a coastal
vessel which applying Advanced Ship Safety
Management System (ASMS) for MLIT using a
remote monitoring and condition diagnosis systemwent into service.

5.1

Next generation “Fifth generation (5G)”
Eco Control System

Next generation electronically-control system (5thgeneration (5G) Eco system) based on the current
4G Eco system has been developed so that CBM
and digital twin can be implemented in the near
future.
The engine control system, which will be the coretechnology for the next generation engines, will be
upgraded numerously based on the current
system. Specifically, wireless signal transfer fromengine sensors to engine monitoring system,engine performance analysis function for users by
displaying on on-engine monitor, multiple engine
control and data utilization with enhanced
engineering and/or statistical processing on-board
sensing data are planned. This system canprovide a virtual testing area for developers toadvance open innovation. The newly developed
product will also be applicable for the current
engine control system as an extended module.
5.2

Main Engine Monitoring System

As a part of IoT and AI technology applications,main engine monitoring technologies such as incylinder pressure control, electronic control engine
waveform monitoring, bearing wear monitoring,and bearing temperature monitoring systems havebeen developed. Figure 18 shows therepresentative technologies. Details of eachtechnology are introduced below.

In this section, these initiatives and technologies
are introduced as follows.

Remote monitoring
and condition
diagnosis

5.3

5G Eco Control
SystemCondition Monitoring
・CBM
4G Eco Control System
2017.4 2018

2019

2020

Figure 17. Development
technology on UE engines

Aiming for Digital twin
2021

2022

history

CIMAC Congress 2023, Busan

Figure 18. Main Engine Monitoring System

2023

of

digitalPaper No. 99

Initiatives for Condition Based
Maintenance (CBM)

Initiatives for CBM are taken by using the main
engine diagnostic and monitoring system. The
advantages of CBM compared conventional Time
Based Maintenance (TBN) are described below;•

With various sensors, the condition of theequipment can be grasped more accurately
without opening it.

Page 10•

Serious accidents or long-term non-operation
can be prevented by performing appropriate
operation and management according to thecondition.

•

Depending on the condition of the equipment,
it is expected that the conventional
maintenance interval can be extended,leading to a reduction in operating costs.

•

The risk of assembly defects and foreign
matter contamination caused by performing
overhaul maintenance can be reduced.

For SOx regulation from 2020, applying LSJ
series engines which are designed for using MGO
or MDO only is one of the solution.
Aiming for carbon neutrality in 2050, J-ENG has
started developing ammonia fueled and hydrogen
fueled engines. The ammonia fueled engines aredeveloped based on UEC-LSJ engines whichapplies the stratified injection system. And thehydrogen fueled engines are developed based on
LNG dual-fueled engines.
J-ENG has also started studying for application ofalternative fuels such as LPG, methanol, biofuelsetc., which are expected to contribute as a bridge
solution to carbon neutrality. The technologies forammonia and hydrogen fueled engines will beapplicable for the alternative liquid and gas fueled
engines respectively.

J-ENG is also working on joint development of
CBM with NYK Line, MTI Co., Ltd. and ClassNK.
Data analysis of engine condition and element test
has continuously been carried out by using actual
vessels to establish and maintain condition
evaluation methods.
5.4

J-ENG is also engaged in research anddevelopment of advanced support technology
utilizing IoT and AI technology in order to provide
optimal after-sales service for the customers. The
areas of CBM and the digital twin are particularly
focused and the related technologies are being
developed.

Challenge to Digital Twin

J-ENG is also focusing on the development ofadvanced technologies such as digital twins which
utilizes simulation technologies to reproduce main
engine’s running condition virtually based on theactual running data. Figure 19 shows the future
vision of digital twin.
Ship

Eco
Control
System for
next
generation

On-board
serverShipping
company

D/L

VDR

Enginedata

Navigati
on data Safe Operation
 Energy saving operation
 Minimized life cycle cost
 Optimal maintenanceplanning

7

Shipbuilder

Digital Twin

GHG

Maritime
supplier

EGR

Exhaust Gas Recirculation

SCR

Selective Catalytic Reduction

HAZID Hazard Identification Study
MLIT

Figure 19. Future vision of digital twin

6

Ministry of Land,
Transport of Japan.

Infrastructure

and

CAPEX Capital Expenditure

CONCLUSION

This paper introduces J-ENG’s strategies aiming
for Zero Emission, which are CO2 (EEDI), SOx,
NOx and GHG reductions.
Regarding EEDI reduction, J-ENG has continued
the development of low SFOC UE engines andimproving EEDI gradually from LSE to LSH and
LSJ series.
For IMO NOx Tier III regulation, EGR and SCR
systems are lined up. These system have featuresof simple configuration, simple operational control,
excellent fuel economy and NOx trade-off, highreliability, and reduced CAPEX and OPEX.

CIMAC Congress 2023, Busan

Greenhouse Gas

SFOC Specific Fuel Oil Consumption
Class

Simulation
tool

DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS,
ABBREVIATIONSPaper No. 99

OPEX Operating Expense
AiP

Approval in Principle

LNG

Liquefied Natural Gas

LPG

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

IoTInternet of Things

AI

Artificial Intelligence

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The development of an ammonia fueled engine inthis paper is subsidized by the New Energy andIndustrial Technology Development Organization(NEDO) (Project No. JPNP21501684-0).
And the development of a hydrogen fueled engine
in this paper is commissioned by the New Energy
andIndustrial
Technology
Development
Organization (NEDO) (Project No. JPNP
21501814-0).

REFERENCE[1] Chikara Matsuda et al., “The Latest
Technologies of J-ENG UE Engine”, Page No.
137, CIMAC2019, Vancouver.

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Paper No. 99

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