Propulsion systems which are subject-matter of this disclosure may drive a basically arbitrarily designed vessel (e.g., a ship) alone or in conjunction with another propulsion system. Such a ship system may be an auxiliary diesel engine, for example, which may be provided in addition to a propulsion system that burns crude oil for driving the vessel.
In one example, a generic ship propulsion system comprises at least an internal combustion engine for propelling a ship, wherein the internal combustion engine has a combustion chamber for burning a fossil fuel, in particular a diesel fuel.
In another example, a generic method for operating a ship propulsion system comprises the steps of propelling a ship with at least one internal combustion engine. For this, a fossil fuel, for example a diesel fuel, is introduced into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine.
Starting from known (e.g., ship) propulsion systems there is a need, in particular due to ever more stringent emission regulations, to design the combustion process of the internal combustion engine such that particularly low emission levels are reached. Simultaneously, the efficiency of the internal combustion engine should be particularly high.
KR 2011 0119055 A, US 2012/0067304 A1, EP 2 602 358 A1, US 2006/0179819 A1, and WO 2008/033107 A2 describe internal combustion engines with which hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are used for reducing pollutants in the exhaust. In US 2012/0067304 A1 and US 2006/0179819 A1, for example, the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are produced in an electrolysis unit.