IHI Wins Cogeneration Award for Liquid Ammonia-Fueled Gas Turbine Project

At the 2025 Cogeneration Award, IHI Corp. and IHI Power Systems received the Chairman’s Award in the Technology Development Category for a project titled: Development of the 2 MW-Class Gas Turbine Cogeneration System Fueled Exclusively by Liquid Ammonia. IHI’s project represented the world’s first successful development of a gas turbine using only liquid ammonia and demonstrated that the technology reached an adequate level for practical social implementation.

IHI, Tohoku University, and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology successfully developed and demonstrated CO₂-free power generation using a gas turbine fueled completely by liquid ammonia in 2022. This portion of IHI’s program fell under the Green Innovation Fund and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.

Starting in July 2024, IHI executed long-term durability testing at its Aioi Works in Aioi City, Japan, attempting to validate social implementation. The testing confirmed that IHI’s system achieved the planned power output and sufficiently suppressed N₂O and NO_x emissions. It also demonstrated durability performance comparable to conventional natural gas operation.

Electricity generated during the testing phase was recirculated and used on-site at Aioi Works. Also, by firing low-carbon ammonia as fuel, the project provided decarbonization value and accelerated decarbonization initiatives for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai. Building on these project results, IHI is also progressing efforts toward 100% ammonia combustion in large-scale gas turbines with GE Vernova.

Among decarbonized fuels, IHI is prioritizing green ammonia and working to establish the complete value chain—from production, storage, and transportation to utilization—to validate and advance social implementation.

Vacuum Pump

In April 2025, IHI Corp. and Akita University announced the successful development and testing of its vacuum pump and gas-bearing motor technology at the Joint Research Center for Electric Architecture. The duo conducted hybrid laminar flow-control (HLFC) simulations, concluding that the technology was effective in reducing friction and degradation; maintaining stable performance during low-density cruising altitudes; minimizing maintenance work; and delivering reliability in harsh environments.

According to a representative from IHI, testing was conducted with a proprietary ultra-high-speed electric rotary machine equipped with gas bearings. Next, the company will address the challenges of HLFC system engineering, avoiding an impact on fuel efficiency due to installation-related weight increases. Akita University provided the testing site and supported the evaluation and measurements.

HLFC technology actively controls airflow through a powered system, suctioning air through minuscule holes on the wing’s leading-edge surface to minimize crossflow instability. At the wing’s rear, it creates a beneficial pressure gradient to replicate natural laminar flow. The combination of these control methods optimizes aerodynamic performance and efficiency. IHI also plans to address aircraft fuel efficiency, CO₂ emissions, and additional operational improvements by integrating other technologies, such as aircraft electrification and hydrogen fueling systems.