Aviation investor SkiesFifty has announced a new partnership with UK-based Catalsys to develop ammonia-based power systems. The pair will focus on deployment in two areas: ground operations for aviation, and aircraft propulsion systems.
Ahead of the 3rd Symposium on Ammonia Energy in Shanghai next month, we take the opportunity to highlight select papers and key results from the first two editions, starting with the 2022 Cardiff event:
At last month’s MariNH3 conference in Nottingham, a series of keynotes laid out the opportunities and challenges ahead for marine ammonia fuel. Onboard ammonia cracking technologies are moving through testing phases and closer to commercialisation, vessel designers are working through the unique challenges of carrying ammonia fuel onboard, and emissions mitigation technology (in combination with adherence to existing Tier 3 standards) will be necessary to ensure that ammonia-powered vessels are more environmentally-friendly than conventional counterparts.
Heidelberg Materials and partners will conduct a feasibility study on the use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier for cement production. In the trials, a cracked ammonia fuel mix will power cement clinker production at Heidelberg’s Ribblesdale site in the UK.
AFC Energy, MAHLE, the University of Nottingham and Clean Air Power have been awarded funding from Innovate UK to demonstrate the feasibility of ammonia combustion engines in the marine sector, based on the integration of AFC Energy’s ammonia cracking technology. The new program builds on a prior R&D program exploring ammonia combustion engines for the off-road construction industry.
Deutsche Bahn and Fortescue Future Industries will collaborate to modify existing locomotive diesel engines to run on hydrogen & ammonia fuel. The pair will utilise Ammonigy’s ammonia cracking technology in their design, with a prototype, bench-top engine currently undergoing testing in Germany. This week FFI also signed an agreement to develop a new energy import terminal in Wilhelmshaven.