Site items in: NOx Emissions

A-Tug complete, enters commercial trials
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NYK has announced that the tugboat Sakigake has been completed, and will enter three months of commercial trials in Yokohama harbor and Tokyo Bay. Thanks to retrofits, Japan’s first LNG-fueled vessel has now become Japan’s first ammonia-fueled vessel.

R&D recap: the <i>Journal of Ammonia Energy</i> – volume II
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Ahead of the international Symposium on Ammonia Energy event next month, we recap R&D presented in the second edition of the Journal on Ammonia Energy:

  • An integrated, indirect ammonia solid-oxide cell featuring a heat exchanger and ammonia cracker was modelled, built and tested by the UK’s Science and Technologies Council (STFC).
  • The techno-economics of the transportation of energy from Orkney, Scotland to Milford Haven, Wales using ammonia as an energy carrier transported by ship may be the most cost-effective option.
  • N2O and NOX conversion in ammonia engine exhausts is limited by the presence of oxygen and water, presenting an optimisation challenge for technology developers.
  • And an academic-industry joint session on ammonia safety highlighted multiple projects currently underway to tackle the risks associated with the use of ammonia in new commercial sectors.

R&D recap: the <i>Journal of Ammonia Energy</i>
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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:

  • In an ammonia-diesel blending study, Orleans University and WinGD found that minimising the diesel fraction actually led to increased N2O emissions.
  • In a bid to produce an optimal ammonia-hydrogen fuel blend, a University of Birmingham team characterised the ammonia cracking mechanism of a new, transition metal-promoted lithium amide catalyst.
  • A KAUST study of swirl intensity of an ammonia-methane blended fuel finds that increasing the swirl number leads to a more compact flame, reducing NOX emissions.
  • A team from the University of Minnesota found that combustion durations comparable to gasoline were obtained for ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends.
  • And, as part of a joint academic-industry session on safety, it was recommended that a careful, proactive approach is taken towards new ammonia users, likely exposure risk points and deploying maritime ammonia fuel.

Ammonia cracking in H2SITE membrane reactors
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In our May episode of Project Features, H2SITE joined us to explore the development history of their Palladium membrane-based, ammonia cracking technology. Learn more about the deployment of this technology at a hydrogen vehicle refueling site in the UK, plus plans for scaling-up the technology to produce tons per day of fuel-cell grade hydrogen from ammonia.

Onboard cracking, fuel storage and adhering to emissions standards: highlights from the MariNH3 conference
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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.

JERA concludes successful co-firing trial at Hekinan
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JERA and IHI have successfully concluded a large-scale ammonia co-firing trial at the Hekinan power station. For two months, 20% fuel substitution in the 1 GW-sized Unit 4 was achieved, with stable operations throughout. JERA aims to have commercial ammonia co-firing operations up and running by March 2025.

Marine engines ordered, construction contracts signed
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WinGD’s X‑DF‑A dual-fuel engines have been ordered by Singapore-based shipping giant AET for deployment onboard new Aframax tankers, being built in China. Fishing vessels operators Vardin and Framherji have ordered Wärtsilä 25 engines for a series of three fishing trawlers that will operate in the Faroe Islands. In construction news, CMB.TECH will build the Yara Eyde vessel for Yara and North Sea Container Line in China, with vessel delivery scheduled for mid-2026.

Lloyd’s Register: vessel AiP and development updates
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Several ammonia-centric vessel designs were granted AiP at the recent Posidonia shipping exhibition in Greece. Lloyd’s Register approved designs including the world’s largest Very Large Ammonia Carrier, a container vessel and a gas carrier propelled by Amogy’s ammonia-to-power technology, a NOX-compliant container vessel featuring a MAN ammonia engine, and an ammonia-powered Very Large Ore Carrier. Lloyd’s Register also recently approved H2SITE’s onboard ammonia cracking technology.

Transitioning to ammonia & hydrogen power in Chugoku, Japan
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The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has published a regional strategy to decarbonise the power generation ecosystem in the Chugoku region, Japan. The strategy predicts the region will require more than 3 million tons of fuel ammonia by 2030, and highlights several ongoing industrial initiatives to demonstrate the use of ammonia fuel & establish local import infrastructure.

JERA’s new growth strategy: significant role for ammonia
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From near-zero volumes today, JERA has set its sights on being a “pioneer player” in the emerging global value chain for ammonia, handling 7 million tons every year by 2035. JERA is also aiming for 100% substitution of ammonia fuel in ultra-supercritical power stations in the 2040s, and to maintain currently low levels of NOX and SOX emissions from its power generating fleet.