Site items in: Public Perception

R&D recap: the <i>Journal of Ammonia Energy</i> – volume II
Article

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>
Article

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.

Harnessing wind power for ammonia on Canada’s Atlantic coast
Article

In our June episode of Project Features, we were joined by World Energy GH2 to explore the major milestones of Project Nujio’qonik, an RFNBO-compliant ammonia project based on GW-scale wind power in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. FID on the project’s first phase is expected in 2025, producing 400,000 tons of ammonia per year for export to Europe.

Keep pushing: a message from the AEA President
Article

2024 has already been a busy year, with ammonia discussions at an exciting phase. Despite the hesitancy and doubts about ammonia I have heard at recent events, I continue to deliver the same constructive messages, and urge the AEA membership and networks to use the information available to continue to promote ammonia. Our upcoming annual event in New Orleans will explore progress in establishing ammonia markets, and I can’t wait to see you all again in-person.

Safety approvals for ammonia energy in Norway, Netherlands
Article

Yara and Azane have received approval from Norway’s Directorate for Civil Protection to construct their first ammonia bunker facility at Fjord Base, with the bulk of bunker operations to provide offshore supply vessels with ammonia fuel. In the Netherlands, the Dutch EPA has granted a permit to OCI Global to construct a 60,000 ton ammonia storage tank in Rotterdam, based on requirements that will feature in the updated version of PGS-12.

Preparing the Netherlands for ammonia imports: new roadmap published
Article

A new roadmap from the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) has set a number of key drivers and enablers for ammonia imports of up to 25 million tons per year in the Antwerpen-Rotterdam-Rijn-Ruhr area by 2030. Public acceptance, a careful approach to safety and environmental concerns, regulatory updates and new ammonia pipelines will all be needed.

The path ahead for marine ammonia fuel: 2024 and beyond
Webinar

For our final episode of Maritime Ammonia Insights, we take stock of the progress of marine ammonia fuel to date, and ask what comes next. Meet Fürstenberg Maritime Advisory to learn about upcoming key decision points at the IMO, communications strategies for marine ammonia, current safety gaps, and priorities for 2024 as we work towards the first demonstrations of marine ammonia fuel.

All hands to the pump: every stakeholder needed to support marine ammonia fuel
Article

For our final episode of Maritime Ammonia Insights, we asked our resident experts Sofia and Conor Fürstenberg Stott to provide their insights on the pathway forward for marine ammonia fuel. Discussion topics included challenges for overlaying alternative fuels onto the existing bunker industry, the importance of seafarers to the transition, and why we need to move beyond talking about competition between alternative fuel candidates.