(Mainz) – The Fraunhofer Institute for Microtechnology and Microsystems IMM wants to develop the world's first fuel cells for ships based on ammonia together with 13 European partners in the “ShipFC” project. If ammonia is produced using renewable energies, it is just as “green” as hydrogen as a fuel for electric ship engines - but less dangerous and easier to handle. The Fraunhofer researchers are responsible for the catalyst, which ensures that no climate-damaging exhaust gases are produced, according to a statement.
New drives for ship engines are in great demand
Maritime transport emits hundreds of millions of tonnes of climate-damaging carbon dioxide every year (2015: 932 million tonnes). Scientists around the world are therefore testing new drive concepts that could replace heavy oil as a fuel.
According to Fraunhofer IMM, ammonia is a high-quality energy source and has clear advantages over hydrogen: “Hydrogen must be stored as a liquid at minus 253 degrees Celsius or compressed as a gas at pressures of around 700 bar. As a liquid, ammonia is content with a moderate minus 33 degrees Celsius at normal pressure and plus 20 degrees Celsius at 9 bar,” explains Gunther Kolb, head of the energy department and deputy director of the institute. This makes the storage and transport of this energy source “significantly easier and less complicated”.
With fuel cell and catalytic converter
The researchers explain that generating electricity with ammonia works similarly to hydrogen-based systems: in the first step, ammonia (NH3) is fed into a fission reactor. It splits it into nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2). The gas contains 75 percent hydrogen. A small amount of ammonia (100 ppm) is not converted and remains in the gas stream.
In the second step, nitrogen and hydrogen are fed into the fuel cell. When supplied with air, the hydrogen burns to form water. Electrical energy is created. However, the hydrogen is not fully converted in the fuel cell. “A proportion of around twelve percent and a remainder of ammonia leave the fuel cell unburned.” These are now fed into the reactor developed by Fraunhofer IMM with a specially developed catalyst. At the end of a chemical reaction, only water and nitrogen remain. “The gases that flow through the catalytic converter should probably be at a temperature of around 500 degrees Celsius so that the exhaust gas purification is as effective as possible,” explains Kolb.
First prototype at the end of 2021
The team at the Fraunhofer Institute wants to complete a first small prototype this year. A prototype in the final size is expected to be created by the end of 2022. In the second half of 2023, the supply ship Viking Energy from the Norwegian shipping company Eidesvik wants to set sail as the first ship with ammonia propulsion.
The ShipFC project aims to demonstrate that the new emission-free propulsion technology works safely, reliably and problem-free in large ships and on long journeys. The coordination lies with NCE Maritime CleanTech from Norway. The ShipFC partner Yara supplies “green”, i.e. sustainably produced, ammonia. The company produces a third of the ammonia consumed worldwide. The European Union is supporting ShipFC with ten million euros.
However, the use of ammonia to power ships is “just the beginning,” says Gunther Kolb. He sees the material “not as a direct competitor to hydrogen, but as an option in the spectrum of sustainable energies.”
deep link
https://www.fraunhofer.de/de/presse-newsroom.html?_charset_=UTF-8&u=1&q=shipfc#search-events
Photo above
The Viking Energy from the Eidesvik shipping company is the first ship in the world to be equipped with an ammonia-based fuel cell / © Fraunhofer
Photo middle
Ammonia is split into nitrogen and hydrogen in the cracking reactor. The latter burns in the fuel cell, generating electricity. The catalyst ensures that no harmful nitrogen oxides are formed. What remains is water and nitrogen / © Fraunhofer
