F e at ur e 5 | F U E L S


Is a m m o ni a s et t o b e t h e b est r o ut e t o w ar ds d e c ar b o nis ati o n ?


It’s c ar b o n fr e e, b ut is it s af e? M al c ol m L at arc h e l o o ks at t h e o n g oi n g r es e arc h i nt o t h e f e asi bilit y of N H3


as a m ari n e f u el A


s r e g ul at ors a n d e n vir o n m e nt al gr o u ps p us h s hi p pi n g t o r e d u ci n g e mi s si o ns, n u m e r o u s o pti o ns


h a v e b e e n pr o p os e d as t h e m ari n e f u el of t h e f ut ur e. At t h e t ur n of t h e c e nt ur y, e c o n o mi c


n e e ds w ere a ct u all y m o vi n g s hi p pi n g i n t h e o p p osit e dir e cti o n, wit h H F O b ei n g s e e n as t h e s ol uti o n t o e v er-risi n g b u n k er pri c es. W h e n N O x a n d S O x re d u cti o n b e c a m e t h e or d er of t h e d a y a f e w y e ars l at er, it w as first t h o u g ht distill at e f u els s u c h as M D O a n d M G O w o ul d b e t h e w a y t o g o u ntil L N G c o ul d m a k e a bre a kt hr o u g h as a b u n k eri n g i nfr astr u ct ur e w as est a blis h e d f or it. At t h e s a m e ti m e, t h er e w er e s o m e t h o u g hts t h at f u el c ells w o ul d e v e nt u all y r e pl a c e t h e i nt er n al c o m b usti o n e n gi n e a n d ot h er f u el s o urc es w o ul d b e n e e d e d. T h e n i n 2 0 1 8 t h e I M O – w hi c h w as


alr e a d y usi n g effi ci e n c y r e g ul ati o n t o gr a d u all y r e d u c e gr e e n h o us e g as e missi o ns – a n n o u n c e d t h e r o a d m a p t o w ar ds f ull d e c ar b o nis ati o n of s hi p pi n g. A n d t h at h as l e ffi t h e i n d ustr y a n d t h os e t h at s u p pl y t h e p o wer pr o d u ci n g m a c hi n er y n e e di n g t o t a k e a l o n g h ar d l o o k at t h e o pti o ns. Tr u e d e c ar b o nis ati o n c a n o nl y b e


a c hi e v e d if t h e f u el f or a n y p o w er pr o d u ci n g e q ui p m e nt is c ar b o n fr e e, w hi c h w o ul d eff e cti v el y pr e cl u d e oil, L N G, m et h a n ol a n d L P G. H o w e v er, it d o es a p p e ar t h at s o m e pr a g m atis m will all o w c ar b o n n e utr al f u els s u c h as bi o di es el or s y nt h eti c L N G t o b e p er mitt e d as alt er n ati v es t o f ossil f u els. H o w e v er, a m m o ni a is o n e ot h er p ot e nti al f u el t h at is tr ul y c ar b o n fr e e a n d w hi c h w as b ei n g q ui etl y r es e ar c h e d f or s o m e c o nsi d er a bl e ti m e b ef ore it w as s ei z e d u p o n as t h e p ossi bl e f a v o urit e. I n 2 0 0 8, C at er pill ar fil e d a p at e nt


a p pli c ati o n f or a n a m m o ni a f u ell e d e n gi n e. fiis w as n ot s p e ci fi c all y ai m e d at m ari n e us e b ut gi v e n t h e c o m p a n y’s i n v ol v e m e nt i n t h e m ari n e s p h er e it mi g ht b e c o nj e ct ur e d t h at t his us e w as als o b ei n g c o nsi d ere d. I n


2 4


A m m o ni a, a si m pl e m ol e c ul e b ut e xtr e m el y h a z ar d o u s C O 2 e missi o n f r e e, h a vi n g a r el ati v el y


hi g h e n er g y d e nsit y, a w ell est a blis h e d pr o d u cti o n pr o c ess a n d c o m p etiti v el y pri c e d. O n t h e d o w nsi d e, a m m o ni a w as s ai d t o h a v e a l o w c o m b usti o n r at e, c a usi n g it t o b e i n c o nsist e nt u n d er v ar yi n g e n gi n e l o a d c o n diti o ns. T h e n e e d f or a pil ot f u el w as als o c o v er e d b ut wit h t h e e x a ct q u a ntiti es b ei n g diffi c ult t o d et er mi n e u n d er fl u ct u ati n g c o n diti o ns. T h e n e e d f or d u al-f u el s yst e ms a n d st or a g e w as als o c o nsi d er e d a n e g ati v e f a ct or. Th er e w as a n i nt eresti n g r ef er e n c e i n t h e


p at e nt a p pli c ati o n t o e arli er w or k b ei n g d o n e i n t h e 1 9 6 0s, w hi c h m a y c o m e as a s ur pris e t o t h e m a n y wit hi n s hi p pi n g t h at h a d n e v er c o nsi d er e d a m m o ni a as b ei n g a c a n di d at e f u el a n d w h o s a w it o nl y as a n i n d ustri al c ar g o f or g as c arri ers or as p art of t h e c h e mi c al r e a cti o n i n s el e cti v e c at al yti c re d u cti o n u nits f or N O x c o ntr ol. Th e st at us of t h e C at er pill ar a p pli c ati o n


is c urr e ntl y list e d as ‘ A b a n d o n e d’. N e v ert h el ess, ar o u n d fi v e y e ars a g o,


if t al ki n g t o e n gi n e m a n uf a ct ur ers a n d a c a d e mi cs, it w as p ossi bl e t h at t h e p ot e nti al of a m m o ni a as a m ari n e f u el mi g ht b e r ais e d. At t h at ti m e, it w as L N G t h at w as b ei n g pr o m ot e d m ost h e a vil y a n d t h e n oti o n of a m m o ni a as a f u el w as li kel y dis miss e d. Si n c e t h e n, t h e pr o mis e of a m m o ni a


its a p pli c ati o n, C at er pill ar m a d e n ot e of a m m o ni a’s pl us p oi nts as b ei n g;


h as attr a ct e d m a n y m or e s u p p ort ers a n d R & D h as t a k e n off wit h Wärtsil ä a n d M A N E n er g y S ol uti o ns b ot h c h a m pi o ni n g


it as a f ut ur e f u el a n d w or ki n g t o w ar ds a n i m mi n e nt i ntr o d u cti o n.


O v er c o mi n g t h e o b st a cl e s A m m o ni a ( N H 3


) c o m pris es o nl y nitr o g e n


a n d h y dr o g e n a n d is t h er ef or e a c ar b o n fr e e f u el, alt h o u g h if c o m b ust e d usi n g a pil ot f u el t h er e will b e a v er y s m all a m o u nt of C O 2


n e e ds t o b e o v er c o m e is N O x f or m ati o n as d uri n g c o m b usti o n t h e nitr o g e n i n t h e a m m o ni a a n d t h e air will c o m bi n e wit h o x y g e n i n t h e air. This iss u e c o u pl e d wit h t h e c o m b usti o n


pr o bl e ms i d e nti fi e d b y C at er pill ar ar e t h e m ai n f o c us of t h e r es e ar c h c urr e ntl y b ei n g d o n e. C o ntr olli n g t h e c o m b usti o n pr o c ess a n d q u a ntit y of pil ot f u el n e e d e d is m u c h e asi er wit h m o d er n el e ctr o ni c all y c o ntr oll e d e n gi n es a n d


is n o l o n g er c o nsi d er e d


i ns ur m o u nt a bl e. N O x f or m ati o n m a y b e t h e bi g g er pr o bl e m b ut w o ul d b e c o ntr oll a bl e usi n g S C R j ust as wit h oil f u els. Th e r e as o n w h y N O x f or m ati o n is s u c h a


pr o bl e m is t h at a m m o ni a r e q uir es a m u c h hi g h er t e m p er at ur e t o i g nit e a n d it is at hi g h t e m p er at ur es t h at N O x f or m ati o n o c c urs. Th e mi ni m u m a ut oi g niti o n t e m p er at ur e f or H F O is 2 5 0° C w h er e as f or a m m o ni a it


is 6 5 0° C. A m m o ni a


c o p p er, c o p p er all o ys, all o ys wit h a ni c k el c o n c e ntr ati o n l ar g er t h a n 6 %, a n d pl asti c. S u c h hi g h t e m p er at ures a n d t h e c orr osi v e n at ur e m a y m e a n t h at n e w m at eri als ar e


Gr e e n S hi p pi n g J a n u ar y 2 0 2 1


e mitt e d. Th e m ai n pr o bl e m t h at


is c or r osi v e t o


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