The world's first pure ammonia-powered demonstration vessel, the "Anhui," successfully completed its maiden voyage in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province on Saturday, marking a major step forward in the application of ammonia fuel for green shipping.
Ammonia, a major chemical industry feedstock, has a high energy density and due to its carbon-free nature, produces only water and nitrogen when fully combusted. This makes it a highly promising fuel for de-carbonized shipping.
In recent years, several shipping companies in countries like Japan and Norway have been investing in the development of ammonia-powered vessels. A report by the International Energy Agency published in 2021 estimated that by 2050, ammonia could have accounted for around 45 percent of global energy demand for shipping with net-zero emission. However, the application of ammonia fuel also faces challenges such as ignition difficulties and unstable combustion.
The ammonia-powered Anhui was jointly developed by the Institute of Energy of the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center and its subsidiary Shenzhen Haixu New Energy Co., Ltd. It is equipped with a 200kW high-speed gas internal combustion generator, two 100kW propulsion motors, and a twin-screw propulsion system. It has a full load capacity of 50 tons and a rated speed of 10 knots.
According to Wu Dianwu, deputy head of the institute's hydrogen energy and ammonia application research center, the research team has overcome several key technological challenges in developing the Anhui.
"Our team has overcome problems including difficulty in the ignition of ammonia, slow flame propagation speed, and unstable combustion, and adopted pure ammonia plasma ignition technology. The fuel we currently use is 100-percent pure ammonia, with a zero-carbon replacement rate of 100 percent, and almost net zero carbon dioxide emission," Wu said.
Wang Junli, secretary-general of the Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, said the vessel's successful voyage marked a major milestone in creating a clean, low-carbon energy system for water transport. If pure ammonia engines reach the megawatt level, their applications will expand significantly, holding significant importance in achieving China's dual carbon goals.
"Ammonia fuel power is a global development trend. The significance of pure ammonia application is that it has basically no carbon emission, which means that it will have a lot of room for development in the future. It also depends on the ammonia capacity, our ammonia combustion technology, and formulation of new specifications and standards, which is crucial to promoting continued development of this industry," Wang said.
In September 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the country aims to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
World's first pure ammonia-fueled demonstration vessel completes maiden voyage
