Wärtsilä and partners to embark on world’s first full scale ammonia marine engine test
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Maritime technology group Wärtsilä on Tuesday (30 June) said it will commence the world’s first long term, full-scale, testing of ammonia as a fuel in a marine four-stroke combustion engine together with Knutsen OAS Shipping AS and Repsol, as well as with the Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre.
The trial is made possible by a NOK 20 million (USD 2.1 million) grant from the Norwegian Research Council through the DEMO 2000 programme, it said.
The project will commence in the Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre’s testing facilities at Stord, Norway during the first quarter of 2021.
“This is a great example that illustrates the importance of dedicated petroleum R&D,” said Tina Bru, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy.
“This DEMO 2000 project is another stepping stone for reaching our ambitious climate targets and it is also aligned with our recently published hydrogen strategy.
“We are very happy to support development work that can lead to increased use of ammonia as a fuel in shipping and in the offshore sector.
“Know-how from this project will also provide important input to the development of regulations for the use of ammonia and other low-carbon fuels.”
Ammonia has huge potential for providing green energy to remote power systems, such as offshore installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, noted Wärtsilä.
Development work by Wärtsilä, as it prepares for the use of ammonia as a fuel, continues with this testing programme, which will be the world`s first full-scale four-stroke combustion engine test.
“We are really excited to further develop and understand the combustion properties of ammonia as a carbon free fuel in one of our multi-fuel engines”, said Egil Hystad, General Manager, Market Innovation at Wärtsilä Marine Business.
“This project is coordinated by NCE Maritime CleanTech, and it involves an ammonia driven fuel cell which will be tested on the Eidesvik Offshore supply vessel, Viking Energy.”
Wärtsilä said as part of its development work on future fuels, it has studied the use of ammonia as a future carbon-free fuel through the ZEEDS initiative.
The company’s first ammonia combustions tests were commenced in Vaasa, Finland, in winter 2020, and will continue with this long-term testing at the Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre facilities in Stord.
The full-scale fuel testing programme can pave the way for ammonia engines to be used in real vessel operations within a few years, and several shipowners have shown interest in this possibility, added the company.
It will also provide important insights into the long-term effect of an ammonia fuelled engine in relation to other systems and components in a vessel, including the required safety measures.
“The Norwegian culture for collaboration and knowledge sharing across different companies and sectors, is a great support in closing big technology gaps,” added Hystad.
“The assistance, cooperation and funding from governmental institutions are essential to drive the change towards a carbon free future.”
Related: Wärtsilä begins ammonia testing to advance future marine fuel capabilities
Photo credit: Wärtsilä
Published: 1 July, 2020
