In China, The Daily CPEC reports on June 28 in Hefei, eastern China, the demonstration vessel Anhui became the world’s first ship to complete a voyage powered entirely by ammonia. The vessel was developed by researchers at the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center in partnership with Shenzhen Haixu New Energy.
The developers overcame key technical challenges, including stable plasma ignition of ammonia, sustained combustion, catalytic cracking of ammonia to hydrogen, and control of mixed hydrogen-ammonia combustion in internal combustion engines.
The vessel features a 200kW high-speed ammonia-fueled internal combustion generator, two 100kW propulsion motors, and a twin-screw propulsion system. Custom ammonia burners and cracking devices were also created to support the system and manage nitrogen oxide emissions.
“This is a milestone in developing a clean and low-carbon energy system for water transport,” said Wang Junli, Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. He said that if pure ammonia engines can scale up to megawatt levels, deployment could expand significantly.
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Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
