A consortium of shipping stakeholders have announced that they are aiming to develop demonstrators for two-stroke and four-stroke marine engines running on ammonia fuel, reads a Wärtsilä new release.
Ammonia 2-4 project
In a statement posted on its website, Wärtsilä said that it is coordinating the Ammonia 2-4 project, with participation from naval architects C-Job as well as DNV, MSC and the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy. It has secured funding of €10 million from the European Union through the Horizon Europe research funding initiative.
Wärtsilä said that the outcomes of the project will include a lab-based demonstrator for the four-stroke ammonia engine, and a lab-based test engine followed by a vessel retrofit for the two-stroke version by 2025. As well as advancing the engine concepts, the Ammonia 2-4 project will further develop concepts around fuel handling and safety as well as contributing inputs towards a regulatory framework for ammonia.
‘Ammonia is one of main candidates in shipping’s search for future fuels,’ said Sebastiaan Bleuanus, General Manager, Research Coordination & Funding, Wärtsilä Marine Power. ‘Wärtsilä has already proven an engine concept running on blends of up to 70% ammonia so far and will have a concept running on pure ammonia by 2023. This project is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate development of the solutions shipping will need.’
Ammonia as a marine fuel
Niels de Vries, Lead Naval Architect at C-Job Naval Architects, added: ‘Thanks to the project set-up, we’ll be able to show the application of ammonia as a marine fuel for both ships using fuel direct configurations and ships using fuel electric configurations. We’re excited to take this next step and apply our knowledge and experience in Ammonia 2-4 together with our partners.’
Hans Anton Tvete, Programme Director Maritime, Group Research and Development, DNV, emphasised ammonia’s ‘great potential’ as a fuel for ‘deep-sea shipping’ – but pointed that that: ‘Collaborative efforts to put safe, reliable and environmentally friendly engine technology in place are essential for ammonia to enter the fuel mix.’
The announcement of the Ammonia 2-4 project comments on the heels of news that Lloyd’s Register, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and MISC via its subsidiary, AET, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development and construction of two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) which can be operated on green ammonia.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Wärtsilä
