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Higher Energy Density News

05 Feb 2024

Researchers Warn on Eutrophication Potential of Ammonia

Source: Chalmers University of Technology

Switching to ammonia as a marine fuel could create new problems, according to a new study undertaken by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.The researchers carried out life cycle analyses for batteries and for three electro-fuels (hydrogen, methanol and ammonia). Eutrophication and acidification are some of the environmental problems that can be traced to the use of ammonia – as well as emissions of laughing gas (N2O), which is a very potent greenhouse gas.Ammonia (NH3) is a carbon-free fuel and has the advantage of a higher energy density than, for example, hydrogen.

06 Jul 2022

Ammonia Marine Fuel Study Gets $6.7 Million Grant

Engine emission lab. Photo courtesy MariNH3 consortium/University of Nottingham

A group of academic and industrial partners were awarded a $6.7 million grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to accelerate understanding, technologies and policies relating to the use of ammonia as a sustainable fuel. The project begins in June 2022 and will run for 5 years.Entitled Decarbonized Clean Marine: Green Ammonia Thermal Propulsion (MariNH3), the project brings together academics from Nottingham, Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff and STFC…

11 May 2021

FUTURE FUELS: Could Hydrogen be the Answer to Shipping’s Decarbonization Goals?

© scharfsinn86/AdobeStock

Climate change and reliable, clean, low emission fuels are the important factors for ship operators since January 1, 2020. Twelve months into the IMO2020 transition and the climate change debate is increasing as the primary discussion point on the world agenda – from industry events to the board rooms of the global corporations. Relative to this is the reliable supply of fuel since changing marine fuel represents a large investment that requires major changes to a typical ship that has a lifetime of approximately 30 years.

18 Feb 2021

Aker Horizons, Statkraft, Yara Working on Europe's First Industrial-scale Green Ammonia Project

Credit: Aker Horizons

Aker Horizons has signed a Letter of Intent with Statkraft and Yara with the aim to establish "Europe's first industrial-scale green ammonia project in Norway, enable the hydrogen economy, and accelerate the energy transition." The company said the first project in the partnership will be to electrify Yara's existing ammonia facility in Porsgrunn, "which has the potential to be one of the largest climate initiatives in Norwegian industrial history."The partners will further target green hydrogen and green ammonia opportunities within shipping…

25 Jun 2019

IMO 2020: Hydrogen's Future in Maritime

Hydrogen fuel cell technology to Satisfy Future IMO RequirementsWith an ongoing push by the maritime community to reduce ship emissions to satisfy IMO MARPOL Annex VI regulations and limit the sulfur content of ships from 01 January 2020 to 0.5 percent world-wide, many ship owners are starting to consider hydrogen fuel cell technology to satisfy evolving emissions regulations. To date, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on research programs to utilize hydrogen fuel cells for transportation. Several maritime powers including the European Union, the United States and Japan have initiated pilot programs to assess the feasibility of maritime hydrogen to reduce emissions while maintaining cost parity with traditional propulsion technology.

12 Mar 2019

Fuel Cells: industry examines options in race to zero emissions

Image Credit: Elliott Bay Design Group

A maritime consortium, including ABS and Sandia National Laboratories, recently proved the viability of a hydrogen fuel cell ferry designed for operations in the environmentally sensitive San Francisco Bay area. The IMO’s mandate to cap the sulfur content in marine fuel at the start of next year may be the biggest regulatory change in shipping since the requirement for double hulls, but the challenge will fade in comparison to its future goals to reduce green-house gases (GHG).A year ago (April 2018)…

31 Oct 2018

European Consortium to Convert Coal-Fired Power Plant to Biomass

The European ARBAHEAT consortium will start a research project to investigate the conversion of the ENGIE Ultra-SuperCritical coal-fired Rotterdam power plant into a biomass-fired heat and power plant this month.The innovative technology used to produce the required steam treated biomass has been developed by the Norwegian company Arbaflame AS.Goal of this showcase is to investigate the technical possibilities of cost-effectively converting the coal-fired power plant into a flexible 100% sustainable biomass fired plant, which will be able to deliver sustainable electricity as well as sustainable heat. For this project the consortium…

12 Apr 2018

For Hire: Battery Hybrid PSVs

Image: Seacor

Systems integrator and equipment maker Rolls-Royce has quietly been adding hybridizing energy-storage packages to a diverse list of vessels. Yet, so, too, has one of its clients — Louisiana-based SEACOR Marine, as it reacts early to tightened emissions and energy-management standards, or EMS, for vessels plying Europe and North America. Fuel savings and energy-company clients seeking green credentials are, it turns out, just part of the upside driving battery retrofits.The fuel savings to be had for keeping thrusters on battery power are a powerful selling point, to be sure.

24 Apr 2014

At Hamburg port E-mobility Project, BESIC enters crucial phase

Ten battery-operated heavy goods vehicles now transport containers between ships and the yard at the highly automated handling facility in the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA). The aim is to charge the batteries of these container transporters when the grid has a surplus of renewable energy generated in northern Germany. The first battery-powered heavy goods vehicles in the world went into use at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) back in 2011. Now, a project is bringing together businesses and research institutions that are keen to find out how the batteries for these automated guided vehicles (AGVs) can be charged using surplus green power generated in northern Germany.

24 Jul 2013

Gevo Supplies Test Fuel to USCG

Gevo, Inc. has begun supplying the U.S. Coast Guard R&D Center with initial quantities of finished 16.1% renewable isobutanol-blended gasoline for engine testing. “Gevo’s proprietary isobutanol-blended gasoline is truly a drop-in fuel, deliberately designed to be fully compliant with marine fuel specifications, including fit-for-purpose properties,” said Patrick Gruber, Gevo’s chief executive officer. The U.S. Coast Guard R&D Center is using the Gevo-blended fuel as part of a 12-month, long-term operational study on marine engines that began during June. The testing is being performed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the U.S.