Green ammonia: marine fuel and energy storage for a zero-emission future

Green ammonia is a new energy vector and a breakthrough in the hydrogen economy. The CAMPFIRE Alliance develops ammonia technologies across the value chain for a better tomorrow.

Green ammonia has proven to be a breakthrough for the emerging global hydrogen economy. Ammonia’s beneficial properties overcome many of the technological hurdles that still exist with hydrogen.

Ammonia is increasingly considered a renewable fuel for shipping, heavy land transport and power generation. With a hydrogen content of approximately 18%, it provides an excellent compromise between energy density and production costs and, unlike other synthetic fuels, produces no CO2 emissions for the consumer. Approximately 180 million tonnes of ammonia is already produced annually as a raw material for fertilizer production and is transported around the world via pipelines, rail, road and ship via existing infrastructure. While gray, blue or turquoise ammonia is produced from natural gas or coal, green ammonia is produced using renewable energy from atmospheric nitrogen and water.

It is increasingly valued as a key enabler for the future rollout of the hydrogen economy and key to security of supply in Europe from 2026. It is truly zero-emission and hydrogen 2.0. Because nitrogen, water, wind and solar energy are available in large quantities, an unlimited and sustainable supply of ammonia is possible – as a fuel and energy store for a zero-emission future.

CAMPFIRE Alliance

Founded in 2018 as part of the German WIR! program Wandel durch Innovation in der Region – Regional development through innovation of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the CAMPFIRE alliance brings together over 70 partners to develop and implement new technologies for the regional production of green ammonia and its use as a means of marine fuel and energy storage.

Partners are developing innovative products based on green ammonia as an energy vector for implementation in renewable energy generation, plant engineering, chemical industry, shipbuilding and shipping, metal structures, fuel cell and combustion engine manufacturers, lightweight structures, measurement and control technology and engineering services. They operate mainly in the Northeast, but also throughout Germany and Europe. 25 joint projects develop technologies for converting energy into ammonia and ammonia into energy.

For small- and medium-scale ammonia production from renewable energy, partners ENERTRAG, Sunfire, KIT, Gesmex, University of Rostock, INP and ZBT are developing new catalysts, reactors and plants. The new reactor designs include 3D-printed flow guides and shell-and-plate heat exchangers and are combined with solid oxide or alkali electrolysers, as well as solar technologies to increase efficiency.

Developing ammonia technology

The CAMPFIRE Alliance focuses on direct ammonia technologies. Ammonia can be used directly in turbines, fuel cells and internal combustion engines, e.g. in ship propulsion. To address the poor combustion properties of ammonia, CAMPFIRE partners are developing a dual-fuel system with ammonia and hydrogen as an accelerator. Fuel cells are a class of new marine propulsion technologies.

New Enerday – A small and medium-sized company in northeastern Germany has developed a solid oxide fuel cell system that can run directly on ammonia and is characterized by high efficiency and is currently awaiting commercialization. In cooperation with partners HanseYachts, autosoft, FVTR, IKEM and ISC as well as research institutes ZBT and INP, in 2023 an ammonia-cracker-ICE-SOFC marine drive was developed and implemented on board the “Ammonia Sherpa” yacht.

The CAMPFIRE cracker-ICE drive concept will also be implemented on the inland waterway vessel and ammonia bunkering vessel Odin in 2026. Tamsen Maritim, Spetrans, DST, DNV, Stralsund University of Applied Sciences are currently developing a modernization approach. , ISV, KIT, University of Rostock, Liebherr, ABZ Aggregatebau, ELDATA, GaskraftEngineering, FVTR, ZBT, IKEM and INP for the integration of cracker-ICE and all required infrastructure.

The drive system consists of a high-speed ammonia-fueled combustion engine that drives a generator. To improve ignition and efficient conversion of ammonia in the engine, partner ZBT is developing a cracker that splits some of the ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen and feeds this mixture to the internal combustion engine as pilot fuel.

The generator supplies up to 350 kW_el with a hybrid electric propulsion system to reduce load fluctuations on the engine-cracker unit and enable splitting into several propeller drives for shallow water operations typical of inland navigation vessels. The project also addresses safety systems, peripherals and tanks, ship design and staff training concepts.

On this basis, the partners develop a plan to modify the inland vessels in line with the project results, the results of a parallel economic feasibility study and the procedures required under the existing safety and legal framework. In the future, this project could also be applied to maritime vessels to facilitate the rapid implementation of new zero-emission shipping technology and reduce the climate change impact of shipping.

Partnership projects

As part of the GreenBalticCruising project, CAMPFIRE aims to develop the concept of the port of Rostock in northern Germany as a bunker port design for green ammonia, the ship design and the technological and economic concept of an ammonia-fueled cruise ship and a ferry line in the Baltic Sea region. The Port of Rostock, DNV and MET have carried out a detailed review of the Baltic Sea countries and the ammonia suitability of their port structures to take an important step towards ammonia-based cruise shipping at an international level.

Project partners Carnival Maritim and ZBT conducted a technical evaluation of a new propulsion system for cruise ships consisting of an ammonia cracker and a low-temperature polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The overall goal is to open up new economic potential for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region by creating new value chains with equal partnerships in the Baltic Sea region.

To achieve this goal, the partners of the University of Greifswald, IKEM and INP have examined national greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies and the relevant climate targets of neighboring countries and will identify relevant political, scientific and economic stakeholders. In addition, the legal framework was improved and further development measures were recommended to enable ammonia as a marine fuel and to create new business models through sustainable tourism.

CAMPFIRE partners are also developing stationary power generation solutions based on a combined cracked gas cogeneration engine for off-grid remote power generation. Jenbacher partners Inneo, ZBT, LEC and INP are developing a stationary, off-grid remote application in the 1 MW capacity range.

Development stages include various stages of assessment of critical gas engine components through to detailed design and implementation of a containerized thermal power plant, including integration of an NH3 cracker and necessary safety equipment. After multi-stage commissioning, various test runs are performed to check the overall operating mode and optimize operating strategies, including stationary and flexible on/off operation. The focus will be on optimizing efficiency and minimizing exhaust emissions.

Finally, the results will be used to plan subsequent or comparable plants.

Refueling, transport and storage of ammonia

The CAMPFIRE project is also developing ammonia refueling systems and safety systems on land and at sea, including sensor technology for use in ammonia drives. Based on data on the current supply of fossil fuels, partners DST, ISV, Göhler, Elaflex, Dettmer Reederei and Bunker One forecast the temporal and spatial demand for green ammonia.

In the first phase of development, moderate volumes are expected to be delivered to a limited number of vessels. For this purpose, a mobile solution is being developed in the form of a container module enabling bunkering of ships, e.g. with trucks. As soon as there is a sufficiently high demand for ammonia in the fleet of ships, distribution using special bunker ships is advantageous and an appropriate ship design is developed for this purpose. The bunker barge is designed to achieve a high level of safety in all operating conditions and is flexible in use.

Another project under the patronage of CAMPFIRE focuses on the expansion of ammonia hydrogen refueling stations.

Cost-effective fine-cleaning technology to optimize gas product from an ammonia cracker is a key technology developed by ZBT partners, PSL Lasertechnik and Exentis. It is based on CuPd membranes and an innovative production process based on laser welding and 3-D screen printing for the production of the module.

The ultra-fine cleaning system also includes a salt tank for ammonia and a high-pressure hydrogen refueling system. Along with determining the costs of hydrogen supplies and developing an action plan for introducing hydrogen ammonia refueling stations in selected regions of Europe.

The future of the ammonia industry

To use green ammonia as a solution for the transport and storage of green hydrogen, an efficient infrastructure and a logistics concept adapted to the specific framework conditions are required.

The next aim of the CAMPFIRE project is therefore to develop an economic, sustainable and ecological logistics and infrastructure concept and to define and explore related future green ammonia transport scenarios.

In this context, the needs of industry and transport, as well as the existing and future required maritime and land transport facilities, storage, bunkering and transhipment structures are analyzed by the partners Wismar University of Applied Sciences, DST, ISC and Dettmer Reederei.

The new concept is based on the evaluation of different ammonia distribution scenarios and configurations in Germany and the associated key data determined by logistic simulation. Logistics simulation can therefore be used to generate the systems knowledge necessary to build and connect energy infrastructures. In the future, it will be possible to use it to estimate the share of ammonia in the transport and storage of green hydrogen.

CAMPFIRE partners will continue to develop ammonia technologies as an important key to near-term measures to replace fossil fuels and unlock medium- and long-term economic opportunities to rapidly decarbonize the global energy system. Ammonia is therefore becoming an increasingly important global energy carrier for the future economic system. Early movers must be supported by strong partnerships across the value chain, sharing costs, benefits and risks.

We would like to inform you that this article will also appear in the 18th issue of our quarterly.