The Viking Energy, an oil platform provide shippresent process a pioneering retrofit to run on ammonia gasoline, is now scheduled to start operations in 2026—two years later than initially deliberate. As soon as accomplished, it will likely be the primary vessel able to working full-time on ammonia, marking a significant milestone in efforts to scale back carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions within the maritime trade.
IEEE Spectrum beforehand reported on ammonia as a potential replacement for petroleum fuels within the delivery trade in 2021, at which period key stakeholders—together with Norwegian power giant Equinor, expertise supplier Wärtsilä, and delivery firm Eidesvik Offshore—anticipated the Viking Power to set sail in 2024. Nevertheless, progress has slowed.
Trade specialists attribute the delay to the complicated infrastructure required to deal with ammonia safely. “Ammonia is poisonous, explosive, and corrosive. We should use particular piping, storage tanks, and vans outfitted with supplies engineered to be each leakproof and proof against ammonia’s corrosive properties,” says John Prousalidis, a professor of marine engineering on the National Technical University of Athens. (Equinor, Wärtsilä, and Eidesvik Offshore didn’t reply to requests for remark.)
One of many greatest environmental considerations with ammonia-powered ships is the potential launch of nitrogen oxides. “As a substitute of CO2, which contributes to global warming, we may find yourself with nitrogen oxides, that are deadly to breathe,” says Prousalidis. “To keep away from merely swapping one pollutant for one more, ammonia propulsion programs should embody emissions-control applied sciences to stop dangerous nitrogen oxides from coming into the ambiance,” he provides.
A promising various to combustion engines is ammonia-powered fuel cells, which generate electrical energy with out producing nitrogen oxide emissions. By avoiding combustion fully, these gasoline cells permit ammonia’s nitrogen content material to stay in its inert kind, eliminating a key well being threat.
Ammonia Gas Delays for Viking Power
Regardless of the challenges, specialists consider ammonia may change into a mainstream maritime gasoline—however not in a single day. “Twenty or thirty years in the past, the delivery trade made a significant shift to natural gas, believing it was the gasoline of the longer term. Now, we all know it wasn’t the precise step,” says Prousalidis.
Trying again at previous gasoline transitions, he famous that every shift—from steam to grease, after which to pure fuel—took round 20 years to realize full adoption. He expects an identical timeline for the adoption of ammonia or hydrogen. “We should be affected person whereas persisting in our efforts and never getting discouraged by early challenges.”
That perspective aligns with what Equinor’s vice chairman of renewable and low-carbon expertise, Henriette Undrum, instructed IEEE Spectrum in 2021 when she urged the general public to be affected person: “We aren’t simply fixing one small drawback for one ship. It’s a part of the larger image. Will probably be a place to begin to construct up the marketplace for zero-carbon fuels.”
Eidesvik’s ammonia-powered Viking Power is now slated to ship out in 2026.Eidesvik
As ammonia and hydrogen acquire traction as maritime fuels, seaports may play a pivotal function in in fixing ammonia’s chicken-and-egg drawback. Power firms are cautious of investing in various gasoline infrastructure when there aren’t any ships that run on the brand new gasoline, and shipbuilders are wish to keep away from shelling out a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to construct vessels for which there isn’t any regular gasoline provide.
“Seaports are already present process an power transformation,” says Prousalidis. “It could make sense for them to function as power hubs—producing, storing, and buying and selling alternative fuels for gasoline cells and different power-generation units.” By doing so, he says, ports may flip a revenue whereas additionally breaking the stalemate and contributing to international decarbonization efforts.
Though considerations about nitrogen oxide emissions stay, firms together with the partnership that’s retrofitting the Viking Powerare reportedly designing post-combustion programs, analogous to the catalytic converters in vehicle exhaust programs, to filter out dangerous byproducts. A method referred to as selective catalytic discount converts nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water. Ammonia slip catalysts seize unburned ammonia and break it down into the identical two inert merchandise.
In the meantime, momentum for ammonia- primarily based propulsion continues to construct. Hanwha Ocean, a shipbuilder primarily based in Geoje, South Korea and Houston-based power expertise firm Baker Hughes have introduced a partnership to develop a commercial ammonia-compatible propulsion system by 2027. The businesses are engaged on gas turbines able to working on 100% ammonia, with dual-fuel choices for pure fuel.
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