Three Korean vessel concepts with Amogy’s tech get class nods
Three vessel concepts, a feeder and two ammonia carriers, featuring Amogy's ammonia-to-power technology have received approvals from multiple classification societies.
PHOTO: Amogy's ammonia cracking systems in factory. Linkedin of Amogy
Two ammonia carrier concepts have been designed separately by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
HHI’s 93,000-cbm ammonia carrier design has received approval in principle from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Liberian Registry. This vessel has been conceptualised to use Amogy’s technology to supply auxiliary power for equipment onboard.
SHI’s 88,000-cbm ammonia carrier design has received approval in principle from Lloyd’s Register (LR). SHI has not specified whether it will use the technology for primary propulsion or to power auxiliary equipment.
Separately, a feeder vessel concept designed by South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) has also received LR nod. The vessel will be equipped with Amogy’s technology and HD KSOE’s electric propulsion system. The electric propulsion system can be powered by fuel cells, HD KSOE said.
The three vessels have been designed to use Amogy's ammonia to-power technology.
Emission reduction with ammonia-to-power
Amogy, a US-based start-up backed by e-commerce giant Amazon, has developed a power system that uses ammonia to generate hydrogen aboard ships.
The system feeds liquid ammonia stored onboard the vessel into a catalyst-based reactor system. The reactor converts ammonia to hydrogen by breaking it down into nitrogen and hydrogen molecules through a process called "ammonia cracking".
Ammonia cracking is typically done at temperatures ranging from 600-900°C, generally using a nickel catalyst.
Amogy uses ruthenium metal as a catalyst instead of nickel, which it claims, “can be 30% more efficient than alternative options thanks to a combination of high conversion rates and low operating temperatures.” Ruthenium catalyst can crack ammonia at temperatures of 400-550°C, according to the Ammonia Energy Association.
Nitrogen derived from ammonia is released in the air and hydrogen can be injected into onboard fuel cells to generate electricity for propulsion.
“Although ammonia is a gas at ambient temperatures, it can be stored as a liquid at approx. -34°C (-29°F). This reduces the cost, complexity, and space requirements for storage compared with liquid hydrogen and liquefied natural gas (LNG),” Amogy said on its website.
“At an ambient temperature, ammonia can also be stored as a liquid with only mild pressure,” it added.
By Konica Bhatt
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