Imagine using ammonia as a giant battery for ships. This project builds a special 'cracker' that breaks down ammonia into hydrogen on the fly, which then powers the ship's engine or fuel cell. It's like having a fuel converter on board that turns a liquid chemical into clean energy without leaving a carbon footprint.
Maritime shipping struggles to decarbonize because hydrogen is hard to store. Ammonia is a better carrier, but converting it back to usable power on board is currently inefficient.
Two 125kW demonstration units: one coupling an ammonia cracker with a PEM fuel cell and another coupling a partial cracker with a 4-stroke engine.
If you are a vessel operator dealing with strict decarbonization laws — this project developed a power conversion system that targets the first 30,000 ships in the market. It specifically supports vessels with 1 to 10 MW propulsion, helping you transition to ammonia fuel.
If you are an engine maker dealing with the shift away from diesel — this project developed a partial ammonia cracker coupled with a 4-stroke engine. This setup achieves an overall system efficiency above 45%.
If you are a system integrator dealing with low efficiency in hydrogen delivery — this project developed a 125kW system combining an ammonia cracker with a PEM fuel cell. This configuration reaches an overall system efficiency of 51% to 54%.
Based on available project data, specific pricing and cost details are not provided in the current report summary.
Yes, the project aims to demonstrate scalability beyond 3MW, focusing on vessels with 1 to 10 MW propulsion.
The consortium has conducted a workshop to describe key exploitable results and is developing an IP management and exploitation strategy as part of deliverable D.1.3.
The technology is designed to couple with both PEM fuel cells and 4-stroke engines to provide flexible power conversion.
The project runs from 2024-01-01 to 2027-12-31, with a focus on the next decade for 3 MW vessels.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 10 industrial partners (71% ratio) and 3 SMEs across 7 countries. This strong commercial presence, led by Tecnalia, suggests a high focus on market viability and industrial application rather than purely academic research.
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