Norway’s Alma Clean Power (ACP) has claimed a breakthrough in powering deepsea ships with ammonia.
The Bergen-based company has successfully tested the first 6-kW direct ammonia fuel cell system.
“The accomplishment represents a significant milestone towards economically viable, zero-emission, deepsea shipping,” ACP said.
The company aims to develop modular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems, with the 6-kW unit the first building block of a complete 100-kW module.
ACP added that the system delivered an “impressive” electrical efficiency of between 61% and 67%.
Bernt Skeie, ACP chief executive, said: “I am very proud of the Alma team and their remarkable achievements in just over a year of system development. To our knowledge, this is the highest power output ever demonstrated with direct ammonia solid oxide fuel cells.”
Alma’s technology enables direct feeding of ammonia into the fuel cell system, bypassing the need for any energy intensive pre-treatment that converts the fuel into hydrogen prior to electricity production.
“With significantly higher efficiency levels compared to traditional combustion engines, this technology has the potential to make ammonia-operated maritime energy systems economically viable for shipowners,” the company said.
The SOFC system is operating “seamlessly” non-stop at present, and is being monitored remotely using a safety and control system.
The modules are combustion-free with no rotating parts. They are designed to operate autonomously without any maintenance need for long intervals.
“It’s rewarding to see the system operate with stable operation and consistent electricity generation,” project manager Rune Tveit said. “To gain knowledge and fine-tune the setup, testing will continue throughout the summer.
“After that, we will proceed with the assembly and testing of a complete 100-kW module, which will serve as the foundation for larger ship installations.”
