Have you ever smelled a bottle of salamiak? Then you have felt the smell of ammonia mixed with water. This smelly substance, which can be fatal to living organisms, is now helping to give hope of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping fleet. Inside this gate is an ordinary ship’s engine, but which runs on unusual fuel. The hope is to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Photo: Olav Røli / news By 2030, Norway must reduce its emissions from domestic shipping and fisheries by 50 per cent. Globally, the same must happen by 2050. While the ambitions are high, most shipping traffic is still powered by heavy oil or diesel. – Development is not going fast enough, says Liv-Elisif Kalland of the environmental foundation Zero. By 2030, Norway aims to cut fifty percent of all emissions from the shipping fleet. Then you have to use a fuel other than heavy oil. Photo: Dag Harald Kvammen Andersen / news Great interest in test project Inside a hall at Heiane in Stord stands the large ship engine “Arja”. Since the beginning of January, it has been fed with diesel, but also more and more ammonia. – Interest has been great. It is something different to see this “live” on a large ship’s engine instead of on a PowerPoint presentation, says Kjell Storelid. The former silver medal winner from the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994 is a project manager at the technology company Wärtsilä. Two years ago, the group started testing in the Finnish city of Vaasa. But now they have set up a full-scale test station in Stord. The first of its kind in the world. – We learn something new every day, says the project manager. The aim is to test ammonia over a long period of time as a fuel, and see how much of the substance they can mix in. – Yesterday I drove 50 per cent ammonia and 50 per cent diesel, says Storelid. This engine is common in many ships, but then with fossil fuel. Here he is set up to go on ammonia. Photo: Olav Røli / news Carbon-free alternative The project already has its weight noted. During the Oil Fair in Stavanger 2022, they were awarded the innovation prize by Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap). The jury stated that developing new and more environmentally friendly solutions will make the shipping industry more sustainable in the future. – Ammonia is one of the carbon-free alternatives, which I have great faith in, says Storelid. During testing of the ship’s engine, one cannot enter the engine room. Ammonia can be deadly. Photo: Olav Røli / news From the control room, he monitors how the engine behaves. Entering the engine compartment while the engine is using ammonia is not possible. Ammonia Ammonia is a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. Colorless gas, with pungent odor. Easily soluble in water. Chemical formula NH3. Salmiakk is ammonia mixed with water. Is considered to be an energy carrier. Inhalation of ammonia gas in high concentrations can cause serious symptoms and death. The substance can also be caustic. Source: Store norske lexikon and Helsenorge If a leak of the gas occurs, it can be fatal. The engine compartment is therefore closed. – At the start I must wear both a belt and suspenders. But part of what I have to find out is of course what is needed for me to be able to go into the engine compartment while driving. You have to do that on a normal ship, says Storelid. Kjell Storelid is project manager at Wärtsilä. He has great faith in ammonia as a carbon-free alternative. Photo: Olav Røli / news Great skepticism It is precisely the danger with ammonia that makes skepticism about its use great. – Ammonia is highly toxic and corrosive to living organisms, says Anders Valland, head of research at Sintef Ocean. They follow developments closely, and admit that they have a good deal of prejudice against the drug. During burning, there is also a risk of the development of nitrous oxide, a gas that has enormous greenhouse gas emissions. Low and zero emission technology at sea Several technologies are considered low and zero emission at sea. For shorter distances, electricity and batteries are the most natural alternative. For longer distances, hydrogen and its chemical relative ammonia are a possibility. In addition, biogas is an alternative. Biogas, like normal gas, emits CO₂. But because the gas comes from waste and other sources that are considered part of the cycle, biogas counts as a climate-friendly solution. In many cases, a combination of different technologies will be relevant. For example, you can have hydrogen operation with a backup solution based on gas on board. At the same time, they are interested in learning more. – As a researcher, it is fantastic that there are so many alternatives to fossil fuel for ships. But I understand that it can be demanding to be honest, he says. – What is the best fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping fleet? – If I had known that, I would not have had a job. At the same time, it is very exciting to work in Norway with these questions. Norway is far ahead in the world in pushing the industry to new solutions, he replies. There are many warning lights that use ammonia. The gas is stored here. Photo: Olav Røli / news Owners fear wrong investments Liv-Ellisiv Kalland in Zero believes that new technology will require large investments for many owners. And that many therefore refuse to adopt new and uncertain technology. – Testing and construction take a long time. A boat is a big investment that is often built for 30 years, and you don’t want to make the wrong investment. We need a development that goes faster, she says. Kalland believes that one must think about many different fuels, both hydrogen, ammonia, biofuel and biogas, and electricity in order to reach the climate goals. Emissions from the engine are carefully monitored. Photo: Olav Røli / news Back in the control room at Stord, the ski hero from Lillehammer believes that we are approaching the upstream side for ammonia in ship engines. – Our engine runs on ammonia today. Our tests have shown that. So we would like to think of a pilot project on board a ship. Hello! Do you have any thoughts after reading this case, or would you like to advise us about similar or other cases. Send me an email.
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Ammonia can be the solution to reducing emissions from shipping – news Vestland
