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Maritime consortium completes test on world’s first four-stroke ammonia-fuelled engine

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NYK Line, IHI Power Systems, Nihon Shipyard, Japan Engine Corporation, and ClassNK said world's first four-stroke ammonia-fuelled engine successfully completed a land-based test.
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NYK Line, IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd. (IHI Power Systems), Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd. (Nihon Shipyard), Japan Engine Corporation, and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) on Tuesday (16 May) announced the world’s first four-stroke ammonia-fuelled engine has successfully completed a land-based test.

The maritime consortium for the project reported achieving a stable combustion using an 80% co-firing ratio for ammonia as fuel as part of a demonstration project for the commercialisation of vessels equipped with a domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engine.

ammonia fuelled engine nyk consortium

The project was initiated in October 2021 by NYK, Japan Engine Corporation, IHI Power Systems, and Nihon Shipyard as part of the Green Innovation Fund Project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

In April 2023, IHI Power Systems commenced operational tests at its Ota plant (Gunma Prefecture) on a 280 mm bore four-stroke ammonia-fuelled marine engine as the main engine for the A-Tug project.

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The tests also confirmed that emissions of dinitrogen monoxide (N2O), which has a greenhouse effect about 300 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2), and unburnt ammonia were virtually zero, and there was no ammonia leakage from all demonstration equipment during operation and after shutdown.

The engine will be installed on a A-Tug, which will be completed in June 2024, after further land-based testing of the engine to maximise greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions through further improvement of the co-firing rate.

Furthermore, based on this research and development for domestic vessels, efforts will be made to develop a 250 mm bore engine for the auxiliary engine of an oceangoing vessel. That auxiliary engine will be installed on an ammonia-fuelled ammonia gas carrier (AFAGC, scheduled for delivery in October 2026) under joint development by NYK, Nihon Shipyard, Japan Engine, IHI Power Systems, and ClassNK.

With the success of this demonstration test, the consortium said it will continue to work together to strengthen the international competitiveness of the Japan’s maritime sector, with the aim of building the world’s first ammonia-fuelled ships and achieving safe navigation, including by contributing to the development of international rules.

Related: Japanese firms receive NEDO approval to begin ammonia-fuelled vessel demonstration projects
Related: Japan: MOU entered to develop ammonia-fuelled tugboat for Yokohama city

 

Photo credit: NYK Line
Published: 17 May, 2023

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