Ammonia fuel-cell system wins approval in principle

The fuel-cell developer’s SOFC system design has been evaluated for compliance with DNV class rules and IMO guidelines for fuel-cell installations. The AiP was granted for a containerised module that includes safety systems tailored to handle ammonia as fuel.

“Our fuel-cell systems are designed to operate on a variety of low and zero-emissions fuels such as ammonia, LNG, LPG, hydrogen, methanol, syngas and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC). The AiP is therefore an important verification of key safety principles relevant for all fuel types”, Alma Clean Power senior advisor Erling Johannessen said.

Two modules of the DNV-approved SOFC system will be retrofitted as a 2-MW open-deck installation on the offshore supply vessel Viking Energy, as part of the EU-funded ShipFC project. The vessel is owned and operated by Eidesvik, on contract for Equinor.

The SOFC system will be integrated with existing dual-fuel gensets and a battery pack, allowing the vessel to sail solely on emissions-free, green ammonia for all dynamic positioning operations.

The ammonia fuel-cell system for ShipFC will be fully tested at the Energy House at Stord in Norway before installation on board Viking Energy. This will be the first time an ammonia-powered fuel-cell system is installed on a commercially operative vessel.

"Fuel cells have great potential to contribute to the achievement of the IMO goals for decarbonisation of shipping, mainly because of their high efficiency and capability to run on hydrogen-based fuels. Alma Clean Power’s fuel-flexible SOFC systems can achieve more than 60% efficiency with low or zero emissions, depending on the fuel type. Compared with combustion engines, fuel cells do not have any fuel slip or require any blending with carbon-based fuels which would increase emissions," the company said.