Advancing zero-emission maritime solutions: Case study of an ammonia-powered fuel cell system implementation

Abstract

The international scientific community asserts that ammonia will play an essential role in decarbonizing ships, primarily due to its abundance, availability in ports, and potential for production from renewable sources (green ammonia). Moreover, ammonia can serve as an energy carrier for the hydrogen economy. The paper considers using PEM fuel cell technology as the primary power generation system on board ships to achieve zero-emission conditions. Additionally, it examines the refitting of a mega-yacht as a case study. As a result, the ammonia processing system for hydrogen generation is heavier and bulkier than a conventional Genset, and certain installation constraints must be addressed. However, this study confirms that this installation does not require significant modifications to the original design, and the flotation and trim are verified. However, the limited available space for ammonia storage tanks reduces autonomy to a range of 3–6 days, depending on operating conditions.

Keywords

• Zero-emission ship
• PEM application
• Ammonia fuel
• Passenger ship