Japanese consortium starts fuel trials on ammonia-fuelled marine engine

Japanese maritime heavyweights have started co-firing tests for a low-speed two-stroke engine powered by ammonia that is set for release in 2025.

PHOTO: 3D model of NYK Line's ammonia-fuelled ammonia bunker vessel. NYK Line

The consortium includes shipping company Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), shipping generator manufacturer IHI Power Systems and Nihon Shipyard, along with Japan Engine Corporation and classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK).

The two-stroke engine will be supplied with ammonia fuel at a site near the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Research and Innovation Center in Nagasaki, Japan, which will also serve as a testing site for bunkering ammonia in vessels.

The group has also completed land-based co-firing tests for J-ENG's four-stroke ammonia marine engine with an 80% ammonia-to-oil ratio. It will be installed on a tugboat in June 2024 and on an ammonia-fuelled ammonia gas carrier in October 2026.

Both engines will be equipped with J-ENG’s proprietary “stratified injection system” to control nitrous dioxide emissions from ammonia combustion.

Co-firing tests and pilot fuels

Co-firing is the process of running an engine with two fuels, such as diesel and a renewable fuel. It is used to measure the performance, emissions and efficiency of the engine when different fuels are used.

Since ammonia has a high auto-ignition temperature, it ignites and burns more slowly than fossil fuels. Therefore, ammonia-powered engines need a small amount of pilot fuel, such as diesel, to ignite and combust.

By Konica Bhatt

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