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Invited Lectures

He Lin

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Yinghong Lin

Shenergy. Co. Ltd, China

Bio

Dr. He Lin is a professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the dean of Institute of Advanced Energy and Powertrain Technology at School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received the Ph.D. degree in thermal engineering from Zhejiang University, China in 2002. His research interests include pollutant formation mechanism in flame, engine combustion and emission control, and synthesis of energy and environmental materials. Prof. Lin is a member of council of China Society of Internal Combustion Engine, and the secretary general of Ammonia Engine Innovation Consortium of China Society of Internal Combustion Engine.

Bio

Ms. Lin Yinghong is currently the Director of Carbon Neutrality Research Institute of Shenergy. Co. Ltd. In the early days, she participated in the construction and operation of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Phase I and Phase II Power Generation Projects. She formerly served as the Deputy Chief Engineer of Shanghai Waigaoqiao No.2 Power Generation Co., Ltd. Now she has mainly been tracking and observing climate and energy-related strategies and policies, clean energy technologies readiness level, pays close attention and seeks solutions of energy security, green transition and sustainable development in different energy production and consumption sectors. Shenergy Group which she serves is a local energy enterprise in Shanghai, providing production and supply services such as electricity, gas and renewable energy.

Title

Mild ammonia synthesis technologies to store hydrogen for renewable electricity consumption

Renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power will be vigorously developed, but the delivery of offshore wind power is a great challenge. Chemical energy storage via fuel synthesis using renewable electricity is a new type of energy storage technology to consume renewable energy including offshore wind power. At present, the most mature technology in this field is hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, but the storage and transportation of hydrogen face challenges, and ammonia synthesis powered by renewable electricity is a potential technology to store hydrogen. The traditional Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis, which has been developed for more than 100 years, is mature, but the harsh conditions and high cost of plant construction make it difficult to adapt to the current scenario. Therefore, developing efficient and mild ammonia synthesis technology is urgent. This report reviews the low-pressure thermal-catalytic, electrochemical catalytic, and plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis technologies that may be applied to the distributed ammonia synthesis powered by renewable electricity. Low-pressure thermal-catalytic ammonia synthesis can reduce pressure conditions to around 1 MPa, but the process is highly dependent on novel catalysts, whose long-lasting operation has not been fully demonstrated; electrochemical catalytic ammonia synthesis operating at atmospheric pressure can synthesize ammonia directly from nitrogen and water but faces challenges in terms of Faraday efficiency and ammonia yield; and ammonia yields of plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis without heating under ambient pressure conditions can be comparable to those of thermal catalytic ammonia synthesis at 1 MPa, but its energy consumption needs to be further reduced. Finally, this report presents our latest research progress in plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis in terms of catalyst supports screening, catalyst design, and the interaction between catalyst and plasma discharge.


Kyungho Lee

Korea Institute of Energy Research, South Korea

Bio

Kyungho Lee is a senior researcher at Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) since 2022. He received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from KAIST (supervisor: Prof. Minkee Choi) and was a research fellow at National University of Singapore (collaborator: Prof. Ning Yan). His research interests focus on the rational design of catalysts and reaction systems for sustainable energy and environmental applications. It covers a wide range of areas, including ammonia synthesis, CO2 conversion, biomass and waste plastics utilization, and NOx reduction.

Title

KIER’s challenges to develop a low-temperature and low-pressure ammonia synthesis catalyst

Green NH3 production using H2 obtained from renewable energies offers a sustainable alternative that can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to traditional NH3 production. However, the mere integration of water electrolysis unit and NH3 synthesis loop requires more energy than the conventional Haber-Bosch process. Achieving energy-efficient and environmentally friendly NH3 production necessitates reducing energy consumption by shifting the reaction conditions to milder temperatures and pressures, but this is a formidable challenge due to the limitations imposed by reaction kinetics. Overcoming these challenges requires the development of novel catalysts capable of high activity under low temperature and low pressure conditions. Here, we introduce the progress made by the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) in developing advanced heterogeneous catalysts for NH3 synthesis. Our investigations first focus on how the catalytic components synergistically work with each other to show high activity. Based on these identifications, an optimal catalyst synthesis recipe was rationally derived. We then proceeded to scale-up and shape the invented catalyst to make it practical to use. KIER’s catalyst shows high activity and long-term stability in a bench-scale ammonia production process (> 1 kg NH3 per day). Finally, we discuss the prospects and challenges of developing new technical catalysts for NH3 synthesis.


Bill David

University of Oxford, UK

Bio

Bill David is STFC Senior Fellow at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Professor of Energy Materials Chemistry in the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Oxford and a Fellow in Physics at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. Bill is a Fellow of Royal Society, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and an Honorary Life Member of the British Crystallography Association.

Bill’s research is based around renewable energy centring on the research, development, demonstration, and the advocacy of sustainable and affordable zero- carbon energy storage systems, both chemical (with a focus on ammonia as a carbon- free successor to fossil fuels) and electrochemical (researching on high power-density sodium-ion batteries). He is the lead author and editor of both the Royal Society Policy Briefing entitled “Ammonia: zero-carbon fertiliser, fuel and energy store” (https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/green-ammonia/green-ammonia-policy-briefing.pdf) and the 2023 roadmap on ammonia as a carbon-free fuel” (J. Phys. Energy 6 (2024) 021501).

Title

From carbon-free energy to carbon-free power: building on existing global infrastructures

The worldwide ammonia infrastructure is increasingly recognised as being the backbone of the global future hydrogen economy. In today’s hydrogen economy, which is dominated by oil refining and ammonia production, hydrogen is a transient molecule, in both time and place. Ammonia is the pragmatic choice to be the carbon- free chemical fuel that will over the coming decades displace fossil fuels. With green ammonia produced from air and water using renewable energy, hydrogen, in contrast, will continue to be a transient in its future eponymous economy.

This talk begins with a brief comparison of global hydrogen and ammonia infrastructures followed by a short outline of green ammonia production. The remainder of the talk with focus on turning carbon-free energy (in the form of ammonia) to carbon-free power (in the form of partially cracked ammonia). Our recent results will be presented which successfully show stable combustion of an ammonia/hydrogen/nitrogen blend rated at 56kW. Our current focus, the scaling-up of our ammonia cracking catalysts, will be presented and future opportunities discussed.


Hyung Chul Yoon

Korea Institute of Energy Research, South Korea

Bio

Dr. Yoon is the chief and principal researcher at the Clean Fuel Laboratory at KIER and leads the green ammonia synthesis group. His research focuses on electrochemical and thermochemical catalysts and processes for low-pressure, low-temperature green ammonia synthesis. He also contributes to a national project on ammonia cracking, developing a pressure swing adsorption process. Dr. Yoon has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers in journals such as Applied Catalysis, Catalysis, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Energy & Environmental Science. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, in 2008. During postdoc, he conducted research in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, focusing on the thermochemical production of solar fuels. Dr. Yoon joined KIER in 2011, where he continues to advance his work in clean fuel technologies.

Title

Pioneering Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis and Cracking: Innovations from South Korea

Green ammonia is increasingly recognized for its potential as a hydrogen carrier and carbon-neutral fuel. Aligned with Korea's Hydrogen Economy Roadmap, which aims to scale up hydrogen production and utilization by 2040, including significant hydrogen imports, the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) is leading in developing cost-effective methods for both ammonia synthesis and ammonia cracking.

KIER is pioneering advancements in green NH3 production using H2 from renewable energies, significantly reducing CO2 emissions compared to traditional methods. Integrating a water electrolysis unit with an NH3 synthesis loop requires more energy than the conventional Haber-Bosch process. To address this, KIER focuses on reducing energy consumption by shifting reaction conditions to milder temperatures and pressures—a challenge constrained by reaction kinetics. KIER has developed advanced heterogeneous catalysts demonstrating high activity under low temperature and pressure conditions. By understanding the synergistic effects of catalytic components, an optimal catalyst synthesis recipe was derived, scaled up, and shaped for practical use, producing over 1 kg of NH3 per day in a bench-scale process.

Simultaneously, KIER advances ammonia cracking technology for clean hydrogen production. Notably, they developed an 1,000 Nm³/h class clean hydrogen production pilot plant via ammonia cracking. This plant utilizes an innovative single pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process, enhancing efficiency and achieving a high recovery rate while using tail gas as fuel for an integrated burner.

These initiatives by KIER represent significant strides towards low-cost, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly ammonia synthesis and cracking technologies, essential for South Korea’s hydrogen economy and carbon-neutral goals.

Longwei Chen

Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, China

Liang Chen

Shenzhen Haixu New Energy Co., LTD, China

Bio

Longwei Chen, male, born in August 1979, Doctor, Professor, Master/Doctor supervisor. From 1999 to 2003, he received his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Dalian University of Technology respectively. In 2011, he graduated and received his doctor’s degree from the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institute of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
His main research interests mainly include Low temperature plasma assisted combustion; Microwave plasma; New functional composite materials. He has been engaged in low-temperature plasma research for a long time and has accumulated rich experiences in plasma generation technology and theoretical analysis. At present, he is mainly engaged in the research of low-temperature plasma assisted ammonia combustion project. He has presided over 3 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 2 major cultivation projects of Energy Research Institute of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center (Energy Laboratory of Anhui Province), 1 Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, 4 cooperative research projects of enterprises. He has over 10 authorized national invention patents and published more than 30 papers.

Bio

Liang Chen, executive director, general manager and legal person of Shenzhen Haixu New Energy Co., LTD. He was secretary of the board of directors and head of the operation department of Hubei Marine Nuclear Energy Co., LTD., CSIC; Head of R&D department of CSIC South Co., LTD.
He is mainly engaged in the application development and management of new energy technologies such as civil Marine nuclear energy, Marine power plant, ammonia hydrogen fusion, etc. He is the technical director of the Marine nuclear power platform (power supply) demonstration engineering system and the deputy technical director of the Marine nuclear heating platform demonstration project. He is the main leader of ammonia hydrogen fuel supply system and ammonia fuel powered ship engineering demonstration project and has rich experiences and deep attainments in the field of Marine nuclear energy and ammonium-hydrogen fusion application development.

Title

Internal Combustion Engine powered by Ammonia: from Laboratory to Industry Applications

Hydrocarbon fuels remain the primary energy sources for the economy and daily life presently. T o minimize carbon-based fuels consumptions have become more prominent than ever because the fact that the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide has cause the sea level rise globally. T o find an attractive alternative fuel for decarbonization movement has contracted many  attentions and efforts worldwide. Hydrogen is considered one of the ideal clean energy resources due to its high calorific value, having only H2O as a combustion product, fast flame propagation, and high energy density. However, whether it is liquid hydrogen storage at low temperature (−253 °C) or gaseous hydrogen storage at high pressure (~70 MPa), there are stringent requirements for the pressure or temperature resistance of storage vessel. Ammonia (NH3) is an important chemical product and has important applications in agriculture and industry. As  a promising ideal hydrogen storage sourc e,   a mmonia is also a new zero-carbon fuel with high octane number, high hydrogen storage density, and high energy density. Pure ammonia fuel requires high ignition energy when burning, and its flame propagation speed (~10 cm/s) and combustion temperature are much lower than that of methane and hydrogen. A mmonia offers a practical alternative for sustainable power generation by internal combustion engine, i.e. the engine and gas turbine. Because of the high-energy electrons and large number of active substances that promote the chemical process of ammonia ,  plasma technology is a promising instantaneous (<μs) ammonia decomposition and combustion technology to overcome the shortcomings of ammonia as fuels for internal combustion engines. I n this report we are going to present the fundamental research of plasma assisted ammonia decomposition and combustion, and the attempts to industry application in engines and gas turbines.


Christine Rousselle

Université d'Orléans, France

Richard Samson

EURENCO, France

Bio

Christine Rousselle is professor at the University of Orléans (Laboratoire PRISME). Her main research fields are: fundamental combustion to applications, as mainly internal combustion engine, new combustion modes (lean burn, LTC, RCCI,…), low and zero carbon-fields, described by using optical diagnostics. Since 7 years, she focuses on ammonia as carbon-freel fuel for engine. She lead more than 40 projects with industries alon her career (mainly with automotive OEM).

She is a Fellow of the Combustion Institute (2021) and ambassador of ASME-ICE., Associate Editor of the proceedings of the Combustion Institute and the Journal of Ammonia Energy. She was chair of 2nd Symposium on Ammonia Energy, held at University of Orléans in July 2023. She also has chaired the mini-symposium about ammonia spray in the International Conference of Numerical Combustion (Kyoto, Mai 2024).

Bio

Richard Samson serves as an Applications Engineer at EURENCO, expert in innovative research and development of internal combustion engines. Holding a background in mechanical and energy engineering with a focus on aeronautics, Richard is committed to advancing sustainable fuel technologies.

At EURENCO, he focuses on utilizing alternative fuels such as ammonia, methanol, and ethanol in direct injection compression ignition engines for marine applications, incorporating nitrate-based combustion enhancers. His work aims to enhance fuel efficiency and minimize environmental impact, thereby contributing to the progress of marine engineering and sustainable energy solutions.

Title

Improvement of ammonia engine ignition by reactive molecules

The properties of ammonia necessitate different strategies to enhance ignition, combustion development, and the range of operating conditions (such as low load and varying engine speeds). These strategies also aim to reduce unburnt ammonia in the exhaust of internal combustion engines. One attractive approach is the injection of more reactive molecules, as it can allow for the retrofit of existing engines.

In most studies, hydrogen is the most frequently considered molecule. It is a carbon-free molecule that can be produced on board by a reformer. However, hydrogen introduces safety concerns and potentially increases NOx emissions. Another approach is to inject reactive molecules found in conventional engine fuels (e.g., diesel or HVO) or bio-fuels (e.g., ethanol, DME). Although this method is gaining traction, the energy fraction share of these reactive molecules remains around 5%.

Additionally, other molecules that can improve ignition, such as NOx, ozone, and others, should also be considered to evaluate their potential.


Hai'e Chen

Foshan Xianhu Laboratory/THU, China

Changcheng Liu

FAW Jiefang commercial vehicle development institute, China

Bio

Hai'e Chen graduated from Jilin University in 1989, enter the technology center of FAW Group, working at FAW for 32 years. During this period, she has completed the development of more than ten engines from commercial vehicle diesel engine to passenger car gasoline engine. Before her retirement, she served as the chief engineer of the passenger car engine platform of FAW Group R & D General Institute, Her main research areas include engine combustion emissions development, vehicle and engine thermal management development, and automotive engine CAE.
In October 2021, she joined the Academician Li Jun Workstation of Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, responsible for the development of zero-carbon internal combustion engine and the technical work in the academician workstation.

Bio

Changcheng Liu, PhD in Engineering, graduated from Jilin University in 2020 and currently works at FAW Jiefang commercial vehicle development institute, responsible for the combustion and performance development of zero carbon internal combustion engine.

Title

Exploration of carbon-neutral solutions for heavy commercial vehicles——Ammonia-hydrogen combined zero-carbon high power internal combustion engine research and development

Under the background of carbon neutrality, how to solve the power problem of heavy commercial vehicles? What kind of power system can fully meet the needs of heavy commercial vehicles for load, mileage, efficient transportation and TCO?

The future automotive power system will be diversified, electric, fuel cell and zero-carbon internal combustion engine are the three main technical routes.The zero-carbon internal combustion engine mainly includes hydrogen internal combustion engine and ammonia internal combustion engine. The load of electric vehicles is limited, the fuel cell durability and environmental adaptability need to be improved, the hydrogen engine mileage is limited, and they can not fully meet the power requirements of the above heavy commercial vehicles. Can the ammonia internal combustion engine meet the requirements? Because of the inertness of ammonia combustion, it is very difficult to develop ammonia internal combustion engine. However, if the combustion problem can be solved and its  thermal efficiency is improved, it will be a power system  that can fully meet the above requirements of heavy commercial vehicles.

Ammonia-hydrogen combined internal combustion engine is proposed: liquid ammonia in cylinder direct injection , hydrogen injection active pre-chamber jet ignition, high compression ratio, high pressure ratio and intelligent cooling, etc. Through a large number of CAE analysis and engine bench test, it is proved that the combustion system can achieve stable and efficient combustion, and the engine power and economy is comparable to that of diesel engine.

An on-board ammonia cracking and hydrogen production system was developed to realize the convenience of only carrying one ammonia fuel on the vehicle.

Ammonia-hydrogen combined internal combustion engine has achieved the multiple goals of "high power, high efficiency, whole life cycle economy and environmental protection".The engine is a competitive new energy power worthy of promotion and application in the field of heavy commercial vehicles.


Peter de Vos

Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

Niels de Vries

C-Job Naval Architects, Netherlands

Bio

dr. Peter de Vos holds a position of assistant professor in Marine Engineering at Delft University of Technology. Since 2008 his research has focused on improving the robustness and/or performance of power and propulsion systems, as well as vital auxiliary systems, on board of ships. He has provided many different courses in the field of Marine Engineering and re-designed these courses a number of times as well. The last few years he has acted as the Director of Studies of the Marine Technology MSc-programme of TU Delft. He has supervised multiple PhD students and (co-)authored more than 40 papers in the last 15 years.

Bio

After finishing his Bachelor of Engineering in Naval Architecture in early 2014, Niels de Vries started at C-Job Naval Architects. Niels has been working at C-Job for more than 10 years, currently as Head of Energy. While working at C-Job, Niels completed his Master of Science, including a Pre-Master, in Marine Technology which concluded with his thesis ‘Safe and effective application of ammonia as a marine fuel’ in June 2019. In November 2019, his study was awarded the Maritime Designer Award at the annual Dutch Maritime Awards Gala. Niels is a strong supporter of renewable fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol, and believes synthetic fuel production can be a great solution to use renewable energy effectively besides direct application.

Title

Ammonia Energy for ship power and propulsion

In recent years, interest in green ammonia as potential alternative fuel for maritime applications has increased enormously. The marine internal combustion engine industry seems keen to develop diesel-ammonia DF engines, applying either the Conventional Dual Fuel concept (CDF) in which gaseous ammonia enters the engine cylinders via Port Fuel Injection (PFI) or a DFDI concept in which both diesel and ammonia are directly injected into the engine cylinders. In these concepts ammonia is used as an energy carrier only.

AmmoniaDrive seeks to develop power plant concepts that utilize ammonia both as energy and as hydrogen carrier. The intention is to “free” some of the hydrogen that is stored in ammonia and use it as a second fuel on board of ships. Either to improve the combustion of ammonia in large ICE’s for propulsion or use hydrogen directly in smaller ICE’s / Fuel Cells for electric power generation. An integrated concept in which hydrogen in the anode off gas of a high-temperature Fuel Cell is used as second fuel in one or more main propulsion engines is at the center of the research project.

The A+I invited lecture titled “Ammonia Energy for ship power and propulsion” will introduce the AmmoniaDrive concept as well as the research project. The collaboration between academia and industry within the project is emphasized by introducing the 20+ partners in the consortium as well as their interaction during General Assembly meetings.

Luis Tay-Wo Chong

Ansaldo Energia, Switzerland

Andrea Gruber

SINTEF, Norway

Bio

Dr.-Ing. Luis Tay-Wo Chong is a Combustor Development Engineer at Ansaldo Energia Switzerland AG since 2012 (ALSTOM from 2012 to 2015). He received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria in Lima, Peru, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineer from TU Munich in Germany working in the areas of flame dynamics and CFD.
His work involves the development of combustors and burners based on aerodynamics, heat transfer and flame dynamics using CFD, and the development of combustion models for gas turbine applications. He participates in research projects with cooperation with universities and is author/co-author of different publications and patents.

Bio

Andrea Gruber holds a doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering from NTNU (2006), he is Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF Energy Research and Adjunct Professor at NTNU. His research interests are in the development and application of massively parallel direct numerical simulations (DNS), a high-fidelity numerical approach to accurately predict turbulent reactive flows. Over a period of nearly two decades and in a close and fruitful collaboration with combustion researchers from Sandia Lab (Livermore, CA), Dr. Gruber has initiated the deployment of DNS on some of the research challenges related to combustion of highly reactive and non-standard fuels in gas turbines (hydrogen in particular). Pursuing industrial relevance within the framework of numerous national and European initiatives (BIGH2, NCCS, DiHI-Tech, ENCAP, DECARBit, FLEX4H2, HyPowerGT) and in close partnership with the gas turbine industry (ALSTOM, Ansaldo Energia, Baker-Hughes, Siemens Energy, Thomassen Energy), he has contributed to the fundamental understanding of key turbulence-chemistry interaction processes that play a major role in the achievement of clean and efficient power generation: design and optimization of fuel injection systems, flashback prediction and control, static and dynamic flame stabilization in conventional and staged combustors.

Title

Combustion Optimization and Burnout of Ammonia-Based Gaseous Fuels in the Constant Pressure Sequential Combustion System Operated in Rich-Dilute-Lean Mode

In the context of fuel-flexible operation of gas turbines, providing on-demand large-scale electric power without incurring in emissions of CO2, a convenient feature of Ansaldo Energia’s Constant Pressure Sequential Combustion (CPSC) system is the possibility of controlling the amount of fuel independently fed to the two combustion stages depending on the reactivity and combustion characteristics of the fuel itself. Crucially, in the case of ammonia-based fuels, this includes the capability of switching the CPSC operating mode from a conventional Lean Pre-Mixed (LPM) combustion to a Rich-Dilute-Lean (RDL) staging strategy that mitigates undesired emissions of atmospheric pollutants (NOx) and greenhouse gases (N2O) emerging from the oxidation of fuel-bound nitrogen.

Building upon an earlier numerical-modelling assessment of the CPSC system capability to operate in RDL mode, the present work extends the scope of the initial preliminary study with a comprehensive set of additional calculations based on Large Eddy Simulations performed in conjunction with detailed chemical kinetics. Firstly, it is reported that, according to the numerical modelling predictions, a transition to stable, low-emission combustion of pure (non-decomposed) ammonia in the Multi-Burner First Stage (MBFS) can be achieved following an initial ignition and flame stabilization of a more reactive, partially decomposed ammonia blend. Secondly, it is shown that, at the equivalence ratio investigated, the unburnt fuel fractions emerging from the fuel-rich MBFS flames are completely oxidated by secondary air injected within the Dilution-Air Mixer (DAM) section of the CPSC. Furthermore, it is found that this burnout process occurring in the DAM section of the CPSC does not lead to significant increase of NOx and N2O emissions, thereby confirming the potential of the CPSC to operate cleanly and efficiently with ammonia-based fuels. The numerical simulations and the data analysis were conducted at SINTEF in collaboration with Ansaldo Energia and supported by the NCCS Research Centre.


Mario Ditaranto

SINTEF, Norway

Bio

Mario Ditaranto is Chief Scientist at SINTEF Energy Research with more than 25 years of professional experience in combustion technologies for power (gas turbines and combined cycles) and industrial processes (e.g. melting, Waste-to-Energy, Cement). He holds a PhD from CORIA-Université of Rouen (FR) in experimental oxy-fuel combustion. At SINTEF he has worked on combustion methods in relation with CO2 capture technologies (CCS) such as oxy-fuel combustion in power cycles and industrial processes, and burner development for low Carbon emission fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, with a main focus on gas turbines.

Title

Behaviour of retrofitted industrial gas turbine burners to ammonia blends

Ammonia is a carbon free fuel with the potential to solve the issues related to the transport and storage of hydrogen. It is however a novel fuel with specific challenges that has rightfully triggered intense research on combustion fundamentals and generic configurations. Industrial burners and combustors are hardware that operate at varying loads and changing conditions, where flow dynamics and chemistry interact in complex manners. In this presentation we present results from downscaled models of industrial burners under relevant conditions of pressure and power, and investigated the effect of switching fuels from methane to mixtures with ammonia or decomposed ammonia mixtures.


Thibault F. Guiberti

KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Mani Sarathy

KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Bio

Thibault F. Guiberti is a research assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Clean Combustion Research Platform (CCRP) at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. He obtained a Ph.D. in Energy from CentraleSupélec (now Université Paris-Saclay), France, and later received his HDR from University of Toulouse 3, France. His research interests include turbulent reactive flows and optical diagnostics. With his research, Thibault hopes to contribute to the promotion of carbon-free fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia, in gas turbines for propulsion or power, boilers, and furnaces. In 2022, he was awarded the Silver Medal of the Combustion Institute for his contribution to multi-species Raman imaging in turbulent flames of hydrogen.

Bio

Mani Sarathy is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He has affiliations with the Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Science and Engineering programs at KAUST. He was also appointed as Senior Manager of Technology and Innovation at ENOWA Hydrogen in Neom from 2020-2022 and Associate Director of the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) from 2018-2024
Dr. Sarathy was previously a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Combustion Chemistry group at the U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
He received his PhD and M.A.Sc. degrees in Environmental and Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto and his B.A.Sc. in Environmental Engineering Chemical Specialization from the University of Waterloo. Mani Sarathy is a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher.
His research interest is in developing sustainable energy technologies with decreased net environmental impact. A major thrust of his research is using chemical kinetic simulations to design fuels, engines, and reactors.

Title

Retrofitting a micro gas turbine for operation with green fuels (NH3/H2/MeOH) produced in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is blessed with an excellent combined solar and wind potential. Therefore, KSA is well positioned to become a leader in the production and export of green hydrogen (H2) and its carriers, such as ammonia (NH3) or methanol (MeOH). For this reason, KSA is highly motivated to promote R&D on technologies for green fuel production and utilization. As an example of such efforts, ENOWA is pioneering green fuel production, such NH3, H2, and MeOH in NEOM. In the first half of this talk, Prof. S. Mani Sarathy, former Senior Manager of Technology and Innovation at ENOWA will share his views on the production and export of green fuels in KSA, including key technology-based cost drivers.  

Through funding from Saudi Aramco and, more recently, NEOM, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in KSA has been working on the retrofitting of a current commercial micro gas turbine (mGT) to enable its operation with NH3-H2-MeOH blends. The target mGT is the Ansaldo AE-T100, which was originally developed for natural gas and outputs up to 100 kWelec. This work will be detailed in the second part of this talk by Dr. Thibault F. Guiberti.


Luca Mazzotta

Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Bio

Luca Mazzotta is an Energy and Combustion Engineer and a PhD Research Student at the Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. He was a visiting researcher at Cardiff University in 2023. His research focuses on hydrogen and ammonia combustion on gas turbine combustors in collaboration with Baker Hughes, while supporting several EU funded projects. He specialises in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in turbulent reactive flow, analysing NOx formation and combustion dynamics, to optimise thermal performance, emissions, and efficiency.

Title

Combustion of ammonia/hydrogen mixtures in gas turbine combustors: first tests and CFD modelling for NOx emissions prediction

The prediction of combustion characteristics for ammonia and its blends with other fuels using CFD models presents a significant challenge, particularly in accurately quantifying NOx emissions. The results of recent collaborative research projects between Sapienza University of Rome and Baker Hughes will be presented, focusing on the application of CFD methodologies for the evaluation of NOx emissions in gas turbine burners. This research has been carried out using experimental data provided by Baker Hughes and Cardiff University with the aim of facilitating the integration of alternative fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen, while contributing to the decarbonisation of the gas turbine sector. An initial investigation was carried out using kinetic analysis and low order models (0D-1D or RANS based) to gain a fundamental understanding of the combustion process. Subsequently, comprehensive and detailed numerical simulations were conducted using LES. Finally, a LES-CRN (Chemical Reactor Network) methodology was employed to enable comprehensive analysis of key combustion parameters. This approach has facilitated a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying NOx formation. The results of this collaboration highlight the importance of numerical investigations in advancing the development of sustainable energy solutions and support the ongoing efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from gas turbine systems.

Heyang Wang

Tianjin University, China

Tao Niu

Yantai Longyuan Power Technology Co., LTD, China

Bio

Prof. Heyang Wang is the Professor of Tianjin University and the technical advisor of Yantai Longyuan Power technology (YTLY) Co. LTD. He received his first PhD degree in Engineering Thermophysics from Tsinghua University in 2001, and the second PhD degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2007. He joined YTLY as a technical advisor since 2012, and joined Tianjin University as a professor since 2018. Prof. Wang’s research has been focusing on bridging the gap between the fundamental research and industrial applications of large-scale combustion systems. Prof. Wang is the key member of the 40 MW and 630 MW boiler ammonia cofiring testing projects.

Bio

Mr. Tao Niu is the vice president of Yantai Longyuan Power Technology Co., LTD. and the leader of the R&D team. Mr. Niu has more than 30 years of working experience in the power industry, focusing on coal and gas combustion technology, plasma ignition technology, and pollutant control technology. Yantai Longyuan is a subsidiary of CHN ENERGY Investment Group Co., LTD. which is the largest power group in the world. In recent years, CHN Energy has invested many R&D projects to develop low carbon power generation technologies, including ammonia combustion technology. Mr. Niu is the technical leader of the key research project of CHN ENERGY "Ammonia Cofiring Technology for Large Scale Coal-fired Boilers".

Title

Recent advancement of ammonia-coal cofiring technology – from laboratory experiments to full scale boiler testing

Ammonia cofiring is a promising approach to reduce the CO2 emissions from coal-fired boilers. However, the potential drastic increase of NOx emissions may hinder its wide application. To explore the NOx control strategies, systematic studies on the NOx emission characteristics of ammonia cofiring were conducted in a laboratory 20 kW furnace, a 40 MW boiler, and a 630 MW boiler.

The laboratory furnace was designed to allow for ammonia injection with coal stream or downstream of coal injection to flexibly control the combustion environment of ammonia. A variety of trends of NOx emissions with the increase of ammonia cofiring ratio (RNH3) were observed under different ammonia injection conditions. It was found that all these trends are governed by the same mechanism – the competition between the NO formation and reduction reactions of ammonia in the varying O2 environment in the furnace.

Then, industrial testing was conducted in a 40 MW boiler with RNH3 in the range of 0% ~ 25%. The NOx emissions showed similar trends to the laboratory experiments. The burnout of coal were also improved under ammonia cofiring conditions. Recently, ammonia cofiring was implemented on a 630 MW coal-fired boiler under 500 MW and 300 MW boiler loads with RNH3 in the range of 0% ~ 10%. Under all conditions, the NOx emissions showed only small changes within 50 mg/Nm3 comparing to the coal combustion case and the ammonia slip were very low. The thermal efficiency of boiler was slightly reduced mainly due to the increase of gas temperature at the outlet of air preheater.

The above results on different scales of systems showed that the NOx emissions of ammonia cofiring could be well under control and demonstrated the technical feasibility of ammonia cofiring in coal-fired boilers.


Hookyung Lee

Korea Institute of Energy research, South Korea

Bio

The presenter received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2015, with a dissertation focused on the combustion characteristics of pulverized single coal particles. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship, the presenter worked at Doosan Enerbility (formerly Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction), a major power plant equipment manufacturer in Korea, for approximately four years. During this period, the presenter was involved in tasks related to coal and biomass combustion technology within power plant boilers and power system engineering. Since 2019, the presenter has been working at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), a government-funded research institute in Korea, within the Energy Efficiency Research Division. The presenter's research areas include combustion technology for carbon-free fuels (hydrogen, ammonia) applicable to the power and steel industries, low-NOx combustion technology, electrification of combustion systems in continuous steel-strip annealing furnaces, and clean hydrogen production technology, all of which are topics of government research and development projects.

Title

Flame structure and emission characteristics under pulverized coal-ammonia co-firing conditions

As a carbon-free fuel, ammonia (NH3) can contribute to reducing carbon emission by being combusted with pulverized coal particles. However, as the co-firing rate, XNH3, of NH3 increases, the flame instability due to the low burning velocity of NH3 also increases, raising concerns about the formation of nitrogen compounds, including NOx. Therefore, it is essential to concurrently measure flame behavior and emission characteristics in order to conduct a comprehensive study. In this presentation, the flame radical chemiluminescence and flue gas species characteristics according to the increase in the NH3 co-firing ratio, which are 20% and 50%, were experimentally measured in-situ in a scaled-down model of a burner used in an actual coal-fired boiler. Primarily, based on the same calorific value as that of 100% pulverized coal combustion, it was directly observed through imaging that the flame length increases as the co-firing rate of NH3 rises. Furthermore, the occurrence of ignition delay in pulverized coal particles has been substantiated through spontaneous emission measurements of CH* and OH* radicals in the flames. Upon staging NH3 individually into each burner, as opposed to co-injecting it with pulverized coal particles and primary air, a reduction in NOx emissions has been verified. This reduction is attributed to the combined effects of flame stabilization and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR). The NOx emissions during 100% coal combustion were recorded at approximately 200 ppmv level, whereas staging NH3 demonstrated the capability to reduce these emissions to a minimum of 30-50 ppmv level. Nevertheless, the injection of NH3 into the burner unit farthest from the flame center resulted in a reduction of NOx emissions. However, unreacted NH3, not engaging in the SNCR reaction, was detected as slip.


Xiaowei Liu

Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China

Hansheng Feng

HCNSC, China

Bio

Xiaowei Liu is Professor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He received his PhD degree in Engineering Thermophysics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2008. He was elected National youth top talent support program in 2017 and National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars in 2019. He focus on the pollution of coal combustion and the co-firing of coal and ammonia. He has published more than 80 scientific papers as first or corresponding author and 30 patents. Prof. Liu is a recipient of various honors including second prize of National Natural Science Award, first prize of Science and Technology Progress Award of Hubei Province, and first prize of science and technology progress Award of the Ministry of Education.

Bio

Prof. Hansheng Feng is the Professor of Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (HFIPS-CAS) and Institute of Energy of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center (IEHCNSC). He received his PhD degree in Nuclear Energy Science and Engineering from HFIPS-CAS in 2009, and joined IEHCNSC as a technical advisor focusing on energy decarbonization research via green ammonia since 2021. Ammonia-coal cofiring will be the biggest consumption of green electricity and attractive alternative fuel to reduce the emission of CO2. Prof. Feng is the key member of a 300 MW boiler ammonia-coal cofiring demonstration technology R&D team.

Title

Research Progress and Prospects of Ammonia Combustion in Coal-fired Power Plants under the Background of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality

Coal fired power generation is the largest source of CO2 emissions in China, and reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants is of great significance for achieving the Carbon Neutrality. The ammonia and coal co-firing can aid in achieving carbon dioxide reduction.

Based on the experimental platform of 50kW/4MW, the combustion behavior and pollutants characteristics such as NOx during coal ammonia blending combustion were systematically investigated. Increasing the co-firing ratio of ammonia can promote the ignition of pulverized coal in advance, and adopting a low co-firing ratio can significantly shorten the ignition time of the co-firing flame, and then increasing the co-firing ratio has no obvious promoting effect on the ignition of pulverized coal. The flame length of coal ammonia blending combustion is dominated by the combustion of pulverized coal. Ammonia co-firing will affect the formation characteristics of particulate matter, especially sub-micron particulate matter, which was higher than that without ammonia co-firing. The generation of NOx is mainly affected by the competition between the generation of NO and the reduction reaction of NH3 by the change of oxygen. The generation of NOx can be effectively controlled by controlling the relative concentration of oxygen-fuel in the combustion environment in the early and middle stage of combustion.

An experimental research on ammonia co-combustion at Wanneng Tongling 300-MW coal-fired power plant was carried out. Eight direct-flow type ammonia burners were developed with the maximum 21 tons/hr pure ammonia flow. The highest ammonia-coal cofiring ratio is around 35% at 100-MW electricity power. The results show that, in the 300-MW coal-fired power plant, ammonia burners located in the middle of main combustion zone has better high-temperature reduction performance than those located in the upper part of main combustion zone. NH3 concentration at the outlet remained below 1 ppm. the thermal efficiency of the boiler slightly decreased.


Suzana Yusup

TNBR, Malaysia

Bio

Dr Suzana Yusup is a Principal Researcher and Head of Section under Fuel and Combustion/Acting Head of Generation Unit, Department of Generation and Environment, Tenaga Nasional Berhad Research TNBR, a subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Malaysia, the electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysia. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Bradford UK, MSc in Chemical Engineering from University of Wales, UK and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from University of Leeds, UK. Her research interests include Biomass Conversion to Fuel & Value-Added Products, Green Processes and Material Development. She has more than 25 years of experience in academia and research. She is a fellow of Academy Sciences Malaysia under Engineering and Science discipline, Fellow of International Bioprocessing Association and Senior Research Fellow of Resilience Development Initiative (RDI), and a registered Professional Engineer (PEng) Malaysia, a Charted Engineer & Charted Scientist (CSci) UK and MIChemE UK. She is actively participated in consultancies project with industries and research & development projects nationally and internationally.

Title

Ammonia Cofiring Potentials and Challenges: Research Testing Case Study

Combating CO2 emissions is part of initiatives towards net zero carbon emission target globally in addition to mitigate climate change challenges. Burning fossil fuels contributes to increase CO2 composition in the atmosphere. Power industries faced the challenge when generating electricity using coal. Further, carbon emissions are also derived from burning natural gas, gas flaring and in manufacture of cement. Malaysia is among the countries that gives key priorities in reducing National GHG emissions. National Energy Transition Roadmap highlighted the nation strategies with specific target to reduce the GHG emissions and accelerating the country’s green and sustainable agenda. Ammonia potentially can be utilized as future fuel to generate electricity through co-firing with coal upon overcoming its cost limitations. From technology exploration perspective, co-firing of ammonia with coal was explored at testing facility in TNBR through collaborative efforts and the findings are highlighted in the lecture.