Danish State initiative the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP) has announced the “NH3 Spark – FutureFlex” project. It aims to develop a dual-fuel, four-stroke genset capable of operating purely on ammonia without the need for a pilot fuel, a first for a commercial, industrial engine.
The project brings together a consortium led by Everllence‘s (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) Holeby site along with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Skovgaard Energy, a Danish renewable-energy player. Comprising four phases, the first – ammonia testing on a single-cylinder MAN genset – will take place at DTU Construct’s engine laboratory and is scheduled to commence during Q3 2025. This will be followed by full-scale testing under powerplant conditions at Skovgaard Energy’s green-ammonia production facility.
Jarl Klüssmann, NH3 Spark Project Manager: ‘This project brings together a unique constellation of collaborators with different competencies and I am confident we will deliver practicable results that the market will be able to capitalise upon.’
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Simplicity, price and retrofit suitability
For the purposes of the project, Everllence will take an innovative approach to the dual-fuel concept by developing a small-bore engine where simplicity, price and retrofit suitability are paramount, and which are particularly relevant for the more than 20,000 MAN genset engines currently in operation that were designed at the Holeby location. The concept’s suitability for use with other, low-emission fuels will also be evaluated during the project, hence the “FutureFlex” modifier.
‘This project has the potential to create a new niche for the well-proven oil-fuelled engine where units can be quickly retrofitted or installed on board new ships or in power plants,’ says Warley Thomsen, Senior R&D Specialist at Everllence. ‘It aims to provide an attractive retrofit solution for existing engines with fuel-flexibility as a priority. The concept will be capable of operating purely on ammonia, but also on conventional biofuel oils to accommodate shipowners and the environment, regardless of which future-fuels ultimately prevail.’
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, shipping company DFDS and tanker owner Hafnia have all declared support for the project and will contribute input. A classification society will also join the project at a later stage.
Picture: The initial phase of the NH3 – FutureFlex project involves ammonia testing on a single-cylinder MAN GenSet at the Technical University of Denmark (photo by MAN Energy Solutions).
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