Dispensing with the need for any fossil-based ignition fuel, the Danish ‘NH3 Spark – FutureFlex’ project seems to mark a significant milestone in the effort to realize ammonia as a carbon-free fuel for applications like shipping and power generation.
The pioneering, small-bore engine concept has been developed by engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and Skovgaard Energy, a firm developing green ammonia production using renewable electricity and electrolysis.
The ‘NH3 Spark – FutureFlex’ project has set out 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.
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, said: “We support the energy transition and are always happy to work with like-minded industry partners. 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.”
For the purposes of the project, MAN Energy Solutions will develop 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 firm’s Holeby (Denmark) location. The concept’s suitability for use with other, low-emission fuels will also be evaluated during the project, hence the ‘FutureFlex’ modifier.
Warley Thomsen – Senior R&D Specialist, MAN Energy Solutions – said: “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 onboard new ships or in power plants. 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.”
Support for the project is also being provided by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, DFDS – the international shipping and logistics company – and tanker owner Hafnia.
