New alliance to work on offshore ammonia cracking solution

September 18, 2024, by Aida Čučuk

Amogy has partnered up with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), POSCO Holdings, Seoul National University (SNU) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) to jointly explore the technological feasibility of an innovative offshore ammonia cracking solution aimed at delivering low-cost, accessible clean hydrogen fuel.

Under the partnership, HD KSOE will design the ammonia supply system and integrate it into the overall system, Amogy will provide its ammonia-cracking technology and SNU will contribute expertise in process design and simulation. As for POSCO, the company intends to harness its proprietary cracking process design technology to optimize the systems needed for ship application. ABS will oversee the certification of the design as the class society.

Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy, stated: “We are excited to join forces with this esteemed consortium to develop an innovative offshore ammonia cracking solution. This partnership marks a pivotal advancement in leveraging ammonia to achieve net-zero emissions. Together, we are paving the way for cleaner marine fuel solutions and supporting South Korea’s ambitious decarbonization objectives.”

To note, according to Amogy, its ammonia-cracking technology unlocks the potential of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier by leveraging catalyst materials to crack ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen at lower reaction temperatures with high durability, reducing heating and maintenance requirements.

Ammonia is said to offer a more “cost-effective and convenient” alternative to liquefied hydrogen due to its established storage and transport infrastructure. Additionally, with an energy density greater than hydrogen, ammonia is emerging as an optimal carbon-free fuel for the maritime industry.

Kwang-pil Chang, Chief Technology Officer of HD KSOE, commented: “With the increasing emphasis on obtaining affordable clean hydrogen from international sources for diverse domestic industries, we are highly optimistic about the results of this joint research focused on offshore ammonia cracking solutions. We are committed to collaborating with our partners to establish the most efficient and effective clean hydrogen supply chain.”

Ju Woung Yoon, Head of Clean Hydrogen Research Center at POSCO Holdings, noted: “We strongly believe this collaboration will contribute to diversifying the supply of clean hydrogen required for decarbonization in various industries, in addition to its application in shipping.”

Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, remarked: “Cracking ammonia offshore to produce hydrogen for industrial applications is a solution that has the potential to accelerate the energy transition in heavy industry. At ABS, we are proud to support this coalition with our deep technical expertise and safety focus to navigate the regulatory and class elements of the design.”

In other news, Amogy recently entered into a joint development project (JDP) with Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Rotoboost, seeking to assess opportunities for emissions reduction through a fuel cell and pre-combustion carbon capture storage system (CCS) study.

Furthermore, the company formed a partnership with HD KSOE EcoPhin to deploy their respective technologies to enhance ammonia-powered solutions across the maritime sector. For the most part, the partnership will focus on the integration of HD KSOE EcoPhin’s eco propulsion systems with Amogy’s ammonia-to-electrical power system to provide a turn-key solution to customers in the shipping industry to help with the electrification of vessels.