Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NH3CRAFT (Safe and efficient storage of ammonia within ships)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-06-01 al 2023-11-30
NH3CRAFT aims at fully designing, engineering, developing and demonstrating a next generation sustainable, commercially attractive and safe technology for high-quantity on-board storage of NH3 as marine fuel. Two innovative modular and scalable steel and composite storage tank configurations for approximately 1,000 m3 liquid NH3 at 10 bar and the
corresponding auxiliary systems will be installed on a 31,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) multi-purpose vessel. The demonstrator vessel has been designated and provided by a participating major ship management company.
Additionally, five different types of vessels and corresponding fuel-storage tank concept adaptations are examined and documented as desktop studies: a SSS (short-sea-shipping) bulk carrier, a tanker and a container ocean going vessels, a typical RoPax ferry, and a small Inland Waterways Transportation double-ended ferry.
An innovative digital platform is being developed and will integrate all core simulations and models through digital interfaces, offering an engineering system matrix and specifications for the fuel storage, supply, and handling subsystems.
Furthermore, safety and risk assessment for all vessels will lead to the development of safety guidelines and classification rules.
NH3CRAFT will showcase the entire NH3 supply chain in order to increase confidence in its use and promote its uptake. LCA and techno-economic evaluation will prove the sustainability and will support further exploitation and commercialization of the innovative solutions.
The vision is to pioneer the reduction of GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 and, contributing to the eventual “elimination of total GHG emissions and air pollution” from shipping (SRIA for ZEWT goals) remaining consistent with the Paris Agreement.
NH3CRAFT aspires to help Europe serve societal needs, maintain global maritime leadership, and support an innovation-driven industry with highly skilled jobs, safe, efficient, and sustainable technological solutions, with new international standards, rules, and regulations.
corresponding auxiliary systems will be installed on a 31,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) multi-purpose vessel. The demonstrator vessel has been designated and provided by a participating major ship management company.
Additionally, five different types of vessels and corresponding fuel-storage tank concept adaptations are examined and documented as desktop studies: a SSS (short-sea-shipping) bulk carrier, a tanker and a container ocean going vessels, a typical RoPax ferry, and a small Inland Waterways Transportation double-ended ferry.
An innovative digital platform is being developed and will integrate all core simulations and models through digital interfaces, offering an engineering system matrix and specifications for the fuel storage, supply, and handling subsystems.
Furthermore, safety and risk assessment for all vessels will lead to the development of safety guidelines and classification rules.
NH3CRAFT will showcase the entire NH3 supply chain in order to increase confidence in its use and promote its uptake. LCA and techno-economic evaluation will prove the sustainability and will support further exploitation and commercialization of the innovative solutions.
The vision is to pioneer the reduction of GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 and, contributing to the eventual “elimination of total GHG emissions and air pollution” from shipping (SRIA for ZEWT goals) remaining consistent with the Paris Agreement.
NH3CRAFT aspires to help Europe serve societal needs, maintain global maritime leadership, and support an innovation-driven industry with highly skilled jobs, safe, efficient, and sustainable technological solutions, with new international standards, rules, and regulations.
Following the work performed during the first 18 months of NH3CRAFT project, both the design of the fuel containment system and the respective auxiliaries are being finalized. The major outcomes of the safety assessment workshops (HAZID and HAZOP) have been integrated in the detailed layout for the demonstrator vessel. The development of the engineering design for both the metallic and the composite tanks ensures the safe and efficient storing of large quantities of NH3 fuel on-board a retrofitted multi-purpose vessel, resulting in total capacity of approx. 750 m3. The future regulatory developments may facilitate the increase in capacity for future designs, especially for the case of the desktop studies.
Apart from the demonstration of storing large quantities of NH3 fuel on-board a multi-purpose vessel, NH3CRAFT project focuses also on the wider applicability and transferability of the developed solutions to five different cases of marine transport and inland navigation. The data requirements and the planning for these desktop studies considering both on-deck and hull-integrated NH3 storage have been examined, for the retrofit and/or new-building approach in a short sea shipping (SSS) bulk carrier, two ocean going (OG) vessels (a tanker and a container ship), an IWT double ended ferry and a passenger vessel. Currently the basic design of the tank storage system for the desktop studies is ongoing, integrating all design and safety aspects identified from the demonstrator’s design developments, incorporating modular and scalable approach opting for the retrofit cost reduction.
As far as the ammonia safety assessment and the resepctive regulatory adaptations are concerned, the project's development so far can be divided into two main pillars: The first one is directly linked to the NH3CRAFT project, including the evaluation of the so far engineering design correlated with the outcomes of the safety assessment workshops (HAZID and HAZOP). The second pillar is based on the examination of the current regulatory framework (technical requirements and existing rules on ammonia), with the intention to identify possible items that could possibly require amendments and/or additions, as well as reveal the need for the publication of new ones.
Lastly, a digitalized tool solution is under development, to minimize the assessment time for ammonia solutions to serve the maritime industry. Although the finalization of this specific item will be achieved in the second half of the project, some first steps have already taken place towardsthis direction. A manual, in the form of a report, has been developed to describe the core architecture of the digital platform. This platform is under development with safety assessment outcomes (HAZID and HAZOP workshops & expected FMEA) along with the required front-end and back-end functionalities being added. The completion of the digitalized tools, mainly at the second reporting period, is expected to significantly reduce the assessment time required for a case-by-case assessment on possible ammonia newbuild or retrofit projects.
Apart from the demonstration of storing large quantities of NH3 fuel on-board a multi-purpose vessel, NH3CRAFT project focuses also on the wider applicability and transferability of the developed solutions to five different cases of marine transport and inland navigation. The data requirements and the planning for these desktop studies considering both on-deck and hull-integrated NH3 storage have been examined, for the retrofit and/or new-building approach in a short sea shipping (SSS) bulk carrier, two ocean going (OG) vessels (a tanker and a container ship), an IWT double ended ferry and a passenger vessel. Currently the basic design of the tank storage system for the desktop studies is ongoing, integrating all design and safety aspects identified from the demonstrator’s design developments, incorporating modular and scalable approach opting for the retrofit cost reduction.
As far as the ammonia safety assessment and the resepctive regulatory adaptations are concerned, the project's development so far can be divided into two main pillars: The first one is directly linked to the NH3CRAFT project, including the evaluation of the so far engineering design correlated with the outcomes of the safety assessment workshops (HAZID and HAZOP). The second pillar is based on the examination of the current regulatory framework (technical requirements and existing rules on ammonia), with the intention to identify possible items that could possibly require amendments and/or additions, as well as reveal the need for the publication of new ones.
Lastly, a digitalized tool solution is under development, to minimize the assessment time for ammonia solutions to serve the maritime industry. Although the finalization of this specific item will be achieved in the second half of the project, some first steps have already taken place towardsthis direction. A manual, in the form of a report, has been developed to describe the core architecture of the digital platform. This platform is under development with safety assessment outcomes (HAZID and HAZOP workshops & expected FMEA) along with the required front-end and back-end functionalities being added. The completion of the digitalized tools, mainly at the second reporting period, is expected to significantly reduce the assessment time required for a case-by-case assessment on possible ammonia newbuild or retrofit projects.
There are no tank solutions available on the market that allow large-volume onboard storage of ammonia as fuel onboard ships. In this respect, both the project idea of developing corresponding hull-integrated tanks and fuel containment systems installed on deck, as well as the relevant risk & safety assessment approached developed for this new and demanding alternative fuel, reach well beyond the current state of the art in the waterborne sector.