ENTICE: Enhanced Ammonia Cracking to Improve Engine Combustion and Emissions

该项目将评估AFC能源公司的新型氨裂解技术的可行性，该技术将从根本上改善未来氨燃料船用发动机的燃烧和排放。氨气现在被广泛认为是一种优秀的可持续的未来船用发动机燃料，如果它的相对缓慢的燃烧可以得到改善。裂解装置的设计目的是间接地利用发动机的余热将一些储存的氨燃料分解或“裂解”成氢气。氢具有非常快的燃烧特性，可以使发动机更高效、更清洁地运行。因此，裂解的氢气将返回到氨发动机的进气系统，以辅助燃烧作为补充燃料来源。这项工作将包括在英国最先进的实验室进行精密发动机测试，以测量裂解装置对发动机燃烧、性能、燃料消耗和污染物排放的全面影响。项目工作将包括对现有和未来不同尺寸和用途的船只以及港口作业的裂解系统的实用性进行正式的技术评估。评估将考虑该系统对船舶设计、性能、安全和成本的影响。最终，该项目将有助于迅速加速该技术的市场化，下一步是在一艘运营船上进行全面演示，然后在英国进行全球范围的商业化。除船舶应用外，该技术还可用于其他应用，如固定式发电机和大型越野机械。

The ENTICE project will evaluate the feasibility of novel ammonia cracker technology from AFC Energy PLC to radically improve the combustion and emissions of future ammonia fuelled marine engines. Ammonia is now widely considered to be an excellent sustainable future fuel for marine engines provided its relatively slow combustion can be improved. The cracker is designed to indirectly use waste heat from the engine to split or "crack" some of the stored ammonia fuel into hydrogen gas. Hydrogen has very fast burning combustion characteristics that allow an engine to be operated more efficiently and cleanly. The cracked hydrogen gas will therefore be returned to the ammonia engine's intake system to aid the combustion as a supplementary fuel source. The work will involve precision engine testing in a state-of-the-art UK laboratory to measure the full impact of the cracker on engine combustion, performance, fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. The project work will include formal technical assessments of the practicality of the cracker system across existing and future boats and ships of varying sizes and use and portside operations. The assessments will consider the impact of the system on vessel design, performance, safety and cost. Ultimately, the project will help to rapidly accelerate the technology to market, with the next step involving full scale demonstration on an operating vessel followed by commercialisation at global scale from within the UK. In addition to marine applications, the technology can also be used in other applications such as stationary power generators and large off-road machinery.