Ricardo completes feasibility study on ammonia as a future marine fuel
Ricardo has completed a feasibility study on ammonia as a future marine fuel, delivering a concept combustion system design and validated injection data.
- £230 million
- £107 million
- 247
- 200 bar
What Happened
Ricardo has completed a feasibility study into the use of ammonia as a future fuel for the maritime sector as part of the FASTMOVE project, delivering a concept combustion system design and validated injection data that will shape the next phase of ammonia engine development. FASTMOVE stands for Feasibility of Ammonia 4-STroke Marine engines in Offshore VEssels and was delivered in partnership with Brunel University of London and the Port of Cromarty Firth. Drawing on its extensive experience in combustion engineering and the maritime sector, the team developed the initial combustion concepts for the project. The consortium set out to understand how ammonia could support decarbonisation across the marine sector and inform the design of a next-generation ammonia combustion engine, positioning the UK at the forefront of low-emission marine propulsion.
The project forms part of UK SHORE, the Department for Transport programme driving the UK's transition to a cleaner maritime sector. Since 2022, UK SHORE has allocated more than £230 million to over 247 projects and leveraged in excess of £107 million in private investment. It supports 500 organisations from Belfast and Orkney to Cornwall and Portsmouth, with Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, serving as the principal delivery partner.
- Captured high-pressure ammonia injection experimental data at 200 bar
- Developed and validated ammonia spray modelling using CFD simulations
- Produced high-pressure dual-fuel (HPDF) combustion models
- Generated a concept engine combustion system design
- Developed three HPDF combustion system concepts, taking the most viable forward for deeper analysis to optimise injection and combustion conditions and refine emissions predictions
Safety ran as a parallel workstream, covering in-port and on-board ammonia storage for offshore support vessels, as well as bunkering operations. The team also mapped safety considerations against current regulatory and environmental risk frameworks. This included the storage technologies required at the Port of Cromarty Firth, on-board vessels, and across the bunkering process.
“We're delighted to have led on this project, which will act as a case study to help determine whether ammonia offers a more sustainable solution for the maritime sector. The outcomes will be used to understand the feasibility of developing a single cylinder engine (SCE) to further verify combustion processes. We will also consider potential commercialisation of this technology and the use of ammon”
Why this matters
Ammonia could help decarbonise the maritime sector, and this study is a step toward a next-generation ammonia combustion engine. The project is part of UK SHORE, a government programme that has allocated over £230 million since 2022, so the outcome could help determine whether ammonia becomes a viable, more sustainable fuel for the marine industry.
Terms in This Story
- High-pressure dual-fuel (HPDF)
- A combustion system that can run on two fuels, with at least one injected at high pressure.
- CFD
- Computational Fluid Dynamics – a computer simulation method used to model how liquids and gases flow.
- Bunkering
- The process of supplying fuel to ships.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.