Ammonia am GWI

As part of the decarbonization efforts, the use of renewable fuel gases such as hydrogen or synthetic natural gas (SNG) presents a promising option for replacing fossil fuels in thermal process plants. In addition to hydrogen as a carbon-free energy carrier, ammonia (NH₃) is increasingly gaining attention as a potential fuel for combustion processes. While ammonia offers significant advantages over hydrogen in terms of liquefaction, storage, and transport it also presents various technical challenges due to its unfavorable combustion characteristics and high potential for NO_x formation. To conduct practical investigations into ammonia combustion, the experimental infrastructure at GWI was upgraded both in terms of measurement capabilities and safety equipment. Currently, firing rates of up to 160 kW in pure ammonia operation ican be achieved, with plans to increase the maximum firing rate to around 300 kW by early 2024. Furthermore, the existing infrastructure enables the production of fuel gas blends consisting of natural gas, CO₂, H₂, N₂, CO, C₃H₆, and NH₃. 

Through an early commitment on this increasingly relevant energy policy topic of direct ammonia utilization, GWI has developed a solid expertise in both experimental and theoretical work in recent years.