Managing ammonia risk

BACKGROUND
In the push towards decarbonisation, ammonia has been identified as one of the top three potential fuels for 2050. Singapore will be embarking on a project to develop an ammonia supply chain, including ammonia bunkering. However, there is a risk of ammonia leakage during bunkering or fuel consumption, and its toxicity and lethal effects are bottlenecks to increased adoption. How might we enable early detection and effective management of ammonia leaks?

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEM

• Exposure to ammonia over time could result in life-threatening health effects
  or death
• 2021 case of ammonia leakage on-board an LPG tanker resulted in one
  seafarer death and three in critical condition
• Ammonia bunkering in Singapore is near densely populated areas, and
  dispersion of ammonia will pose a safety hazard to residents, hence leak
  containment is essential
• Mitigation of ammonia spills and venting of fumes during bunkering
• N₂O gas is generated during burning as a fuel
• Ammonia slip with unburnt gases which might be vented through the exhaust

POTENTIAL MARKET SIZE

• Global green ammonia market size was valued at USD 151.57 million in 2022
  and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of
  116.5% from 2023 to 2030

EXISTING EFFORTS

• Start-up “Measure.AI” has partially addressed this in SPC2023
• Water curtains are used to manage ammonia dispersion, but has a limited
  effectiveness

SOLUTION SUCCESS PARAMETERS

• Has to be cost-effective
• Have to be marinised
• Must be sensitive enough to detect ammonia concentrations of 20 ppm
• Has to send real-time alerts, especially for sudden leakages

POTENTIAL SOLUTION SPACES

• End to end sensing system/network placed onboard for detection and
  monitoring
• More effective technology to mitigate the dispersion of ammonia and N 2 O gas
  out of the vessel’s engines
• Vapour return system for bunkering system to ensure ammonia fumes are
  treated
• Robotics for ship operations especially for the engine room, pump room, and
  other enclosed spaces
• Metaverse training for crew to raise awareness about precautionary measures
• Improved ship design to reduce leakage of ammonia
• Video analytics that can pick up on ammonia leakage
• Removal of ammonia through chemicals/absorbents that can neutralise liquid
  and gaseous ammonia effectively