Handling of ammonia accidental fuel leakages on ships

Abstract

Introducing ammonia as a ship-fuel comes with different challenges. This paper analyzes some of the safety aspects of using ammonia as a fuel for vessel propulsion. Specifically, the study focuses on the handling of accidental releases from the refrigerated storage tank and the connected fuel systems within enclosed spaces, such as the tank room and the engine room. A possible handing technology for ammonia leaks on ships are compact ammonia scrubbers, and to enable such compact scrubbers this work also studies the influence of packed bed geometries on bubble dynamics, identifying design characteristics that can improve ammonia dissolution or neutralization efficiency.