The aim of the HiPowAR project is to promote the acceptance of ammonia as a synthetic fuel without CO₂ emissions, encouraging the adoption of ammonia fuelling technologies. Ammonia (NH₃) is relatively common in nature and often serves as a precursor to food and agricultural fertilizers. Since there exists an entirely carbon-free and renewable way of the production of the so-called green ammonia, the further potential of this substance should be explored.   

A direct and highly efficient conversion of ammonia into useful work or propulsion power is the main goal of the EU project "HiPowAR". This is the first time that proof of feasibility has been provided for a completely new type of energy converter based on the total oxidation of the synthetic, carbon-free fuel NH₃ in a high-pressure membrane reactor.

The first calculations show that the available gas expansion work of the HiPowAR system enables a significantly higher efficiency than that of the best fuel cells. The electrical losses of the fuel cell are eliminated, as well as typical costly FC components (stacks, interconnectors, electrical wiring, reformer, afterburner etc.) of conventional fuel cells. Therefore a significant cost reduction is expected for subsequent commercial systems. This is especially true for high power outputs, since the power-standardized costs for commercial gas expanders (e.g. steam engines and steam turbines) decrease significantly with increasing power output.

The HiPowAR concept also relies on the use of the carbon-free synthetic fuel ammonia. This is much easier to store than hydrogen, but it is also much more difficult to convert into useful work or drive energy. This is mainly due to the low flame propagation speed, which limits direct combustion in conventional turbines and engines. This is why support fuels are usually used, which can be dispensed with for the first time in the new HiPowAR concept.

“HiPowAR focuses on a breakthrough in the direct energy conversion from NH3 fuel to power. For that purpose, a new promising process based on a membrane reactor will be realized and characterized experimentally. The process is comparable to a fuel cell with an inner short circuit but without any typical electrical interconnections avoiding electrical losses,” presents the research team in the project proposal.

The HiPowAR project, which started in September 2020 and runs for 48 months, is comprised of a full analysis of the new method and its possible application in current energy market. The project coordinator and Head of Research Group “Materials for Energy Technology” at Leibniz-Institut für Plasmaforschung und Technologie, Dr. Angela Kruth, sums up the purpose of the project:  

“The EU research project HiPowAR (Highly Efficient Power Production By Green Ammonia Total Oxidation In A Membrane Reactor) aims to advance the implementation of ammonia as an economical synthetic fuel for stationary power application but also for emission-free shipping, aviation and heavy-duty mobility.”

The project participants come from Germany (Leibniz-Institut für Plasmaforschung und Technologie – as the coordinating institution mentioned above, Zentrum für Brennstoffzellen Technik and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung), Italy (Politecnico di Milano), Czechia (PBS Brno) and Sweden (Ranotor).

Background information

FET-Open and FET Proactive are now part of the Enhanced European Innovation Council (EIC) Pilot (specifically the Pathfinder), the new home for deep-tech research and innovation in Horizon 2020, the EU funding programme for research and innovation.