Using ammonia as a sustainable fuel

In this study, ammonia is identified as a sustainable fuel for mobile and remote applications. Similar to hydrogen, ammonia is a synthetic product that can be obtained either from fossil fuels, biomass, or other renewable sources. Some advantages of ammonia with respect to hydrogen are less expensive cost per unit of stored energy, higher volumetric energy density that is comparable with that of gasoline, easier production, handling and distribution with the existent infrastructure, and better commercial viability. Here, the possible ways to use ammonia as a sustainable fuel in internal combustion engines and fuel-cells are discussed and analysed based on some thermodynamic performance models through efficiency and effectiveness parameters. The refrigeration effect of ammonia, which is another advantage, is also included in the efficiency calculations. The study suggests that the most efficient system is based on fuel-cells which provide simultaneously power, heating and cooling and its only exhaust consists of water and nitrogen. If the cooling effect is taken into consideration, the system's effectiveness reaches 46% implying that a medium size car ranges over 500 km with 50 l fuel at a cost below $2 per 100 km. The cooling power represents about 7.2% from the engine power, being thus a valuable side benefit of ammonia's presence on-board.