Claas has teamed up with MAN Engines and WTZ Roßlau to investigate the suitability of an ammonia-powered drive system as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and to sustainable fuels such as hydrogen in internal combustion engines.
Agricultural machinery requires a very high level of power that is reliably available over many hours. The GAMCO (Green Ammonia Multifuel Combine) research project is investigating how these requirements can be met using a sustainable ammonia-powered internal combustion engine. The assessment covers the entire well-to-wheel pathway, including the production and supply of the fuels used.
The engine used in the project utilises ammonia as its primary energy carrier. Ammonia itself contains no carbon and therefore produces no direct CO2 emissions when combusted. Ammonia can be produced from renewable energy sources worldwide in locations where energy is particularly cheap. Thanks to its high energy density and ease of storage compared to hydrogen, it is well suited as a transport medium for green energy.
Nevertheless, this energy source places high demands on combustion, exhaust gas after-treatment, storage and safe handling, all of which are to be investigated.
Claas sees ammonia-powered engines as a potential sustainable energy source for agricultural machinery in the future. “High-performance machines, particularly harvesting machinery and large tractors operating at full load, will continue to rely on energy-dense liquid fuels in the near future,” explains Dr Martin von Hoyningen-Huene, executive vice president of the Tractor Business Unit.
“To reduce the CO2 footprint, alternative fuels such as HVO or, subject to appropriate approval, B100 biodiesel can be utilised using largely existing technology and infrastructure, whilst hydrogen poses greater technical challenges. We would like to explore and better understand the opportunities and limitations of ammonia-powered engines as a potential further part of the solution.”
