Ammonia power technology provider Amogy Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., and Southern Devall (formerly Southern Towing Co. and Devall Towing), Sulphur, La., on Nov. 1 announced a strategic partnership and technology deployment project to integrate Amogy’s technology in a tank barge for the first time.
Southern Devall currently services a significant portion of the ammonia production market and delivers ammonia to terminals for export and agricultural and chemical customers along America’s inland waterways.
Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power system converts ammonia into hydrogen for use in fuel cells or as a more energy dense method of long-distance hydrogen transportation. The system, already demonstrated in a farm tractor (GM June 3, p. 32) and an aerial drone, is now being scaled for use in larger applications, including ships and ammonia bunkering barges to support the maritime industry’s decarbonization efforts. Amogy said the partnership will provide it with access to vast ammonia infrastructure as well as the Southern Devall team’s expertise in handling ammonia and maritime operations.
A retrofit of a barge is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2023. An Amogy powerpack will generate the power needed to reliquefy ammonia as it heats up over the course of a voyage, instead of a diesel genset. The Amogy system will keep the ammonia tank pressure low, enabling Southern Devall to deliver ammonia to customers upon arrival and increase the utilization and profitability of their fleet.
Following the barge integration and demonstration, Amogy and Southern Devall plan to pursue retrofits of additional barges and tugboats, creating an ammonia-powered fleet that includes cargo transportation vessels as well as bunkering barges for efficient, emission-free refueling of ammonia-powered ships.