Japanese Consortium to Study Ammonia Storage Safety Under NEDO-Backed Project

A consortium of Japanese companies and research institutions has been selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to conduct a feasibility study on ammonia storage and transport infrastructure. The initiative aims to address safety challenges associated with ammonia as an alternative fuel, particularly those related to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in steel structures.

The group includes classification society ClassNK, IHI Corporation, JFE Steel Corporation, Tohoku University, and the Institute of Science Tokyo. Their proposal was approved by NEDO in May, with the outsourcing agreement finalized recently.

The study will focus on evaluating the mechanisms of SCC, a phenomenon that occurs when mechanical stress and corrosion from substances like liquid ammonia lead to cracking in steel. ClassNK will investigate the behavior of ammonia in contact with steel surfaces and assess the actual conditions of marine transport equipment used for ammonia handling.

Planned activities include long-term SCC testing and the development of probability-based evaluation tools. These tools are expected to inform the creation of inspection guidelines, which ClassNK plans to publish. In later phases of the project, the consortium will work on drafting risk-based maintenance procedures for ammonia storage facilities, marine fuel tanks, and transport systems.

The effort is part of a broader push to enable the safe use of ammonia as a fuel, especially in maritime transport and thermal power generation. While ammonia is a zero-carbon fuel during combustion, it poses operational risks due to its toxicity and corrosive effects. The project seeks to establish technical standards and maintenance protocols to mitigate such risks.

Japan has identified ammonia as a component of its national Green Growth strategy, with potential applications across multiple sectors. The current study aims to address key technical hurdles and support the safe deployment of ammonia-based systems.