CO2/NH3 Bi-Direction Shipping between Canada and Asia

“Green shipping corridors” are being established globally, including interest in new cargos of hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The former is challenging to transport in neat form, making liquid organic carriers (LOCs) and ammonia (NH3) attractive forms for transport. Carbon sequestration sites are also being established for CO2 disposal, however many are located far from near term point-sources of CO2 capture and later sites for renewably powered direct air capture (DAC). Shipping costs for both applications are challenging due the overall economics; as a possible solution, NH3 transport in one direction and CO2 transport in opposite direction can help drive down transport costs for both cargo types.
Transporting NH3 in one voyage direction, and CO2 transport in the opposite direction will avoid empty tank cruises. Both chemical species can be transported in a commonly designed tank given temperatures and pressure behavior. This project will carry out techno-economic assessment (TEA) of NH3 transport from BC to Asia, and return of CO2 for sequestration in BC. The work will explore key unknown aspects such as tank cleaning and design for transport conditions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Curran Crawford

Student:

Partner:

Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Victoria

Program: