IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i5p1248-d1604837.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Development of Ammonia Combustion Technology for NOx Reduction

Author

Listed:
  • Hossein Ali Yousefi Rizi

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702, Republic of Korea)

  • Donghoon Shin

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

This study comprehensively reviewed the engineering theories and technologies required for using ammonia as a fuel. The slow reaction rate and high NOx emissions of ammonia remain challenging issues with existing combustion technologies. Accordingly, the causes of these problems with ammonia were analyzed and the results of research aimed at solving these issues and commercializing ammonia combustion were examined to explore future directions for the development of ammonia combustion technology. The equivalence ratio (ER) emerged as the most important factor, closely related to operational stability and NOx emissions. Various combustion technologies, such as staged combustion and flameless combustion, have been attempted, but NOx emissions remain high at overall ER < 1, necessitating post-treatment processes. The internal recirculation of combustion gases is a key technology that enhances the stability of ammonia combustion, and its extreme case, flameless combustion technology, is predicted to form stable ammonia combustion. This is related to supplying the radicals that are lacking in the pure ammonia combustion process through the recirculation of combustion gases. By utilizing this, if the stability of ammonia combustion is secured and staged ER control technology is established, it is believed that the commercialization of pure ammonia combustion technology will be possible in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Hossein Ali Yousefi Rizi & Donghoon Shin, 2025. "Development of Ammonia Combustion Technology for NOx Reduction," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-30, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:5:p:1248-:d:1604837
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1248/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1248/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hossein Ali Yousefi Rizi & Donghoon Shin, 2022. "Green Hydrogen Production Technologies from Ammonia Cracking," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-49, November.
    2. Xing, Fei & Kumar, Arvind & Huang, Yue & Chan, Shining & Ruan, Can & Gu, Sai & Fan, Xiaolei, 2017. "Flameless combustion with liquid fuel: A review focusing on fundamentals and gas turbine application," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 28-51.
    3. Sorrentino, Giancarlo & Sabia, Pino & Bozza, Pio & Ragucci, Raffaele & de Joannon, Mara, 2019. "Low-NOx conversion of pure ammonia in a cyclonic burner under locally diluted and preheated conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    4. Weber, Roman & Gupta, Ashwani K. & Mochida, Susumu, 2020. "High temperature air combustion (HiTAC): How it all started for applications in industrial furnaces and future prospects," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    5. Ruiqi Zhu & Donghoon Shin, 2023. "Study on Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of 25 kW Flameless Combustion in a Cylindrical Heat Exchanger for a Reforming Processor," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-20, October.
    6. Li, Jun & Huang, Hongyu & Kobayashi, Noriyuki & Wang, Chenguang & Yuan, Haoran, 2017. "Numerical study on laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of ammonia flame with hydrogen addition," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 796-809.
    7. Andersson, Jim & Lundgren, Joakim, 2014. "Techno-economic analysis of ammonia production via integrated biomass gasification," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 484-490.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mustafa Alnaeli & Mohammad Alnajideen & Rukshan Navaratne & Hao Shi & Pawel Czyzewski & Ping Wang & Sven Eckart & Ali Alsaegh & Ali Alnasif & Syed Mashruk & Agustin Valera Medina & Philip John Bowen, 2023. "High-Temperature Materials for Complex Components in Ammonia/Hydrogen Gas Turbines: A Critical Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-46, October.
    2. Zha, Xiaojian & Zhang, Zewu & Zhao, Zhenghong & Yang, Long & Mao, Wenchao & Wu, Fan & Li, Xiaoshan & Luo, Cong & Zhang, Liqi, 2024. "Comparative study on co-firing characteristics of normal and superfine pulverized coal blended with NH3 under the MILD combustion mode," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    3. Yan, Beibei & Wu, Zhaoting & Zhou, Shengquan & Lv, Jingwen & Liu, Xiaoyun & Wu, Wenzhu & Chen, Guanyi, 2024. "A critical review of NH3–H2 combustion mechanisms," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    4. Xiao, Hua & Valera-Medina, Agustin & Bowen, Philip J, 2017. "Study on premixed combustion characteristics of co-firing ammonia/methane fuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 125-135.
    5. Yu, Wenbin & Zhao, Feiyang & Yang, Wenming, 2020. "Qualitative analysis of particulate matter emission from diesel engine fueled with Jet A-1 under multivariate combustion boundaries by principal component analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    6. Zhao, Yuling & He, Xiaomin & Li, Mingyu, 2020. "Effect of mainstream forced entrainment on the combustion performance of a gas turbine combustor," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    7. Jiang, Jianrong & Feng, Xiao, 2019. "Energy optimization of ammonia synthesis processes based on oxygen purity under different purification technologies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 819-828.
    8. Wen, Du & Aziz, Muhammad, 2022. "Techno-economic analyses of power-to-ammonia-to-power and biomass-to-ammonia-to-power pathways for carbon neutrality scenario," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    9. Xu, Shunta & Xi, Liyang & Tian, Songjie & Tu, Yaojie & Chen, Sheng & Zhang, Shihong & Liu, Hao, 2023. "Numerical investigation of pressure and H2O dilution effects on NO formation and reduction pathways in pure hydrogen MILD combustion," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).
    10. Eugenio Giacomazzi & Donato Cecere & Matteo Cimini & Simone Carpenella, 2023. "Direct Numerical Simulation of a Reacting Turbulent Hydrogen/Ammonia/Nitrogen Jet in an Air Crossflow at 5 Bar," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-17, November.
    11. Li, Tian & Niu, Yanqing & Wang, Liang & Shaddix, Christopher & Løvås, Terese, 2018. "High temperature gasification of high heating-rate chars using a flat-flame reactor," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 100-107.
    12. Enagi, Ibrahim I. & Al-attab, K.A. & Zainal, Z.A., 2018. "Liquid biofuels utilization for gas turbines: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 43-55.
    13. Chen, Longfei & Zhang, Zhichao & Lu, Yiji & Zhang, Chi & Zhang, Xin & Zhang, Cuiqi & Roskilly, Anthony Paul, 2017. "Experimental study of the gaseous and particulate matter emissions from a gas turbine combustor burning butyl butyrate and ethanol blends," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 693-701.
    14. Hidegh, Gyöngyvér & Csemány, Dávid & Vámos, János & Kavas, László & Józsa, Viktor, 2021. "Mixture Temperature-Controlled combustion of different biodiesels and conventional fuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    15. Yang, Xiao & He, Zhihong & Qiu, Penghua & Dong, Shikui & Tan, Heping, 2019. "Numerical investigations on combustion and emission characteristics of a novel elliptical jet-stabilized model combustor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 1082-1097.
    16. Rimkus, Alfredas & Matijošius, Jonas & Bogdevičius, Marijonas & Bereczky, Ákos & Török, Ádám, 2018. "An investigation of the efficiency of using O2 and H2 (hydrooxile gas -HHO) gas additives in a ci engine operating on diesel fuel and biodiesel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 640-651.
    17. Huang, Yakun & He, Xiaomin & Jin, Yi & Zhu, Huanyu & Zhu, Zhixin, 2021. "Effect of non-uniform inlet profile on the combustion performance of an afterburner with bluff body," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    18. Zhao, Haitao & Jiang, Peng & Chen, Zhe & Ezeh, Collins I. & Hong, Yuanda & Guo, Yishan & Zheng, Chenghang & Džapo, Hrvoje & Gao, Xiang & Wu, Tao, 2019. "Improvement of fuel sources and energy products flexibility in coal power plants via energy-cyber-physical-systems approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    19. Zhang, Hanfei & Wang, Ligang & Van herle, Jan & Maréchal, François & Desideri, Umberto, 2020. "Techno-economic comparison of green ammonia production processes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    20. Wiinikka, Henrik & Wennebro, Jonas & Gullberg, Marcus & Pettersson, Esbjörn & Weiland, Fredrik, 2017. "Pure oxygen fixed-bed gasification of wood under high temperature (>1000°C) freeboard conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 153-162.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:5:p:1248-:d:1604837. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.