Ammonia as energy

January 2023 Motion Control & Drives

A New York startup, Amogy says it has successfully demonstrated the world’s first ammonia-powered tractor. The ammonia-to-energy system was incorporated into a standard, medium-sized John Deere tractor. Amogy says the technology features a “liquid-storage tank and highly efficient ammonia-cracking modules integrated into a hybrid fuel cell system, which can provide consistent primary power for several hours.” The ammonia-powered tractor was driven for separate periods, with a refuelling session in between. Refuelling a tractor with liquid ammonia is fast and simple, similar to gas or diesel refuelling.

Amogy says ammonia is a viable, high density, zero-emission fuel for heavy-duty vehicles. The company believes this energy source has many more applications outside of agrotech and stresses that infrastructure for an ammonia rollout − like pipelines, terminals and storage methods − already exists globally. It says the latest demonstration will help the platform gain traction, with an overall goal to “support the decarbonisation of the broader transport sectors, including trucking, shipping and more.”

Therefore, the pioneering vehicle maintains the functionality and duration requirements operators rely on to support farming tasks, which has never been offered with other alternative energy solutions.

Ammonia is a viable zero-emission fuel for all heavy-duty vehicles, but especially farming and agriculture, where the readily available chemical has been used as a fertiliser for decades. Amogy is at the forefront of efforts to establish zero-carbon ammonia as a leading fuel for these vehicles.

Further reading:

Novel bearing steel next generation of aeroengines
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
SKF continues to re-imagine intelligent and clean rotation with the development of an innovative temperature-resistant, corrosion-tolerant steel called ARCTIC15 designed for aeroengine bearings.

Read more...

---

Products from maxon
Motion Control & Drives
A wide range of new products is available from motion control specialist, maxon. with a diverse technology portfolio ranging from highly integrated robotic actuators to powerful servo drives and controllers.

Read more...

---

Actuators for precise hexapod movements
Motion Control & Drives
Aerotech, manufacturer of high-performance motion control and automation systems, is expanding its Automation1 platform. These compact hexapod devices enable the complete integration of six-axis motion systems into existing control

Read more...

---

Strategic system upgrades beat mining obsolescence and drive productivity
Motion Control & Drives
Mining operations are under constant pressure to maintain output while controlling costs. One persistent challenge continues to confront the industry, knowing when and how to upgrade aging systems before they become a liability.

Read more...

---

Precision meets performance: The ELGD Axes Family from Festo
Festo South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Festo has introduced the ELGD axes family, engineered for the demands of future-focused industries. With cutting-edge guide technology, exceptional rigidity and high load capacity, these axes deliver more performance within the same installation footprint.

Read more...

---

Condition monitoring in hazardous areas
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
SKF is further strengthening its condition monitoring offer portfolio by a newly developed hazardous area version of its Microlog Analyzer dBX portable vibration analyser.

Read more...

---

Rip-and-ship solution speeds up nuclear decommissioning project
Motion Control & Drives
When removing steam generators from decommissioned nuclear reactor buildings, the most economical method is to remove them in one piece. Mammoet was commissioned by Framatome to support with the removal of four steam generators from PreussenElektra’s Nuclear Power Plant Unterweser in Germany.

Read more...

---

WearCheck turns the focus on friction modifiers
Wearcheck Motion Control & Drives
One of the most important features of a lubricant is the reduction of friction between two surfaces.A dditives like friction modifiers are added to perform this function. Wearcheck turns the focus on friction modifiers

Read more...

---

SEW-EURODRIVE transforms drivetrain uptime
SEW-EURODRIVE Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
The DriveRadar IoT Suite from SEW-Eurodrive is an ideal solution for industrial condition monitoring. This powerful ecosystem of intelligent sensors, edge devices and cloud-based analytics ensures that customers have full visibility and control of their operations.

Read more...

---

PC-based control for flat wire motors for electric vehicles
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
Special machine manufacturer, ruhlamat Huarui Automation Technologies has unveiled the second generation of its mass production line for flexible stators with bar winding (pins). This enables an extremely short production cycle and line changeover times, supported by PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology from Beckhoff.

Read more...

---