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Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by diggernet on Saturday November 07, 2020 @09:09PM (#25022123)
Indeed. Household ammonia is only about a 3% solution. No big deal. 30% ammonia can give you a nosebleed if you sniff it. Break a couple bottles of 30% ammonia in a closed room, and people entering that room without an air supply will likely die. TFA doesn't mention the concentration they would use for fuel, but surely the higher the better. I wouldn't want to work on a ship running that stuff. Small leaks of various things are way too common, and ammonia is way too dangerous.
Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by occamrazor on Sunday November 08, 2020 @05:15AM (#25024622)
The article mentions that large amounts of ammonia are routinely transported as cargo. Storing ammonia safely isn’t easy, but it’s mostly a solved problem.
Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by jowsie on Sunday November 08, 2020 @08:50AM (#25025801)
Big difference between safely storing for transport and using it as a fuel in an engine.
Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by johnr2 on Sunday November 08, 2020 @03:54AM (#25024230)
> ammonia is way too dangerous

The thought of working in the confines of a ship's engine room with such a hazardous fuel is horrifying. One reason for the widespread use of diesel oil is that it's relatively safe for human operatives.

Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by Grazester on Sunday November 08, 2020 @06:55AM (#25025157)
Engine rooms on these ships have large extractors and ventilation systems.
Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by DuskStar on Sunday November 08, 2020 @08:49PM (#25030681)
I'd look at that as "look how large of fans we need to make diesel safe", not "we have big fans and thus can use ammonia".
Re:The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships by Dylan16807 on Wednesday November 11, 2020 @05:19PM (#25063691)
Carbon monoxide is very dangerous. Removing that to replace it with the risks from ammonia could be a net improvement.