Aragon’s FPSO Set to Bring Down Zero-Carbon Ammonia Costs and Quadruple Gas Monetization

Aragon, part of Seatrium, has high hopes for a blue ammonia floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit, which already secured approval in principle (AiP) from classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

While celebrating the award of the approval in principle from ABS for the blue ammonia FPSO, known as the FPSO Bluebell, Aragon underlines that the solution lowers the cost of zero-carbon ammonia while quadrupling gas monetization.

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This FPSO is designed to utilize a natural gas reforming process with greater than 95% carbon capture to produce refrigerated blue ammonia for global export. The main onboard process technologies entail natural gas pre-treatment and oxygen-blown autothermal reforming (ATR), alongside integrated CO2 capture and liquefaction systems.

The unit also encompasses Syngas purification and the Haber-Bosch ammonia process, onboard air separation units designed for floating installations, generating pure oxygen and nitrogen with liquid buffer storage, and ultra-pure water generation from seawater for reforming processes.

The FPSO Bluebell is envisioned to provide a flexible, low-carbon alternative, leveraging natural gas with advanced CO2 capture technologies to accelerate the energy transition at a competitive cost.

Aragon, which is keen on driving innovation in both green and blue ammonia production, also has the FPSO Amalia, perceived to deliver a sustainable, green ammonia solution powered entirely by renewable energy, supporting the global shift to clean fuels.

Among energy transition initiatives, ammonia is becoming popular when it comes to FPSOs, as illustrated by the AiP for the FPSO design with onboard carbon capture technology developed by MODEC and Toyo Engineering Corporation (TOYO).

Multiple players took ammonia steps last year, including Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Lloyd’s Register (LR), which joined forces to develop an FPSO for green ammonia, and McDermott and BW Offshore that teamed up to advance the technical and commercial viability of offshore blue ammonia production.