Lecture Topic: Ammonia Energy and Power
Expert: Agustin Valera-Medina
Date: December 8, 2025
Time: 18:30
Location: Room 1501, Energy Research Institute
Organizer: Energy Research Institute

Speaker Profile:
Professor Agustin Valera-Medina has participated as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator (Co-I) in 34 industrial projects, with a total funding exceeding £35 million. He has published 230 papers (h-index 47), including 105 specifically in the field of ammonia energy. Currently serving as Principal Investigator on multiple projects (such as SAFE-AGT, FLEXnCONFU, OceanREFuel, MariNH3, CAIPIRINH3A), he is dedicated to validating ammonia power applications in turbine engines, internal combustion engines, and industrial kilns. He has served on several scientific committees, chaired sub-sessions on the "direct use of ammonia" at international conferences, and moderated major industrial seminars. He contributed to two Royal Society policy briefs on ammonia as an energy carrier and is a lead author of two monographs on "Ammonia as an Energy Carrier." He is currently Co-Director of the Institute of Net Zero Innovation and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Ammonia Technologies (CEAT) at Cardiff University. He has also been elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (2024) and the Mexican Academy of Engineering (2025).

Research Expertise: Ammonia combustion, experimental diagnostics, and numerical simulations.

Lecture Summary:
The hydrogen economy has long been a focus for researchers, but the transportation and storage of hydrogen remain significant challenges. Utilizing substances like ammonia can improve operational performance and reduce costs for long-distance transportation and long-term storage. With its high hydrogen content and mature infrastructure as a fertilizer, ammonia offers a practical pathway for hydrogen storage and transportation. This carbon-free chemical holds promise for supporting the hydrogen transition and advancing decarbonization in transportation, power generation, and industrial sectors. The direct use of ammonia can further reduce costs and minimize efficiency losses. However, achieving high power output and low emissions in power generation and heating applications requires precise management. Additionally, other challenges, such as low-cost production and public awareness, need to be addressed. This session will showcase global research on ammonia fuel blends, addressing multi-scale application challenges in various power systems and driving the transition toward carbon-free fuels.

All faculty and students are welcome to attend!