Renewable ammonia for sustainable energy and agriculture: vision and systems engineering opportunities

Palys, Matthew J.; Wang, Hanchu; Zhang, Qi; Daoutidis, Pródromos

doi:10.1016/j.coche.2020.100667

Cited by 97 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In addition, there is scope for incorporating alternative technology choices for each of the system compo-nents considered in the process, similar to the approach adopted by Palys and Daoutidis. 55 For instance, where feasible, utilization of underground hydrogen storage could be modeled with injection, withdrawal rates and pressurization requirements dependent on the location.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variation in cost of electricity-driven continuous ammonia production in the United States

Bose

Lazouski

Gala

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Cost-effective, low-carbon ammonia production is necessary for decarbonizing its existing uses, but could also enable decarbonization of other difficult-to-electrify end uses like shipping where energy density is a key criterion. Here, we assess the levelized cost of ammonia production (95% availability) at industrial-scale quantities (250 tonnes/day) in 2030 from integrating commercial technologies for renewable electricity generation, electrolysis, ammonia synthesis and energy storage. Our analysis accounts for the spatial and temporal variability in cost and emissions attributes of electricity supply from variable renewable energy (VRE) sources and the grid, and its implications on plant design, operations, cost and emissions. Based on 2030 technology cost and grid projections, we find that grid-connected ammonia in the midcontinental U.S. costs 0.54-0.64 $/kg, as compared to 0.3-0.4 $/kg for natural gas-based ammonia and depending on the generation mix of the grid, may have higher or lower CO2 emissions. Fully VRE-based ammonia production, even with simultaneous wind and PV utilization, is more expensive than grid connected outcomes, due to the need for storage to manage VRE intermittency and continuous ammonia production. Instead, using VRE and grid electricity for ammonia production under moderate carbon policy (50$/tonne CO2 price) in the midcontinental U.S. can achieve 55-100% CO2 emissions reduction per tonne of ammonia compared to natural gas routes and corresponds to levelized cost range of 0.54-0.63 $/kg NH3). Further cost reductions are shown to be possible if the ammonia synthesis loop can be made more flexible, which reduces the need for round- the-clock electricity supply and the substitute use of battery storage with ammonia storage.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variation in cost of electricity-driven continuous ammonia production in the United States

Bose

Lazouski

Gala

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…An early analysis by Morud and Skogestad 45 utilized a relatively simple reactor model to reveal a nonminimum phase behavior (i.e., an inverse response) that was used to explain a closed-loop instability observed in an existing plant. Further studies considering the dynamics of ammonia plants are in the context of using ammonia as an energy carrier 46,47 ; here, we recall the work of Allman et al, 48,49 who accounted for process dynamics in the form of ramp rate constraints on increasing/ decreasing production rates in their production scheduling calculations.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the demand response potential of ammonia plants

Kelley

Bâldea

2022

AIChE Journal

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Demand-side management/demand response (DSM/DR) are key strategies for mitigating the inherent variability in electricity generation rates by renewable sources.This article represents-to our knowledge-the first foray into assessing the DR potential of ammonia plants. Ammonia plants are interesting candidates for DR initiatives because of their significant electricity use (for operating compressors driving the synthesis loop) and the ability to store the ammonia product relatively easily and safely. Our approach is based on formulating and solving an optimal DR scheduling problem for an ammonia plant while accounting for the process dynamics. To this end, we introduce a new Hammerstein-Wiener-inspired modeling framework based on injecting linear dynamics in a first-principles static nonlinear model of the process.The results are encouraging; for the cases considered, peak-time power consumption decreases between 3.57% and 7.40%, coupled with 1.39% to 3.70% reductions in operating cost.

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“…There are many studies investigating the techno-economic feasibility and decarbonization potential of green ammonia . The predominant process for producing green ammonia uses renewable electricity to power water electrolysis and air separation that produce hydrogen and nitrogen, respectively, which are then reacted to ammonia in the Haber-Bosch process .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are many studies investigating the techno-economic feasibility and decarbonization potential of green ammonia. 6 The predominant process for producing green ammonia uses renewable electricity to power water electrolysis and air separation that produce hydrogen and nitrogen, respectively, which are then reacted to ammonia in the Haber-Bosch process. 7 Existing studies focus on several important process optimization aspects, including reducing the cost of water electrolysis, 8 process intensification for ammonia synthesis, 9−11 modularization for distributed ammonia production, 12,13 and systematic process design and operation that take the intermittency of renewable energy sources into account.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing the Wind Power of the Ocean with Green Offshore Ammonia

Wang

Daoutidis

Zhang

2021

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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Offshore wind is playing an increasingly important role in our energy mix as it provides the opportunity to increase the penetration of wind energy considerably beyond the current capacity of land-based wind resources. While most planned offshore wind projects consider constructing the wind farms relatively close to the coast, there is vast untapped potential over the open ocean where wind velocities are significantly higher. However, transmitting electricity generated far from shore to onshore demand points is a major challenge since using submarine power cables for long distances can be prohibitively expensive. To address this challenge, we consider using offshore wind energy to directly produce green ammonia that can then be transported to shore via ships or pipelines. This is technically feasible since electricity-based production of ammonia only requires water and air as input materials. We perform a comprehensive techno-economic analysis for such green offshore ammonia plants, determining the minimum achievable levelized costs of ammonia for various wind profiles, plant capacities, distances to shore, and water depths. Our results indicate that the proposed approach has the promise to be cost-competitive, especially when considering expected cost reductions in offshore wind turbines in the foreseeable future.

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Renewable ammonia for sustainable energy and agriculture: vision and systems engineering opportunities

Cited by 97 publications

References 45 publications

Spatial variation in cost of electricity-driven continuous ammonia production in the United States

Spatial variation in cost of electricity-driven continuous ammonia production in the United States

Evaluating the demand response potential of ammonia plants

Harnessing the Wind Power of the Ocean with Green Offshore Ammonia

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