Techno-economic assessment of different small-scale electrochemical NH3 production plants

Journal article (2024)

Authors

B. Izelaar Large Scale Energy Storage - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
M. Ramdin Engineering Thermodynamics - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
Mar Pérez-Fortes Energy and Industry
A. Sajeev Kumar Large Scale Energy Storage - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
W. de Jong Large Scale Energy Storage - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
Fokko M. Mulder ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage - AS
F.M. Mulder ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage - AS
R. Kortlever Large Scale Energy Storage - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
Research Group
Large Scale Energy Storage (Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) (TU Delft)
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Published Date

2024

Language

English

Faculty

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Department

Process and Energy

Research Group

Large Scale Energy Storage

Abstract

Electrochemical ammonia synthesis via the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) has been poised as one of the promising technologies for the sustainable production of green ammonia. In this work, we developed extensive process models of fully integrated electrochemical NH
3 production plants at small scale (91 tonnes per day), including their techno-economic assessments, for (Li-)mediated, direct and indirect NRR pathways at ambient and elevated temperatures, which were compared with electrified and steam-methane reforming (SMR) Haber-Bosch processes. The levelized cost of ammonia (LCOA) of aqueous NRR at ambient conditions only becomes comparable with SMR Haber-Bosch at very optimistic electrolyzer performance parameters (FE > 80% at j ≥ 0.3 A cm
−2) and electricity prices (<$0.024 per kW h). Both high temperature NRR and Li-mediated NRR are not economically comparable within the tested variable ranges. High temperature NRR is very capital intensive due the requirement of a heat exchanger network, more auxiliary equipment and an additional water electrolyzer (considering the indirect route). For Li-mediated NRR, the high lithium plating potentials, ohmic losses and the requirement for H
2, limits its commercial competitiveness with SMR Haber-Bosch. This incentivises the search for materials beyond lithium.