Process Design and Techno-Economic Assessment of the Amine-based CO2 Capture Integrated Ammonia Production Process

Abstract

With the ongoing shift from carbon-based energy sources to low-carbon energy sources, there is a growing interest in hydrogen and ammonia as a next- generation energy sources. Particularly, there is an increasing focus on the economic production of clean hydrogen and ammonia, which can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emission. This study aims to develop the process design framework of the capture-integrated ammonia production process which allows to systematically investigate the techno-economic impact of CO2 capture in a holistic manner. The plant for producing 2000 ton/day of grey and blue ammonia is designed with the aid of Unisim®, with which sensitivity analysis is performed to understand the operating characteristics of ammonia production subject to changes in key design parameters, including feed flow rate, reactor temperature, and pressure. Through techno-economic assessment, the LCOA (Levelized Cost of Ammonia) without considering CO2 tax is estimated as $471.5/tonNH3 for the grey ammonia and $535.3/tonNH3 for the blue one. However, when higher than $56/tonCO2 of tax is imposed to evaluate LCOA, the economics of producing blue ammonia over grey one becomes better. Through this study, a conceptual understanding of the cost- effective design and operation of blue ammonia production is gained.