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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Megawatts to methane – a deep drop in emissions reduction transition for existing regional gas-based ammonia plants

Jacob De Boer A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Kentplc, Perth, WA, Australia.




Jacob De Boer is the SME of Hydrogen and Emerging Fuels at Kentplc, which is a leading Engineering Company. Jacob is a highly experienced and effective front-end process expert who specialises in hydrogen and emerging energy solutions. He has worked with hydrogen, syngas and ammonia over various projects and energy sources (green, blue, grey and purple) in locations around the world, bringing both a global and regional perspective. He is in Perth, Western Australia.

* Correspondence to: jacob.deboer@kentplc.com

Australian Energy Producers Journal 64 S135-S138 https://doi.org/10.1071/EP23066
Accepted: 27 March 2024  Published: 16 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of Australian Energy Producers.

Abstract

Synthetic ammonia production sustains food production for more than half of the world’s population. Many regional ammonia plants convert all ammonia to ammonium nitrate fertiliser. With these, all carbon in the feed ends up as carbon dioxide (CO2), with around 2 tonnes of CO2 released per tonne of ammonia produced using natural gas. Conveniently, ammonia plants produce a substantial pre-concentrated CO2 stream. Ammonia plants are high-capex, long-life assets that operate for 40+ years. With the energy transition, replacing such assets is very high cost and will dramatically impact the cost of food production. Further, green energy is highly variable, leading to the need for additional supply side assets to stabilise energy supply. This paper outlines a transition approach for a 30% CO2 reduction (also a 43% case) to extend the useful life of these assets while re-using much of the plant, with the ability to turn on/off the green energy with minimal disruption for stable operation. The example plant is based on a typical 750 tpd ammonia gas Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) plant. The approach considers adding and integrating green power and biogas into this plant to reduce net reportable CO2 emissions. Methanation of CO2 has been demonstrated in several projects and is considered key in developing a transition pathway for an existing gas-based plant, extending its operational life and flexibility to operate with varying degrees of variable green energy supply. Further, whilst Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) is used in this case, the approach can be beneficially applied with methanol and other Power-to-X opportunities.

Keywords: ammonia, biogas, carbon capture, CO2 methanation, drop-in solution, electrolysis, extending plant life, green hydrogen.

Biographies

EP23066_B1.gif

Jacob De Boer is the SME of Hydrogen and Emerging Fuels at Kentplc, which is a leading Engineering Company. Jacob is a highly experienced and effective front-end process expert who specialises in hydrogen and emerging energy solutions. He has worked with hydrogen, syngas and ammonia over various projects and energy sources (green, blue, grey and purple) in locations around the world, bringing both a global and regional perspective. He is in Perth, Western Australia.

References

Albanese A (2022) Australian Government legislates emission reduction targets. Available at www.pm.gov.au

Erisman JW, Sutton MA, Galloway J, Klimont Z, Winiwarter W (2008) How a century of ammonia synthesis changed the world. Nature Geoscience 1, 636-639.
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