Ammonia
Ammonia is a carbon-free fuel. At present, production of ammonia generates CO2, but imminent substitution of conventional methods by green ammonia production using renewable energy paves the way to decarbonize the entire value chain: from production to energy generation.
As a transportable and storable energy carrier with high hydrogen energy content, it assists the H2 economy and can also promote new flexible power generation for end use applications as in chemical industry and in maritime transport.
On one end, SOFC has the advantage to being able to crack ammonia internally, due to the high operating temperatures, on the other hand this must comply with the long-term duration of all the components. So, there are two main alternatives that will be investigated to either include an external ammonia cracker or utilize the direct ammonia cracking in the internal SOFC process. But intermediate solutions with a partial cracking before the stack could also constitute an optimal situation for a better heat integration while also avoiding nitridation of expensive system components.
optimal heat management consistent with fuel cell ammonia conversion process will maximize the efficiency in electric power conversion. This would require a multi objective optimization and a mass and energy balance analysis.
the use of the fuel in the burner would support heating-up and cooling-down and other transient operations, reducing to zero the external support of electrical heaters. In addition, it guarantees the complete conversion of ammonia from the exhausted gas and the use of all the residual thermal power available into the exhausted gas at the anode side. There will be a multi objective optimization between several configuration options to identify the max power output available for specific off-gas management.
the SOFC technology and its intrinsic fuel flexibility allow high conversion efficiency of the fuel into power. Optimized solutions will be investigated to allow long term durability of the SOFC stack components when ammonia is used. In addition, the control of the fuel utilization of the stack will be a second key element. The higher the fuel utilization, the lower the recirculation needed, which will decrease CAPEX and the requirement for the pressurization of the system.
part of the off-gas management. It increases the net fuel utilization at the SOFC stack reducing the amount of unreacted fuel and leveraging the overall conversion electric efficiency. AMON is willing to investigate the potential of anode recirculation to improve electrical efficiency at different operating modes.
1) Ammonia cracker
On one end, SOFC has the advantage to being able to crack ammonia internally, due to the high operating temperatures, on the other hand this must comply with the long-term duration of all the components. So, there are two main alternatives that will be investigated to either include an external ammonia cracker or utilize the direct ammonia cracking in the internal SOFC process. But intermediate solutions with a partial cracking before the stack could also constitute an optimal situation for a better heat integration while also avoiding nitridation of expensive system components.
2) Heat Exchange network
optimal heat management consistent with fuel cell ammonia conversion process will maximize the efficiency in electric power conversion. This would require a multi objective optimization and a mass and energy balance analysis.
3) Burner
the use of the fuel in the burner would support heating-up and cooling-down and other transient operations, reducing to zero the external support of electrical heaters. In addition, it guarantees the complete conversion of ammonia from the exhausted gas and the use of all the residual thermal power available into the exhausted gas at the anode side. There will be a multi objective optimization between several configuration options to identify the max power output available for specific off-gas management.
4) SOFC
the SOFC technology and its intrinsic fuel flexibility allow high conversion efficiency of the fuel into power. Optimized solutions will be investigated to allow long term durability of the SOFC stack components when ammonia is used. In addition, the control of the fuel utilization of the stack will be a second key element. The higher the fuel utilization, the lower the recirculation needed, which will decrease CAPEX and the requirement for the pressurization of the system.
5) Anode Gas Recirculator
part of the off-gas management. It increases the net fuel utilization at the SOFC stack reducing the amount of unreacted fuel and leveraging the overall conversion electric efficiency. AMON is willing to investigate the potential of anode recirculation to improve electrical efficiency at different operating modes.
AMON innovation
Once validated in the lab, the AMON final system will become a demonstrator, hosted by SAPIO to perform tests in the relevant environment of its premises in Porto Marghera.
The tests will be performed to target the total testing time foreseen for AMON (at least 3.000 hrs), including one single long-term test for 1.000 hrs, reaching out the 95% of system availability and checking the final performances as indicated in the paragraph 1.1 on the project objectives. The planned tests will regard the use of the technology to support autonomous power systems as well as backup power, at the same validating the operative modes for a scaled-up system to be integrated in a harbour or a maritime environment
How AMON works
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