Redefining the Ammonia Production Process
Abstract:
The chemical industry is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In efforts to reduce global warming and climate change, chemical companies are finding innovative methods to reduce their carbon footprint. Ammonia is one of the most produced chemicals in the world, used primarily in the agricultural industry as fertilizer. It is widely produced through the Haber Bosch process, using hydrogen and nitrogen as the feedstock. Current ammonia production processes emit high levels of CO2; thus, there is a need for a greener alternative. For the proposed plant, hydrogen will be produced by solid oxide electrolysis instead of traditional steam methane reforming. Onshore wind energy will be used to supply power to the plant, and the electrolysis stack. Nitrogen will be produced by pressure swing adsorption. Hydrogen and nitrogen are then compressed and synthesized to ammonia where heat integration is used. From there, the ammonia is sent to a refrigeration cycle to be cooled for storage before shipping. It was determined that Texas is the optimal location. Measures to mitigate any hazards to the environment, workers and the public were addressed in the design of the plant. The design of the plant applies methods of minimizing energy thus reducing the carbon footprint while meeting market demand for ammonia
Students:
Zaria Layne, Gupar Punia, Arav Saherwala, Moawaz Sheikh, Varshiga Vijayakumar
