Report on Ammonia Production by a hybrid process using solid-oxide electrolysis cells coupled with wind power
Budget: £250 – £750 GBP
It might be surprising that the commercial ammonia synthesis plants are still operating based on “Haber-Bosch” process (N2 + 3H2 2NH3) established around a hundred years ago.
The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of ammonia production using the solid-oxide electrochemical synthesis routes coupled with a wind power generation system in a typical coastal area in the UK. The solid-state electrochemical synthesis of ammonia has the promise to overcome the limitations of the current commercial catalytic technologies (based on “Haber-Bosch” process) such as the limited conversion, severe environmental pollution and high energy consumption. The state-of-the-art technique proposed to resolve the above issues is currently based on a cold electrolysis cell at atmospheric pressure and temperature; which has a very low efficiency and production rate. To overcome this issue, it is proposed in this study to use the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from N2 and H2O via developing a solid oxide ammonia electrolysis stack coupled with a wind-power generator as a hybrid system. The objectives of this study could be demonstrated by a comprehensive process design and simulation (preferably CHEMCAD, if not Aspen Plus), material and energy balance calculations, and a comparative economical evaluation and analysis.
Below are attached images of the marking criteria of this project.
The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of ammonia production using the solid-oxide electrochemical synthesis routes coupled with a wind power generation system in a typical coastal area in the UK. The solid-state electrochemical synthesis of ammonia has the promise to overcome the limitations of the current commercial catalytic technologies (based on “Haber-Bosch” process) such as the limited conversion, severe environmental pollution and high energy consumption. The state-of-the-art technique proposed to resolve the above issues is currently based on a cold electrolysis cell at atmospheric pressure and temperature; which has a very low efficiency and production rate. To overcome this issue, it is proposed in this study to use the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from N2 and H2O via developing a solid oxide ammonia electrolysis stack coupled with a wind-power generator as a hybrid system. The objectives of this study could be demonstrated by a comprehensive process design and simulation (preferably CHEMCAD, if not Aspen Plus), material and energy balance calculations, and a comparative economical evaluation and analysis.
Below are attached images of the marking criteria of this project.