AMMOnia Cracking Reactor for NEXt-generation Efficiency & Flexibility

Aanleiding

Rotterdam plays a key role due to its significant fossil energy imports via the Port of Rotterdam. As Europe progresses with its energy transition, Rotterdam's strategic position will evolve.

Hydrogen is critical in this shift, supported by the EU's REPowerEU plan to produce and import 10 million tonnes of hydrogen annually. Ammonia, the only viable hydrogen carrier, facilitates large-scale hydrogen importation, and ammonia cracking (i.e. conversion of ammonia to hydrogen) is integral to the ammonia value chain.

However, existing ammonia cracking technologies suffer from low efficiency, poor lifetime, and large footprint, preventing hydrogen import via ammonia from being deployed at a large scale. Duiker Clean Technologies has developed an ammonia cracking process based on over 15 years of experience with ammonia combustion; the process operates at high pressure and yields very high efficiency (> 90%), has a long lifetime, is extremely compact, and is environmentally friendly.

The project will pilot the innovative reactor that enables Duiker's ammonia cracking process.

Doelstelling

The AMMONEX Project (AMMOnia Cracking Reactor for NEXt-generation Efficiency & Flexibility) will design, engineer, build, and operate an ammonia cracking reactor pilot.

The objectives of the project are om te:

1. Demonstrate the reactor's reliability and efficiency for scaling up hydrogen production
2. Achieve targeted conversion efficiency at high pressure and high temperatures
3. Implement and demonstrate the automated reactor control system
4. Prove operational flexibility with minimal catalyst deactivation
5. Validate materials' resilience and accuracy of the advanced reactor models.

By unlocking efficient ammonia cracking, the project will contribute to developing sustainable hydrogen and hydrogen carriers. This is done by deploying technology that can increase the efficiency of the hydrogen import chain by using highly efficient ammonia cracking capable of delivering high-pressure ammonia.

Korte omschrijving

The planning phase of the project involves transitioning from a conceptual study to detailed engineering, followed by construction and commissioning.

The project's success lies in its holistic management of technical, commercial, financial, and risk considerations. Dit omvat een strategische aanpak voor de inkoop van lang-lead items en het navigeren door vergunningprocessen.

The project mitigates common construction risks and minimizes unforeseen challenges by streamlining permitting procedures and engineering skid-mounted units. Duiker will carry out the design and engineering primarily, with support from external experts for specialized tasks.

Duiker will also procure the main equipment, while the skid-builder will procure auxiliary systems and non-critical components. The test units will be installed on-site and brought online for piloting. The piloting will take place as part of two test campaigns:

1. The first test campaign will focus on model verification and verifying the operational capabilities of the reactor.
2. The second test campaign will focus on long-duration testing.

Resultaat

The primary outcome of the project is the physical pilot plant for the purpose of both technical and commercial validation.

On the technical front, the output will be a validated reactor model and verification performance under various operating modes. This will ensure that the reactor meets the necessary standards and functions as intended.

In addition, the commercial validation phase will involve long-term operations which will demonstrate that the technology is reliable and effective. Furthermore, the experience gained from building and operating the pilot plant will enhance the follow-up project's success.

This will be achieved by providing guidance on reactor fabrication, start-up, and operation based on lessons learned throughout the piloting process. Overall, the AMMONEX project will unlock a technology that can enable widespread low-cost hydrogen to be available in The Netherlands and Europe.