Session: 09-10-01: Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Integrated Hydrogen Energy Systems I

Paper Number: 173154

Ammonia as Hydrogen Carrier: A Techno-Economic Analysis 

Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be produced from diverse energy sources and used to power multiple sectors including agriculture, transportation, and industry. Low volumetric density of hydrogen requires its transport at high pressure or in liquid form following compression or liquefaction, respectively. Alternatively, ammonia, due to its ability to enable hydrogen transport at lower pressure in a higher energy density form is an efficient hydrogen carrier. Thus, the understanding of the efficiency and economics of transporting ammonia is crucial, requiring a detailed techno-economic analysis (TEA) to benchmark the hydrogen delivery cost via ammonia carrier against conventional pathways. This study presents the Hydrogen Carrier Scenario Analysis Model (HCSAM), a techno-economic analysis (TEA) tool developed by Argonne National Laboratory. HCSAM incorporates data for the entire ammonia value chain, including production, transport, and decomposition processes.

HCSAM incorporates several ammonia production pathways, including hydrogen sourced from conventional natural gas reforming, natural gas reforming with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and water electrolysis. HCSAM also includes the transport of ammonia via truck-trailers, railways, pipelines and ocean tankers. Our TEA tool incorporates cost data obtained from the original equipment manufacturers, government databases, open literature, and utilizes H2A platform to perform cash-flow analysis and compare the levelized cost of delivered hydrogen $/kg across various technology pathways and scenarios. We utilize the waybill data supplied for the US rail traffic to compare the cost of transporting ammonia via railway. Findings indicate that truck-trailer transport of ammonia presents a lower cost alternative compared to hydrogen trucking due to its higher hydrogen payload capacity, albeit with additional overhead in ammonia decomposition. Similarly, pipeline transport of ammonia can be more economical than transporting gaseous hydrogen over long distances due to the higher energy density of liquid ammonia. For shorter distances, truck-trailers emerge as the preferred mode over rail transport of ammonia, however, pipeline transport becomes economically feasible for longer distances and higher demands. We also performed a comparative analysis of exporting hydrogen from the US to Asian and European markets in the form of ammonia. Overseas transport of ammonia using ocean tankers offers an economic benefit over liquid hydrogen shipping. This is mainly attributed to ammonia’s higher payload capacity and the potential boil-off losses associated with liquid hydrogen transport. This study underscores that the economics of physical hydrogen delivery versus ammonia carrier delivery primarily hinges on factors such as delivery volume, distance, the chosen mode of transport, and the specific end-use applications (i.e., industrial or vehicle fueling).

Presenting Author: Sajag Poudel Argonne National Laboratory

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Sajag Poudel has Ph.D. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and currently works at Argonne National Laboratory as an R&D Staff. His topic of interest includes Hydrogen Energy, Electric Vehicles, Energy Infrastructures, Thermo-Fluid Modeling, and Techno-economic Analysis.

Authors:

Sajag Poudel Argonne National Laboratory
Sheik Tanveer Argonne National Laboratory
Zilong Fang Argonne National Laboratory
Kyuha Lee Argonne National Laboratory
Yi Ran Lu Argonne National Laboratory
Hla Tun Argonne National Laboratory
Krishna Reddi Argonne National Laboratory
Pingping Sun Argonne National Laboratory
Amgad Elgowainy Argonne National Laboratory