SOON: Producing ammonia with renewable hydrogen

OCI has set the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Subsidiary OCI Nitrogen must also decarbonise. The company, based in Sittard, intends to replace the standard method for producing hydrogen in ammonia processes – the Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) – with hydrogen from renewable sources. After a hybrid transition phase (using SMR-based hydrogen at reduced tariffs and importing renewable hydrogen), OCI Nitrogen will explore the possibility of a set-up without an SMR.

SOON: objectives and actions

The project aims to provide deeper insights into decoupling the SMR from the ammonia synthesis unit in an ammonia plant. What is the technical feasibility of such decoupling? What are the implications for plant design, efficiency, energy and heat balances, and CO₂ emissions reduction in ammonia production when using renewable hydrogen streams? Another key objective is to establish the business case for the project and for sustainable ammonia production based on renewable hydrogen. The project will also provide details on expected greenhouse gas emission reductions and other environmental impacts. OCI requires this information to make its final investment decision and to support discussions with regulatory authorities and future customers of sustainable ammonia.

For this project, OCI is designing the installation. This design specifies the required processes and materials in sufficient detail to estimate the necessary modifications to the facilities and the associated implementation costs. Furthermore, OCI will design the connections to the external battery limits and analyse permitting requirements and environmental effects. All this information will be combined into a techno-economic model.

Results

The project is expected to deliver all the data required for a well-founded decision to move forward to the basic engineering phase, followed by a final investment decision and ultimately the demonstration of a zero-emission ammonia plant. The renewed installation will use external, more sustainable sources of hydrogen and nitrogen to produce ammonia in the existing ammonia synthesis section of OCI Nitrogen’s production line.

The SOON consortium

The consortium consists of: OCI Nitrogen.