Solar thermochemical production of ammonia from water, air and sunlight: Thermodynamic and economic analyses

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• 作者：Ronald Michalsky^a ; ^b ; Bryon J. Parman^a ; ^c ; Vincent Amanor-Boadu^c ; Peter H. Pfromm^b ; ^{pfromm@ksu.edu}
• 关键词：Hydrogen ; Methane ; Fertilizer ; Electricity ; Economics ; Infrastructure
• 刊名：Energy
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：11_03605442
• 类别：pw
• 出版时间：June, 2012
• 卷：42
• 期：1
• 页码：251-260
• 文件大小：937 K

摘要

Ammonia is an important input into agriculture and is used widely as base chemical for the chemical industry. It has recently been proposed as a sustainable transportation fuel and convenient one-way hydrogen carrier. Employing typical meteorological data for Palmdale, CA, solar energy is considered here as an inexpensive and renewable energy alternative in the synthesis of NH₃ at ambient pressure and without natural gas. Thermodynamic process analysis shows that a molybdenum-based solar thermochemical NH₃ production cycle, conducted at or below 1500聽K, combined with solar thermochemical H₂ production from water may operate at a net-efficiency ranging from 23 to 30%(lower heating value of NH₃ relative to the total energy input). Net present value optimization indicates ecologically and economically sustainable NH₃ synthesis at above about 160 tons NH₃ per day, dependent primarily on heliostat costs (varied between 90 and 164 dollars/m²), NH₃ yields (ranging from 13.9聽mol%to stoichiometric conversion of fixed and reduced nitrogen to NH₃), and the NH₃ sales price. Economically feasible production at an optimum plant capacity near 900 tons NH₃ per day is shown at relative conservative technical assumptions and at a reasonable NH₃ sales price of about 534聽卤聽28 dollars per ton NH₃.