Techno-economic analysis of zero-carbon ammonia-hydrogen fuel blend production through a catalytic membrane reformer and packed bed reactor

Ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends are an attractive alternative for zero carbon combustion and power generation. Herein we present a comprehensive techno-economic analysis for distributed production of these fuel mixtures from liquid NH3 comparing catalytic membrane reformer (CMR) and packed bed reactor (PBR) processes. The technical and economic feasibility was evaluated as a function of product composition (10–50 % H2), and delivery pressure (1–50 bar), and process scale (0.1–10 MW). To facilitate comparisons with conventional power and common hydrocarbon fuels the results are presented as NH3 processing cost (¢/kWh), H2 production cost (USD/kg), and overall fuel cost (USD/thm). The results show that the CMR is superiorly positioned for the generation of ammonia/hydrogen fuel mixtures with 2.7–7.2 times lower NH3 processing cost and requiring <0.5 USD/kg H2 production costs with exhaust heat recuperation. CMR advantages stem from more efficient NH3 reforming and H2 separation processes, eliminating the need for capital and operating intensive compression. These benefits are amplified with increasing H2 composition and fuel delivery pressure. The processing cost for both reformer options drops by 30 % with a scale increase from 0.1 to 10 MW. CMR-generated ammonia/hydrogen fuel blends are cost-competitive with refined liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet A. Nevertheless, the NH3 cost would have to be reduced by more than half to become competitive with natural gas. These findings suggest that ammonia/hydrogen fuel blends are an attractive option for the decarbonization of heavy industry and commercial transport.