Objective Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, are intermittent and fluctuating, and they require efficient storage solutions to ensure a stable and continuous energy supply. Ammonia, with its advantages of convenient storage and transportation, versatility, and high energy density, serves as a long-term storage medium for renewable energy. It mitigates energy wastage caused by intermittencies, such as unused wind and solar power, and reduces carbon emissions associated with traditional ammonia production processes in alignment with the goal of “Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutral”. This process is referred to as renewable power to ammonia (RePtA). RePtA involves producing hydrogen from renewable energy through the electrolysis of water. The hydrogen is then compressed and mixed with nitrogen obtained by air separation based on stoichiometric ratios. The mixture is heated to the catalyst start-up temperature and introduced into a reactor to undergo ammonia synthesis. After synthesis, the reaction gas undergoes cooling and separation to obtain industrial-grade liquid ammonia, while the unreacted synthesis gas is recycled back into the reactor to sustain the reaction. However, the intermittent instability of renewable energy sources, such as wind power, causes fluctuations in the flow of hydrogen produced through electrolysis, which leads to instability in the feed flow to the green ammonia reactor. This condition disrupts the thermal and kinetic equilibrium of the ammonia synthesis reaction and prevents the reaction from proceeding under optimal conditions. Hence, adapting the conventional ammonia synthesis reactor to meet the requirements of the green ammonia production process for smooth operation presents challenges. At present, the ammonia synthesis process mainly relies on the Haber‒Bosch method. Mathematical models developed in previous studies are often scenario-specific and assume constant feed flow rates and system process parameters. However, in actual production, the availability of renewable resources such as wind continuously changes, causing fluctuations in hydrogen flow due to electrolysis. These fluctuations lead to variations in ammonia yield and heat release during the synthesis reaction and can ultimately reduce product yield or even cause complete cessation of the reaction, resulting in serious consequences. Methods A two-stage stochastic planning modeling framework rooted in the principles of kinetics and thermodynamics was proposed to enhance the robustness of green ammonia production and reduce the impact of uncertainty factors on the production process, which integrated key processes such as hydrogen production from electrolytic water, ammonia synthesis reaction, and ammonia cooling and separation. The first stage in the stochastic planning model determined the reactor topology, including the heat transfer area configuration of the heat exchangers, the volume of each reactor bed, and the connection of the piping, whereas the second stage focused on optimizing the production process by considering the uncertainty parameters. It determined key process parameters such as the circulating flow streams, the tail gas emissions, and the flow rate of the flow streams into each heat exchanger under each scenario. The ammonia synthesis reactor system was first simulated and analyzed using a physicochemical model, which subdivided the reactor system into three subsystems, namely, the heat exchanger, the catalyst bed, and the mixer. The processes occurring within the boundaries of each subsystem were physically and/or chemically distinct. Combining these subsystems allowed for the quantification of the overall behavior of the synthesis system. Results and Discussions The first stage in the stochastic planning model compared the adiabatic quench cooling reactor (AQCR) and the adiabatic indirect cooling reactor (AICR), which were commonly in use, and the difference in the effectiveness of the two reactors was mainly due to the variation in the residence time of the reactant gas within the catalyst bed, which resulted in a difference in ammonia yield. This determination included the volume of each bed, the heat transfer area, and the connection of the pipelines. The optimized reactor configuration was illustrated in this study. Regarding the bed volumes, the catalyst bed volumes increased sequentially from Bed 1 to Bed 3. The main reason was that the ammonia reaction is reversible. As the reaction progresses to the later stage, the forward reaction rate slows down, the reverse reaction rate accelerates, the resistance to the forward direction increases, and the overall reaction rate decreases. It was necessary to increase the bed volume under specific air velocity conditions without altering the internal structure and pressure of the reactor to ensure thorough gas reaction. Conclusions The obtained reactor configuration in the second stage was employed as the foundation for optimizing the production process. The robustness of the RePtA production process was further strengthened through adjustments of operational parameters, including the flow rate of each reactor stream under various feeding conditions, by applying the multi-scenario stochastic planning model. The results indicated that the designed indirectly cooled reactor can effectively accommodate variations in operating scenarios caused by fluctuations in feed flow rate, ensuring stable performance under multiple operating conditions. The total cost of the designed reactor increased by approximately 410 000 RMB, representing a 10% rise compared to the original reactor. At the same time, the AICR improved the one-way conversion of the reaction, leading to an 18% increase in ammonia production compared to the original, with an annual production growth of about 8 000 t. Therefore, the cost per tonne of ammonia was reduced by 4.5% with only a minor increase in the annual cost. In addition, due to greater heat release from the AICR, the energy consumption of the RePtA process was reduced, resulting in an annual energy saving of 3.8×106 MJ. Accordingly, the optimized design provides advantages in four essential areas: coping with variable load conditions, increasing ammonia production, reducing process energy consumption, and lowering production costs.
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