Abstract:
Objective Ammonia is a good zero carbon fuel, and green ammonia co-firing has become one of the main technological paths for low-carbon transformation and construction of thermal power plants in China. It can effectively solve the problems of carbon reduction in thermal power plants, as well as large-scale consumption and long-term energy storage of renewable energy such as wind and solar power. Replacing some coal or natural gas with green ammonia as fuel will require a large amount of green ammonia. It is particularly important to achieve large-scale, efficient, economical, and safe storage and transportation of liquid ammonia. Methods The advantages and disadvantages of ammonia fuel are elaborated from two perspectives: the main characteristics of ammonia and ammonia energy storage. Detailed introduction is given to the transportation and storage methods of liquid ammonia. To improve the existing liquid ammonia storage process, a new liquid ammonia storage method combining medium pressure room temperature and low pressure cooling has been proposed, which fully considers the advantages of both storage methods and has the advantages of energy saving, water saving, high safety, and moderate investment cost. Taking a typical case of a 2×660 MW coal-fired power plant co-firing 10% (by heat) green ammonia project, a specific liquid ammonia storage and transportation technology scheme and the selection of main equipment design parameters are provided, and a comprehensive economic comparative analysis is conducted on three types of liquid ammonia storage methods. Results In the scenario of green ammonia co-firing in thermal power plants, pipeline transportation has significant advantages such as good economy, high transportation efficiency, and high safety, and is currently the most feasible large-scale liquid ammonia transportation method. It is not suitable to use atmospheric and low-temperature storage for liquid ammonia storage. Based on the economic analysis results and safety considerations, the number of medium pressure and room temperature spherical tanks selected for the combination of medium pressure and low pressure cooling storage should be reasonable and as few as possible, preferably 2-3; The study found that there is a critical number of days for the storage of liquid ammonia, which is 5 days in this case. When the storage time of liquid ammonia is greater than the critical number, it is recommended to use a combination storage method of medium pressure room temperature and low pressure cooling, which can better balance economy and safety. However, when the storage time of liquid ammonia is not greater than the critical number, the economic efficiency of the three storage methods is not significantly different, and it is recommended to choose the medium pressure room temperature storage method with higher safety. Conclusion At present, it is urgent to formulate national standards for liquid ammonia pipeline transportation and accelerate the construction of green ammonia co-firing demonstration projects in thermal power plants, in order to help achieve China's goals of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality".